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Best Bets: Week 5

This week in Greater Cincinnati high school football will be one of the biggest, most consequential weeks of the season. Several conference matchups that could determine who comes out on top are slated in the GCL South, the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, Northern Kentucky, and the Cincinnati Hills League. Also featuring several Blitz5 Top 25 teams, this week will bring offensive juggernauts together, as well as defensive stalwarts. Let’s take a look at some of these matchups in this week’s Best Bets.

ST. XAVIER (KY) AT #7 ELDER
Louisville St. Xavier comes into this matchup putting down a card that is not in the cards for Ohio teams: a bye week. The undefeated Tigers are coming up to The Pit rested after beating Male for the first time since 2018. In fact, the Tigers’ schedule looks identical to last year, which may have some interpreting that history is not on the Panthers’ side. The first five weeks of Louisville St. Xavier’s schedule the past two years have been playing Owensboro, Central, Male, bye week, then Elder. Last season, the Tigers were going into the Elder matchup 2-1. This year, the Tigers are coming to The Pit with no losses. Last year, the Tigers beat the Panthers 31-21 at home. This year? We will see.

Elder, meanwhile, comes off a crushing loss to Ohio powerhouse football program St. Edward. The Panthers were only able to generate 179 yards of total offense, but still kept it close, falling by only a field goal. Quarterback Ben Schoster was still able to generate 122 yards passing with a touchdown in the loss. Schoster is a dangerous tool for the Panthers, as he can use his legs to do some damage as well. In the Week 3 win over Springboro, he rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown. Luke Flowers also contributes on the ground, amassing 249 yards through four games.

St. Xavier comes to town featuring a 2-to-1 run to pass ratio. The Tigers have three players who have rushed for over 100 yards on the season, and four players who have scored a rushing touchdown. As a team, the Tigers have 580 net rushing yards to only 266 net passing yards. However, six touchdowns have come on the ground and six have come through the air.

The Tiger rushing game vs. the Panthers rush defense will be the matchup to watch. Elder gives up an average of 168.5 rushing yards per game, which is last in the GCL South. In the loss to St. Edward, Elder gave up 298 yards on the ground, which accounts for nearly half of the rushing yards given up this season by the Panthers. In 2021, Tigers were pretty balanced in their offensive attack against Elder, throwing for 186 yards and two touchdowns, while only rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Whether it’s pass-heavy or run-heavy, the Elder defense needs to be prepared to face head-on whatever St. Xavier throws at them.

#21 BEECHWOOD at #18 COVINGTON CATHOLIC
Week 5 will feature another showcase in Northern Kentucky as the Beechwood Tigers travel to Wooten Field to take on the Covington Catholic Colonels. In the 2021 matchup, the Tigers trounced the Colonels 27-7 using the feet of Cameron Hergott. With Hergott off to Eastern Kentucky, the Colonels will look to capitalize and look to knock off Beechwood for the first time since 2020.

It’s been talked about all season long. Beechwood has not missed a step following the departure of Hergott. Cash Harney has stepped into the role and excelled, throwing for 469 yards and six touchdowns through the first four weeks. The Tigers pound the ball on the ground as well, led by Mitchell Berger who has accumulated 621 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this season. Berger has rushed for at least 160 yards in three of the four games so far this season.

For CovCath, it’s a much more balanced attack. On the season, the Colonels have passed for 631 yards and rushed for 622. The Colonel defense is what will have to step up in this game. In Week 1 against the Elder Panthers, CovCath gave up 239 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. If the Colonels want any shot at beating the red-hot Tigers, they will have to find a way to stop Berger at the line of scrimmage. If Berger gets to the secondary, he’s gone.


#9 KINGS AT #14 MILFORD
If you like a lot of offense and a lot of scoring, this will be the game to keep your eyes on. This matchup features two of the top three highest scoring offenses in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, known for its high-octane, pass-heavy offenses. The Milford Eagles come into this game having scored 179 points this season, just short of Kings’ 182 points. On top of all of that, both teams are headed into Week 5 with unblemished records, a perfect 4-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

If you look at the stat sheet, the Kings defense appears to be stout, having given up on 23 points all season. But take that with a grain of salt. The combined record of the four teams the Knights have faced this season is 0-16. Quarterback Will Kocher ranks third in the ECC is passing yards with 1,146 yards, behind Anderson’s Griffin Scalf (1,570 yards) and Milford’s Austin Hardin (1,256 yards), and second in the ECC in passing touchdowns with 14. The only other quarterback who has passed for more touchdowns? Hardin.

Milford comes into this game tested, but with some momentum, after the Week 4 thriller against Anderson. That game saw Hardin toss five touchdowns through the air and totaling 372 yards. Natwan Webster added 133 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see how the two different teams show up. This will come as the first big test for the Knights, while Milford has had some high-scoring, nail biting barnburners. Will the Kings defense be up to the test? Also, It doesn’t help that the Knights are on the road.


READING AT #20 WYOMING
Two unbeatens in the Cincinnati Hills League go at it at Bob Lewis Stadium as the Reading Blue Devils travel to Wyoming to face the behemoth Cowboys. While Reading has scored more points on the season (168 to Wyoming’s 144), the Cowboys went the first three weeks without giving up a touchdown until finally giving up a single score to Indian Hill in Week 4.

As long as Wyoming has stud running back CJ Hester, the Cowboys should be the favorite to win. Hester, by far, leads the CHL in rushing with 749 yards. In the Week 4 win against Indian Hill, Hester ran for 281 yards and six touchdowns, accounting for all but one of Wyoming’s touchdowns. If the Blue Devils can find a way to slow down Hester, then Reading may have a chance. But that is a tall task.

If Wyoming scores early and often, then Reading will have trouble keeping up. If the Reading defense can step up early and give its offense a chance, then this one could be close, as it was in 2021. The 10-point margin of victory was the second-smallest margin for any Wyoming win last season.

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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, #2 Moeller at #6 St. Xavier.

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

OHIO
No. 1 Lakota West at No. 4 Princeton
No. 3 Winton Woods at Little Miami
No. 5 Fairfield at Oak Hills
No. 8 La Salle at duPont Manual
Middletown at No. 11 Mason
No. 15 Lakota East at No. 12 Hamilton
No. 16 Colerain at Sycamore
No. 17 Badin at Ross
No. 19 Anderson at Walnut Hills
No. 22 Taft at Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin
No. 23 Edgewood at Chaminade Julienne
No. 24 Western Brown at Miami Trace
Norwood at No. 25 New Richmond

INDIANA
Batesville at No. 10 East Central

KENTUCKY
Highlands at No. 13 Ryle

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