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Best Bets: Week 3

Moeller WR Tennel Bryant (photo by James Bates/TriStateFootball.com)

In a week where we hoped to see clarity in the parity of the teams at the top, the waters were muddied even more. We saw a Top 10 shutout with Princeton blanking Colerain 28-0 while Wyoming dominated Taft 20-0. Week 3 should not disappoint, as the Tri-state should learn what to make of Colerain, whether Western Brown can close out Monroe after last year’s shootout, and what to expect from Moeller after a tough matchup against East Central. Here are this week’s best bets.

#10 EAST CENTRAL AT #2 MOELLER
East Central easily dispatched Lawrenceburg and Harrison the first two weeks of the season. However, the first real test of the season will come on Saturday when the Trojans travel to Norwood’s Shea Stadium to take on a Crusaders team that knocked them off 39-22 in 2021. Moeller, meanwhile, is coming off an impressive 28-3 win over Kentucky powerhouse Louisville Trinity.

So far in 2022, it’s been no Noah Geselbrecht, no problem for the Crusaders. Moeller is led on offense at quarterback by Luke Dunn, who has impressed so far with 418 yards through the air and six touchdowns. Where Moeller is dangerous though is on the ground. Junior Jordan Marshall is gashing opposing defenses with 328 rushing yards and five touchdowns through the first two weeks.

On the other sideline, East Central returns its quarterback from last year in junior Cole Burton, who currently ranks third in Indiana in passing yards this season with 570. His eight touchdowns and 153.0 quarterback rating also light up the stat sheet and will prove to be a tough test of the Crusader defense. Last season, Moeller limited Burton to 123 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception.

This match-up will be a good measuring stick game, not just for the Trojans, but for Burton himself. With a full season of work on the field and leadership off the field, will Burton take the next step and allow East Central to compete with the guys across the border? These questions will be answered on Saturday in Norwood.

#5 FAIRFIELD AT #11 COLERAIN
The Colerain Cardinals could be on the verge of a very rare 0-3 start. The offense has been anemic in the first two games against La Salle and Princeton. Zae Jennings has special skills but those around him need to step up and allow him to make a play. Jennings did not complete a pass in the loss to Princeton as the Cardinals could only scrounge together 116 yards of total offense, all on the ground.

It won’t get much easier for the Cardinals as the Fairfield Indians come to Cheviot Road in a four-way tie for first place atop the GMC standings. Fairfield pummeled the Middletown Middies in Week 2 with star quarterback Talon Fisher just having his way with the purple defense. Fisher passed for over 100 yards and a touchdown while adding 159 yards on the ground with another touchdown. He had similar numbers in Week 1 against Wayne with 145 yards passing and 174 yards rushing.

Holding the Princeton offense to only 28 points was quite an achievement for the Cardinals defense. But will they be able to stop Fisher’s production as well as find what works on offense? That’s a tough task of a team with a lot to prove in just the third week of the season. If Colerain can’t find a way to take care of business against Fairfield, expect the Cardinals to continue to tumble down the Blitz 5 Top 25 rankings.

COOPER AT #15 RYLE
It wasn’t pretty Week 1 for the Cooper Jaguars after losing to a team they beat 30-3 just a year ago. But Randy Borchers’ team rebounded in Week 2 behind an extraordinary game by running back Eli White, who rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns en route to a close 41-36 win over Dixie Heights. Quarterback Cam O’Hara added 194 yards passing and three touchdowns as well.

The balanced offensive attack will be met on Friday night by a Ryle Raiders defense that has been tested early on the season in back-to-back road games – one against Lexington Catholic followed last week by Conner. The Raiders defense tallied five sacks in the 21-7 win over the Cougars. Offensively, Logan Verax threw for 99 yards and touchdowns while Jayce Harden added 137 yards rushing.

In 2021, it was a defensive battle with Ryle inching past Cooper 14-7. Expect another close one in 2022, with both teams hoping to notch important wins early in the season.

MONROE AT #20 WESTERN BROWN
When it comes to small town, small school football, this game may be as big as it gets, particularly after the fireworks in the 2021 edition of this matchup. Two teams, two completely different offensive styles of play. One team boasts a quarterback who is on track to pass other big name quarterbacks in the record books this season. Anyone heard of Joe Burrow? The other team boasts one of the most electric fullbacks in the entire area who enters this game with over 300 yards rushing in two games.

Both of these players played last year. Western Brown quarterback Drew Novak threw for 503 yards and four touchdowns, while Monroe fullback Elijah Jackson rushed for 403 yards and three touchdowns. The Hornets outgained the Broncos in offensive total yards 669-616 behind 664 rushing yards. It made for an exciting back-and-forth game that resulted in a Monroe 66-58 win.

As long as Drew Novak and Elijah Jackson are on the field, either team has a significant chance of finding the end zone. It could come down to home field advantage once again, as the venue shifts to Mt. Orab for this year’s rumble. Look for this to be one of the most underrated games of the season in the Tri-State.

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GAME OF THE WEEK

Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour,  #18 Badin at Withrow.

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Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:

OHIO
No. 1 Lakota West at Sycamore
No. 3 Winton Woods at West Clermont
No. 4 Princeton at No. 13 Lakota East
No. 5 Fairfield at No. 11 Colerain
Olentangy Liberty at No. 6 St. Xavier
No. 7 Elder at Springboro
No. 8 La Salle at Kettering Fairmont
No. 9 Kings at Walnut Hills
Oak Hills at No. 12 Mason
No. 14 Hamilton at Middletown
Loveland at No. 16 Milford
No. 17 Anderson at Lebanon
Aiken at No. 21 Wyoming
Franklin at No. 24 Edgewood

INTERSTATE
No. 13 East Central at Harrison

KENTUCKY
No. 15 Ryle at Conner
No. 19 Covington Catholic at Lexington Catholic
No. 22 Beechwood at Somerset
Southwestern at No. 25 Simon Kenton

 

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