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Best Bets: Week 11

Winton Woods RB Isaiah Garrett (photo by: Shelby Frieszell / TriStateFootball.com

The regular season is over in Ohio and the pairings are out. Across all seven divisions, there are intraconference games, rivalry games, and potential teams on upset alerts. In Division I, we have a No. 1 seed in Milford with critical injuries that could hamper their ceiling, while in Division II, we have an intriguing matchup between La Salle and Winton Woods.

Could there be a big upset in Round 1? Who has a good shot at making a deep run in the playoffs?  Here are this week’s Best Bets.

#11 LA SALLE AT #6 WINTON WOODS
Has La Salle lost five games in a row? Yes. But did they also get a decent draw in the playoffs? Also yes. The Lancers have lost six games this season, but four have been by a touchdown or less. They are facing a team that is also on a bit of a slide themselves (by Winton Woods standards), with the Warriors losing two of the last three, including a tough loss to Lebanon in the final week of the regular season.

Warriors’ quarterback Bryshawn Brown is coming off back-to-back stellar performances, throwing for at least 230 yards and two touchdowns in each of the last two games. Despite the performances, the Warriors struggled to put the ball in the endzone. In each of the team’s losses this season, Winton Woods struggled in the run game, rushing for only 10, 43, and 44 yards in each game. Luckily for the Warriors, the La Salle defense is prone to giving up a lot of rushing yards, giving up at least 200 rushing yards in each of the last four games. If the Warriors want to avoid an upset, they will need to establish the run game early and often.

La Salle, on the other hand, has the talent to pull off the upset. The 4-6 record does not accurately reflect the talent on this team. From a passing yards standpoint, Pat McLaughlin is the second best in the GCL South. He has a 19:6 TD-to-interception ratio to go along with 1,941 passing yards. On defense, Brady O’Conner has put together a respectable last two games, accumulating 20 total tackles in that span. He is Top-3 in the GCL South in tackles, only three behind the leader.

La Salle LB Brady O’Connor (Shelby Frieszell/TriStateFootball.com)

While the Warriors have the edge, La Salle can pull the upset off. It will all depend on if the Lancers can slow down a less-than-stellar Warriors run game and whether the La Salle offense can score early and often, forcing Winton Woods to throw the ball, sparing the defense of defending the run. If all things go right for the team on North Bend Road, we could be talking about a Lancer Advancement.

#10 SYCAMORE AT #7 HAMILTON
Hamilton will be the site of an exciting Greater Miami Conference rematch of a thrilling game between the Hamilton Big Blue and the Sycamore Aviators just two short weeks ago. Hamilton narrowly came out on top, despite the Aviators outgaining the Big Blue overall, in the passing game, and in the rushing game. However, this game could have a completely different outcome.

That’s because Sycamore turned the ball over four times in the first matchup, including three interceptions thrown by Seth Truter. While Truter is prone to throwing at least one interception a game, the odds of him throwing three in two of the last three games are slim. If Truter takes care of the ball, his arm and the legs of Eugene Harney could help carry the Aviators to victory. After rushing for at least 100 yards in the first four GMC games this season, Harney has only done it once since then. He’s due for a big game and if that happens in this one, watch out.

On the other sideline though is another stud in the run game in Cournell Bennett-McCoy, who ran for 133 yards and a touchdown in the first matchup against Sycamore. Antonio Mathis is a Top-5 quarterback in the GMC, so the Big Blue can get it done on offense all around. Defensively, Hamilton boasts three of the top five tacklers in the GMC, led by CJ Bryant. They also have the second-highest ranked sacking defensive player in Trey Verdon.

Hamilton DL Trey Verdon (photo courtesy of: ScoutingOhio.com)

This game features an intriguing matchup between the statistically-best quarterback in the GMC in Truter facing the statistically-best defensive player in the GMC in Bryant. Bryant has one of the three interceptions on Truter in the first matchup. If the tables turn just a little bit, Sycamore is in position to pull off the upset.

LAWRENCEBURG AT BATESVILLE
Is there anything more dangerous than a reigning state runner-up wanting revenge on a team that beat them during the regular season? That’s exactly what’s in front of the Lawrenceburg Tigers as they face the Batesville Bulldogs, who beat them 26-23 in Week 6.

Lawrenceburg RB Teagan Bennett (photo by: Sandy Mahoney / Twitter: @InMotionBySandy)

Despite losing, the Tigers outgained the Bulldogs on offense. James Baker threw for 130 yards and touchdown while star running back Teagan Bennett added 87 yards on the ground and a touchdown. The differences in the game were a blocked field goal and costly interception thrown by Baker. Batesville will depend on the play of its quarterback Will Jaisle, who has thrown for at least three touchdowns in the four games since the Lawrenceburg game.

This game is truly a toss-up and could go either way. The edge goes to the home team for now.

#12 MADEIRA AT #5 PURCELL MARIAN
It’s been an exciting year for Purcell Marian. The Cavaliers opened a new on-campus stadium with a winning season, finishing at 8-2. The team rewards its fans with a home playoff game against a Madeira team that has scored at least 40 points in each of its five wins this season, including a win against the Cavaliers. Both teams are riding winning streaks – Purcell Marian at five games and Madeira at three games.

Purcell Marian TE/DE Levi Smiley (photo by: Kelsey Rebman/TriStateFootball.com)

Madeira has clicked offensively the last three weeks, racking up at least 400 yards of total offense in each game. In last week’s win over Deer Park, the Mustangs did most of their damage on the ground with 309 rushing yards on a wet, cold night. The week before, it was the passing game that led the team to victory.

The Purcell Marian defense has the potential to be stout. However, the unit gave up 41 points in the first go round with Madeira. If the Cavaliers defense can make one more stop here and one more there, the result can be much different than the first matchup.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game, #11 Oak Hills at #6 Elder.

 

 

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