In a flash we have made it to week four of the high school football season here in the tri-state and we have been blessed with great matchups and performances so far. Those matchups continue to get better and better as we have a great slate of games that are sure to bring high level playing and coaching together on Friday night.
Rewinding back to last week, we had a plethora of action packed ballgames as Cooper, Lakota West, Badin, and Indian Hill all picked up wins that will help their cause come playoff time. We are almost to the halfway mark and although some squads are in prime position for the postseason, others have plenty of work left to do. Whatever the case, every team’s fate is right in front of them and they still have time to do something about it.
This week the battles continue as a high stakes game takes place in the GMC as Princeton travels to West Chester to take on Lakota West for what could decide a league champion. The Lebanon Warriors look for an ECC upset when they visit Anderson. Indian Hill and Wyoming clash in a CHL showdown and over in Kentucky, Simon Kenton looks to get a big win over mighty Beechwood. We will have possibly a more clear view of things after week four. Is Lakota West poised for another GMC title? Can Lebanon pull off a miracle? Who runs the CHL this season? We will find it all out and more this week. Here are the Best Bets for week four.
#6 Princeton at #3 Lakota West
Princeton has outscored their last two opponents by a score of 79-2 but will make a steep jump in competition this week as they visit the Firebirds. This will be the start of a four game streak against opponents inside the Blitz 5 Top 25 rankings. The Princeton offense has been relatively good all season and a big reason why is the play of star TE Landon Miree. Miree has been a big target for transfer quarterback Lauris Barnes as he has averaged over 80 yards receiving on the season and has found the end zone on multiple occasions. The Arizona State commit has made it incredibly hard on opposing defenses to matchup with the Vikings especially these last two weeks. Barnes has fit in nicely adjusting to a tougher schedule and has had some big games and managed the team well so far through three games.
Defensively the Vikings can’t do much better than they have over their last two outings as they’ve only given up a total of two points during blowout wins over Colerain and Sycamore. The Vikings made it hard for those squads to move the ball at all and kept both squads far from the end zone. Nate Canady and Andrew Wells have been bright spots on defense and have been leading the team in tackles over the first three games. They’ll need to continue to come to play and up their levels for a big road test this week.
After a week one loss, Lakota West has also found their footing with two straight wins in the last two weeks. The Firebirds pulled away from pesky Mason and blew out Hamilton to gain some momentum heading into this showdown with Princeton. The Firebirds did whatever they wanted last week against Hamilton. Defensively they held the Big Blue to 173 total yards and six points. Cam Thomas has been the leader of the defense with 29 tackles and two sacks so far this season. Derrick Edwards leads the team with 34 tackles. The defense is only allowing 8.6 PPG this season.
On offense quarterback Jackson Smith has found a groove and the weapons around him have been outstanding. Wideout Tyson Davis leads the league with 365 receiving yards and running back Kenyon Norman ranks fourth in the league with 209 rushing yards. Smith himself is completing 67% of his passes and has 581 yards and six touchdowns against only one interception.
This game has been a deciding factor in a GMC champ in recent years, bet on Lakota West to win one at home.
#20 Lebanon at #4 Anderson
Lebanon has been an early surprise within the ECC and the tri-state area as a whole so far this season. The Warriors are 3-0 and are coming off of a dominant win over West Clermont last week. The Warriors have been doing it with a balanced effort so far. Quarterback Luke Faler ranks third in the league in passing with 660 yards and seven touchdowns. He is completing 65% of his passes. He favorite target has been Daniel Wallace who has 22 receptions for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Wallace is ranked third in the league in receiving yards. On the ground is Logan Schmenk who has 221 yards rushing with three touchdowns, positioning him at third in the league in rushing. Defensively Lebanon is giving up just over 13 PPG and have been formidable so far but will need to be fantastic this week to slow down the Raptors. Hunter Davis has 23 tackles and Justin Kerns leads the team in sacks.
Anderson has picked up right where it left off last season and have blown out all three of its opponents to start the season. They are outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 151-24 and are averaging just over 50 PPG this season. Quarterback Owen Scalf has looked the part in his first season as a starting quarterback. Scalf has 910 passing yards and eight touchdowns and is completing a staggering 76% of his passes through three games. Jordan Davis has rushed for 220 yards on the ground and Tegan Jallick has 212 yards receiving as the Raptors spread the wealth around on a nightly basis. Defensively, the Raptors have been just a dominant as the offense. Brady Kuhn leads the team in tackles and sacks and gets guys on the ground in a hurry. Ace Alston has lead the efforts in the secondary.
Lebanon is eyeing the upset but bet on Anderson to win big at home.
Simon Kenton at #25 Beechwood
The Pioneers are coming off a big loss to Covington Catholic last week but have been playing good football win weeks 1 and 2. Simon Kenton defeated Dixie Heights and Western Brown in the first two weeks of the season and have been playing a good brand of football. Grant Webb has had a good season thus far at quarterback. Webb had a big game in week two against Western Brown. The sophomore was thrown into the fire and has handled himself well throughout the first part of the season. Webb was 15/23 for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns. Grayson Harris has been a great senior leader and performer for SK. Harris tallied 8 receptions, 237 yards and three touchdowns against Western Brown while also dominating on defense with 2 interceptions.
Beechwood is the reigning state champion in 2A and look the part of a team that could repeat this season. The Tigers are 2-0 with big wins over Dixie Heights and Newport Central Catholic. The Tigers offense is one of the best in the area and can score in a hurry. Tyler Fryman is a key cog in the Beechwood offense and has been for several seasons. The Tigers overwhelmed Dixie Heights with 151 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 296 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air by quarterback Emmett Queen to win with a balanced effort.
Beechwood is the standard. Bet on the Tigers to get a big win.
Indian Hill at Wyoming
Indian Hill is off to a hot start and has dominated their first three opponents this season. The Braves have outscored their opponents 118-28 and have looked impressive on both sides of the ball. Defensively Indian Hill has been led by ball hawkers Dylan Hartman who has 5 interceptions and Brady Droast who has 3 interceptions on the season. Topher Wachtel leads the team with 3 sacks. On offense things flow through quarterback Devlan Daniel. Daniel has 495 total yards and is a threat to break one off at any moment.
Wyoming has equally had a great start to the season and has been dominant on both sides of the ball. On defense, the Cowboys have been paced by Tyler Johnson-Huff with 45 tackles and Jackson Hamilton with 40 tackles. Braylan Miltenberger has 3 interceptions to lead the team in that category. On offense quarterback David Dupee has thrown for 604 yards and six touchdowns. Miltenberger and Josiah Gault have been the top receivers for the team.
This one could go either way with no surprise. Bet on Wyoming to squeak one out a home.
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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. 5 Elder at No. 9 La Salle
Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:
OHIO
Westerville North at No. 1 St Xavier
No. 2 Moeller at Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN)
No. 8 Kings at No. 24 West Clermont
Turpin at No. 10 Winton Woods
No. 11 Taft at Mount Healthy
No. 15 Mason at Oak Hills
No. 22 Hamilton at No. 16 Lakota East
No. 17 Badin at Columbus DeSales
No. 18 Middletown at Colerain
No. 19 Withrow at Dunbar
Western Hills at No. 23 Harrison
KENTUCKY
No. 7 Highlands at Boyle County
Christian Academy-Louisville at No. 12 Ryle
Dixie Heights at No. 13 Covington Catholic
Campbell County at No. 14 Cooper
