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Best Bets: Week 4

Lakota East WR Zion Neal/photo by Barry Burtenshaw)

Three weeks are down the drain and whether you are a team that is off to a great start or a squad that hasn’t gotten to where you want to be, there is still quite a bit of season yet to play. Every week matters and week four is no different as battles around the area will help decide seeding come playoff time. In week three several teams made statements on the pecking order as Princeton, Cooper, Moeller, and Winton Woods all made positive strides in their season. Others fell a bit short but are still hungry and very much in the hunt. We are just a pinch outside of time to panic.

This week there are some big games that can give a team momentum as we head to mid season. Several teams will look to flex their muscles and feel good at this midway point. In the bluegrass state Highlands travels down to Union for a matchup with Ryle. Taft visits Mount Healthy, Princeton heads up 75 north to Lakota East, and McNicholas visits Roger Bacon. This is a big week for teams to make up some ground or separate themselves from the pack.

What to expect in week four? Can Highlands continue their dominant early season? Will Princeton back up last week’s win? Only time and a solid four quarters will tell. Here are the Best Bets for week 4.

#9 HIGHLANDS AT #13 RYLE

The Bluebirds have been one of the area’s hottest teams to start the season and they would love for that to continue against a good Ryle team. Highlands has gotten their offense rolling over the last two weeks as they are averaging 33 points per game during that span. The Bluebirds have leaned on the leadership of Rio Litmer at quarterback. After getting off to a slow start in his first snaps at quarterback in week one, Litmer has put on a nice display of passing and rushing from his position. Jack White has been a staple in the running game and Adam Surrey is a prime target through the air.

Defensively the Bluebirds have been stout all season long. Highlands has given up 9.2 PPG and have made things tough on opposing offenses. They are coming off a shutout of Campbell County and seem to be flying high as we approach the midway point of the season. Highlands has succeeded in turning over their opponents (seven last week) and that bodes well for them going forward. Surrey has been at the forefront of a no fly zone with two INTS last week alone.

Ryle was a couple plays away from winning the battle of Union last week and remaining undefeated themselves. The Raiders have been led offensively by Nathan Verax at quarterback who has really stepped up in his first year as the play caller. He has also excelled as a dual threat that can hurt defenses in a number of ways. Jacob Savage has been a reliable runner and catcher out of the backfield as well.

The Raiders defense hasn’t shown many weaknesses so far as they have held down all of their opponents to below their normal production. Savage leads the way as a linebacker on that side of the ball as he is in on many tackles and causes a headache for offensive schemes. Drake Meadows have also been a defensive mainstay.

This is one that is tough to call but Highlands is looking to be a major threat in the entire state. Bet on the Bluebirds to get a tough road win.

#22 TAFT AT MOUNT HEALTHY

The Taft Senators are 3-0 and look to be primed for a run to state. Although it’s early, they have been very impressive. The Senators have done it on defense as they have been a stingy unit through the first three weeks. Taft is only allowing 4.2 points per contest and have made even moving the ball very hard on every offense that they have faced. Offensively they have put up a shade over 30 points per contest and have done it both in the air and on the ground. Their speed on the perimeter has been unmatched.

After a close opening season loss, Mount Healthy has found winning ways with two straight victories. Jahmeir Spain has been a major player for the Owls at quarterback. He has thrown for 975 yards in just three games with 12 touchdowns. He is completing 73% of his passes and has three targets that can all hurt opposing secondaries. Defensively the Owls fly around and make plays. They have the top four tacklers in the SWOC. Raishawn Cotton has 51 tackles and Ty Watkins has 24 tackles and 2 sacks.

Mount Healthy has a great offense but the Taft defense has been stellar through three weeks. Look for that to continue in a dominant win for the Senators.

#2 PRINCETON AT #19 LAKOTA EAST

Princeton pulled off the biggest win last week by toppling Lakota West and the Vikings are in prime position for another GMC championship if they can win out. The Vikings have been stars on the defensive end in the last two weeks of conference play. In that span they have not given up a touchdown and seem to be playing with a greater passion and effort to back up their immense talent. Greg Williams had 12 tackles last week and Andre Parker and Paul Nelson backed him up well. Speed is the name of the game on offense as Princeton has many players with blow by speed and the ability to break one at any moment. Landon Miree has been a major threat in the passing game at wide receiver.

Lakota East got a big win last week at Hamilton as they pulled off a win in overtime. The Thunderhawks got their offense going against the home team and did just enough on defense to survive. Jamison Kitna is the leader as a play caller and had several designed runs late to get his team in position for a game winning field goal. Ryder Hooks is explosive out of the backfield and can break out at any time. Zion Neal is the deep threat. Cohen Riep has led East defensively with 40 total tackles.

This one could be a tight one if the Thunderhawks control the possession game. The Vikings seem to be on the hunt however and should get a comfortable win.

MCNICHOLAS AT ROGER BACON

McNick has won two straight since a week one loss and has gotten some positive mojo going. They have outscored their last two opponents 65-5 with two dominant performances. Braden Bobo has thrown for 460 yards and 5 touchdowns and has rushed for another 133 yards in leading the Rockets. Caleb Naumann has been a big threat in the running and passing game. He has 237 yards rushing and 148 yards receiving on the season. Blaize Volker has led the team on defense with 28 tackles.

Roger Bacon has been up and down in their three games so far and are trying to find an identity on both sides of the ball. Bubba Smart is second in the league in passing yards with 535 and has five touchdowns passing. Jerome Smith leads the charge on the ground at running back and Landen Murphy is the top target through the air. On defense the Spartans look to Max Hoffman to lead the way. He has 23 tackles on the season. 

McNick looks to be finding their way at the right time and bet on the Rockets to put up some points in a big win on the road.

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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, No. 24 Beechwood at Simon Kenton

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

OHIO
#19 Fairfield at #3 Lakota West
Withrow at #4 St. Xavier
#5 Anderson at Lebanon
#8 Elder at St. Edward
Sycamore at #11 Middletown
#25 West Clermont at #12 Kings
#18 Hamilton at #21 Mason

KENTUCKY
#7 Cooper at Campbell County
#16 Covington Catholic at Dixie Heights

INDIANA
Franklin County at #20 East Central

 

 

 

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