Although it is hard to believe, we have made it to week number five. The midway point of the season is upon us and although we have seen a ton of great football, there is a ton more to go and the stakes will get higher with every passing week from here on out. We continue this week with with high caliber matchups that will bring the best out of players and coaches alike and will bring fans of all kinds to their feet to cheer on their squads.
Last week we were lucky to have a variety of great games that showed us a lot of where teams stood on their quest for a great season. In the GMC the Princeton Vikings got a big road victory over Lakota West. Anderson fended off a tough Lebanon team to stay undefeated. Indian Hill took a huge step toward a CHL crown by beating Wyoming on the road and Beechwood rolled past Simon Kenton as they look for another state title run in Kentucky 2A.
On the slate this week are an abundance of high level tilts that will continue to determine league titles and playoff positioning alike. We are all to the races as Anderson visits Kings in an ECC clash. Withrow travels west take on La Salle in a intriguing battle. Across the bridge in Kentucky, Covington Catholic looks to make a statement at Beechwood and Ryle makes the trip from Union to Fort Thomas for a date with Highlands. A great amount will be known after this week of colossal battles. Friday night can’t get here soon enough. Here are the Best Bets for week five.
#3 Anderson at #7 Kings
Anderson is a machine. The Raptors have been utterly dominating their opponents this season both offensively and defensively. The Raptors defense has been a shutdown entity as they only give up 8.5 PPG. Star linebacker Brady Kuhn leads the team with 35 tackles and he is joined by an excess of talented players around him on that side of the ball. Antwoine Higgins, Ke’Maury Tye, and Ace Alston all present daunting tasks for opposing offenses to deal with every Friday night. Offensively quarterback Owen Scalf (1,309 YDS, 11 TD) leads an offense averaging 46.8PPG and close to 500 YPG. Tysin Weaver and Tegan Jallick are his top receiving threats on the season and in the backfield running back Jordan Davis ranks second in the league with 316 rushing yards to go along with seven touchdowns. The Raptors got a test from Lebanon in week four and came through it with flying colors.
Kings is one of the more balanced teams in the area as they can beat you in a multitude of ways. The Knights are also strong defensively as they give up a mere 8.8 PPG. Josh Cassio has 22 tackles as a linebacker for the Knights and Jack Pearson flanks him with 18 from another linebacker position. The Knights have made moving the ball on them quite hard on opposing offenses and will need to stick to their principles strictly to do the same this week.
Quarterback Grant Nurre has been a bright spot for the Knights as the three-year starter is leading the team as a dual threat option. Nurre has passed for four touchdowns and rushed for four more on the season. Tailback Max Lockwood has been consistent in the running game as he has 263 yards and five touchdowns. At receiver, Nathan Tucker and Andrew Lyman have been targets to beat teams deep and keep the chains moving. The Knights are playing as well as anyone in the area right now.
Kings is tough and physical but Anderson has a little more firepower. Bet on the Raptors to win a hard fought road game.
#19 Withrow at #9 La Salle
Withrow has been dominant through the first four weeks of the season. Defensively the Tigers have only given up a total of 19 points on the season and have shut out two of their four opponents. Mister Achoe has been great in the secondary as he leads the CMAC with three interceptions and has made it hard for quarterbacks to throw his way. Christian Browner leads the team with 29 tackles and Chris Barnes leads the team with two sacks as the Tigers have been great up front and at linebacker as well.
Offensively Withrow has leaned on sophomore quarterback Sa’Vion Davis who has turned heads as a young player. Davis has thrown for 467 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for 172 yards and another score to lead the Tigers offense. Ezra White has been a big threat in the run game as well as had Dion Clardy and Jamion Mincy. The Tigers are averaging 40.5 PPG and have increased their scoring in every game this season. They’ll be by far facing their toughest test of the season on Friday night.
La Salle lost their first game of the season last week in a tough matchup with rival Elder. The Lancers are averaging 26 PPG but had their lowest output of the season last week with only eight points in the loss. Avier Carter has been the leader for the team on offense as he has passed for 519 yards and 6 touchdowns and rushed for 281 yards and another 3 scores on the ground. Carter has provided the Lancers with a dual threat that can beat teams with his arm or his legs depending on what is needed. David Malone and Naseer Salaam have been a great duo in the running game as well as they both have over 125 yards rushing on the season.
Defensively La Salle has been strong as well. Colin Wooldridge (44) and Rodney Portis (32) are the top two tacklers in the GCL South and Wooldridge also ranks fifth in sacks for a defense that gives up 11.5 PPG and has had several tests so far on the young season. Claude Moore has the team’s lone interception.
There will be an abundance of athletes on the field between these two. Bet on La Salle to get a home victory.
#13 Covington Catholic at #24 Beechwood
Covington Catholic has got on the right track in the last two weeks with two blowout wins. The Colonels took care of Simon Kenton two weeks ago before dominating Dixie Heights last week. The Colonels defense has been very impressive in those last two outings as they have only given up a combined 22 points between both games. Owen Pitzer has been a force at linebacker on that side of the ball. Offensively the Colonels have ran things through quarterback Cash Harney who has been a major dual threat for the entirety of the season. Harney has been tough to defend as a scrambler and runner and also has found many targets for big plays. Dylan Gaiser has been solid at running back to provide a pop out of the backfield. The Colonels have averaged 55.5 PPG in their last two outings and seem to have found their footing as they head down the back half of the regular season.
Beechwood is the reigning state champion in 2A and look the part of a team that could repeat this season. The Tigers are 3-0 with big wins over Dixie Heights, Newport Central Catholic, and Simon Kenton. 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 win 2A and have the ability to beat a lot of teams if their offense is rolling.
This one will be entertaining. Bet on Covington Catholic to steal one on the road.
#12 Ryle at #8 Highlands
Ryle is a solid football team both offensively and defensively. A big reason why is the play on senior Jacob Savage. Savage is a middle linebacker who is as tough as they come and a great tackler. The Indiana University commit is also a physical tailback who has a nose for the end zone. Nathan Vera has been good at quarterback with his ability to both pass and run with the football. The Raiders are coming off of two straight losses and will be chomping at the bit to get back into the win column this week.
Highlands is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Boyle County last week that came down to the final possession. The Bluebirds have been powered by junior Tayden Lorenzen who has been a great threat with the football in his hands and has an ability to make plays when his team needs them. Rio Litmer is an experienced playcaller who can pose a threat in the run game as well as the passing game for the Bluebirds. Litmer has a plethora of wideouts who can make plays if he gets them the ball as well. The Bluebirds have been solid on defense and will need to be just that this week.
Highlands has been playing good football. Bet on the Bluebirds to get a win at home.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour, No. 1 St. Xavier at No. 2 Moeller
Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:
OHIO
No. 5 Princeton at No. 16 Lakota East
No. 15 Mason at No. 22 Hamilton
No. 18 Middletown at Sycamore
Ross at No. 23 Harrison
KENTUCKY
Dupont Manual at No. 14 Cooper
INDIANA
No. 21 East Central at Batesville
