Best Bets: Week 9

We have reached week 9 which means there only a couple of precious opportunities left to put fingerprints on the regular season. Positioning and seeding is top priority as we wind down and there are many teams who stand to gain and lose a lot depending on the outcome of their remaining games. It is officially crunch time on every team’s season. Last week there were yet again some great performances as St. Xavier, Batavia, Winton Woods, and Hamilton all picked up wins to help their cause. A handful of teams have that same opportunity this week as there are some major games on the horizon taking place Friday night. 

This week there are some absolute gems on the schedule. The ECC championship is on the line as Winton Woods travels to Anderson. Wyoming visits Indian Hill in a crucial CHL battle. Batavia clashes with Clinton-Massie with a lot on the line and Lakota East travels to their crosstown rival Lakota West for a GMC dogfight. There is a ton riding on these next four quarters.

Many questions will be answered. Will offense or defense rule in Anderson? Is Lakota East ready to take the next step under coach Kitna? We will find out that and more very soon. Here are the Best Bets for week 9.

#4 WINTON WOODS AT #3 ANDERSON

The story for Winton Woods this season has been simple, they stop their opponent better than any other team in the area. The Warriors give up a mere 3.1 PPG on the season. That is 25 total points through eight weeks of football. Da’Von Cain and Justin Hill each have 6.5 sacks on the season as they pressure the quarterback consistently as a duo. Landen Anderson leads the team with 38 tackles and interceptions with 2. The Warriors only allow 131 yards per game and have shut out three of their last five opponents.

Offensively the Warriors have been a bit pedestrian for their normal standards. They still average 30 PPG but have padded those numbers against lesser competition. Isaiah Garrett leads the team in rushing with 441 yards and 6 scores. Tyler Gooding has 323 yards with 3 scores on the ground. They lead an offense that has leaned on their rushing attack. 

Anderson QB Justice Burnam (photo by: Dan Bieneke / TriStateFootball.com)

The Anderson Raptors own one of the most prolific offenses that we have seen in recent years. They continue to outdo themselves season after season by putting up more and more points. The Raptors are averaging 51 PPG. That is not a typo and they put up 325 yards per game through the passing game alone. Justice Burnam has thrown for 2,325 yards and 27 touchdowns and has a bevy of talented playmakers to distribute the ball to.

Defensively Anderson has stepped it up a notch from their previous successful seasons. They are allowing just a shade under 6 points a game and have given opposing offenses fits all season. Reid Baker leads the team in tackles with 45 as they have given up less than 13 points in all but one game this season.

They say defense wins championships but out scoring your opponent is always the goal. Bet on Anderson to  claim the ECC at home this week.

#23 WYOMING AT INDIAN HILL

Wyoming has dominated the league over the years and will try and claim a title once again with a win on Friday night. The Cowboys offense has the second leading rusher in the conference as Joel Hancock has rushed for 1,548 yards and 21 touchdowns so far this season. Sophomore QB David Dupree has matured nicely and thrown for 1,196 yards and 14 scores against only one interception. Josiah Gault has 610 receiving yards.  In defense the Cowboys give up 11.5 PPG and have been strong against the run. 

Indian Hill boasts the league leader in rushing. Devlan Daniel has been unstoppable this season with 1,626 yards on the ground and 26 TD. Ethan Cole also helps boost the run game as he has 333 yards and 3 scores. Indian Hill’s ground game is churning out 261 yards per outing as they have run the ball with major success all season. George Vollmer has 3 interceptions to lead the defense. 

Indian Hill loves to run, and Wyoming is great against it and have a more balanced offensive attack. Take the Cowboys to win a big one on the road.

BATAVIA AT CLINTON-MASSIE

Carson Harris continues to light up defenses every week and has now thrown for 2,837 yards and 31 touchdowns. Wide receiver Marcus Hughbanks has over 1,000 yards receiving and 12 TD. Max Mehlman has 912 yards and 13 TD to help the Bulldogs in their elite passing game. Mehlman also boasts 4 interceptions on defense and Vontay Calloway leads the team with 8.5 sacks.

Clinton-Maddie favors a heavy run game as Eli Muterspaw and Peyton Warren have both rushed for over 500 yards and have combined for 11 touchdowns. Logan Chesser and Laden Zantene have combine for another 500 plus yards on the ground as well. Ty Clutter has 59 tackles to lead a defense that gives up only ten points per game.

Batavia is a great offensive unit, but Clinton-Massie is as tough as they come. They will take care of business at home.

#8 LAKOTA EAST AT #2 LAKOTA WEST

This rivalry hasn’t been much of a contest in the past several years and the Thunderhawks would love to change that this Friday. Jamison Kitna leads the league with 1,741 passing yards and 19 TD. He looks mostly to Zion Neal (30 rec, 435 yds, 7 TD) in the passing game. Ryder Hooks is about as dynamic as they come as a running back. He has 703 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns and has also caught 14 passes on the year. Defensively Cohen Reid has 89 tackles good for second in the league. Parker Elam has 5 sacks and Connor Kruse leads the league with 4 interceptions. 

J.T. Kitna (photo by Barry Burtenshaw)

West has been led by Sam Wiles who has1,085 yards passing with 13 TD and also has rushed for 583 yards and another 7 scores on the ground. Players like Braydon Johnson, Kenyon Norman, and Trey Barnett’s are versatile and can hurt defenses in a number of ways with their playmaking abilities. Grant Beerman has 54 tackles to lead the defense that has been great all season. They only allow 6.9 PPG.

Lakota West QB Sam Wiles (courtesy of: ScoutingOhio.com)

Lakota East is having its best season in some years but this is a “show me” game and no one in the GMC has shown they can beat the Firebirds late in the season when it matters most. Bet on a comfortable West win.

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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, Loveland at #15 West Clermont

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

OHIO
St. Edward at #1 Moeller
St. Ignatius at #6 St. Xavier
#7 Princeton at #21 Middletown
Bishop Chatard (IN) at #12 Elder
Turpin at #16 Kings
#17 Harrison at Bishop Watterson
Chaminade Julienne at #19 Badin

KENTUCKY
#5 Cooper at Boone County
Great Crossing at #10 Ryle
#11 Highlands at Conner
#14 Covington Catholic at Harrison County
Carroll County at #22 Beechwood 

INDIANA
Roncalli at #18 East Central 

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