Just like that and we are back for the 2026 high school football season. All the offseason work has been put in and finally teams get to go out and show if they have what it takes to make a run at a state championship. Week one is the time for teams to go out and make a statement and find out just how far their work will take them. Every player, coach, and community has hopes that their squad is ready for a run into late November and that they could possibly be champions when all is said and done. Whatever the final outcome may be, all teams are excited for a new season.
Week one is jam packed with riveting big-time matchups that can go a long way in providing early season momentum. At Paycor, Princeton and Moeller collide in a game of much anticipation. Badin welcomes Hamilton to their stadium for the first time in their crosstown rivalry. St. Xavier travels north to West Chester for a date with Lakota West and LaSalle visits Colerain for another edition of their storied rivalry. Across the bridge in Kentucky, Covington Catholic and Ryle do battle for bragging rights and next door in Indiana, Lawrenceburg and East Central match up in a rivalry game.
What teams will start the season with a bang? Here are this week’s Best Bets.
#1 MOELLER vs #2 PRINCETON
As their rankings may suggest, these are two teams that feel like they can win a state championship at season’s end. An incredible matchup in an incredible venue to start the season off the right way.
Moeller will be looking to replace star quarterback Matt Ponatoski and they plan to do so by leaning on their experienced group of offensive linemen upfront. The Crusaders will look to have a dominant game in the trenches on the back of those lineman. Patrick O’Brien (Purdue), Kalel Johnson (Georgia Tech), Jace Montgomery, and Alex Bolar will look to create room for the running game led by senior running back Greylo Coach. Coach has rushed for 556 yds and 5 TD in his career. LB Andrew Stofko and DB’s Kalen Willis and Jake Schuckman will anchor a defense that is always tough to score on.
The Princeton defense we once again be a key cog in the Vikings success this season after a very strong outing in 2025. Princeton gave up a mere 16 PPG and could be even stronger with their experience and talent. Terrance Jones (Miami OH), Jon Civils, Derrick Jeffries, and Gianni Simpson lead the defensive charge. Kentucky commit Jaylen Mercer will anchor things on the defensive line.
Offensively the Vikings should see an uptick in production as they have brought in some of the best players in the state by way of transfers. Monsanna Torbert (Michigan) is a high level athlete at the quarterback position and his number one target from a year ago, Lorenzo McMullen Jr. joins him on a Princeton offense that could prove to be dominant. Wideout Josiah Gault will also be a factor.
Moeller has won this game 19 straight times but an end to the streak could be in sight. Bet on Princeton to make an early statement.
#17 HAMILTON at #24 BADIN
Hamilton will look to replace veteran leadership and production on their defense. Division I signees Eckley Bridges and Mason Holbrook have moved on but Tra’Vion Bailey is back in the fold to anchor things at linebacker where he had 96 tackles and 5.5 sacks. DJ Bryant and Chase Moak will look to lock things down in the secondary.
Offense could be a bright spot for the first time in a while for the Big Blue. The quarterback to wide receiver connection of Jayden McClain to Elijah Jones produced 9 TD and a slew of electric plays last season. The Big Blue hope to up the ante in 2026.
The Badin defense gave up 14.8 PPG a year ago and hope to be even stronger on that side of the ball this season. They will need production from many newcomers to get that accomplished but returning players such as Logan Karwisch and Hudson Heid are talented and experienced enough to lead the way.
On offense Badin will need to replace the quarterback but Chase Even returns to the backfield in a featured role after sharing time with Lem Grayson last season. Even could be a 1500 yard rusher if things go right. Larkyn King becomes the number one option as wide receiver looking to build off a great junior season.
Rivalries can go either way, Bet on Badin to get the win at home.
#6 ST. XAVIER at #5 LAKOTA WEST
Last year’s state runner-up St. Xavier returns a good nucleus of players who contributed to their run a season ago. The Bombers will look for their defense to make plays all season long like that did down the stretch of last season. Josh Fasbender, Chad Perkins, and Alex Walker will lead the charge for one of the top programs in division I history. On offense, Logan Von Holle returns as a weapon on the outside. Aidan Newdigate will also be relied upon in vari
ous ways as a swiss army knife type of player.
After a year where they fell short of expectations, Lakota West looks to get back on track and they have the experience to make a deep run in the playoffs. Kenyon Norman (Northwestern) returns as the lead running back and Jackson Smith at quarterback providing a great tandem. On the defensive side of the ball, DL Reilly Newman (Iowa) and DB Roman Combs (Purdue) will be looked at to man up front as well as the secondary for the Firebirds.
This game has been very competitive in recent seasons, Bet on Lakota West to get a home win.
#14 LA SALLE at #18 COLERAIN
La Salle only returns five starters on each side of the ball and they hope the youngsters can step in and develop quickly.
The offense will look to get the ball into the hands of the explosive Naseer Salaam as often as possible. Garrett Fraley slides in at quarterback. Fraley averaged 89.3 yards rushing and 7.5 yards per carry in his final three games of 2025. The Salaam-Fraley combination should be a top tandem in the area.
The Lancers secondary will highlight the defensive side of the ball. They are led by Salaam, K’Mahri Price and Nakari Isaacs. The front seven for La Salle is strewn with unproven players. They will be tested early and often. Haden Neff is a rising star. He tallied 3.0 sacks and 6.5 tackles for losses over the final six games of his freshman season.
Colerain hasn’t had a winning season in a number of years but that could all change this season as they look to get back to their winning ways. he athletes are in place to do some damage. The offense should be highly entertaining. Colerain has no less than eight players that currently have Division I FBS offers. All but one of those are skill position players, Marquise Lindsey-Johnson is the lone lineman in that group. It all comes down to taking care of business along both sides of the line for success to come in 2026.
Key guys on either side of the ball include DeSean Flagg Jr., Trey Smith, Malachi Smith, and Roman Garr among others. If some of their several transfers can play big roles, the Cardinals could find their way on the top half of the GMC.
La Salle has things going in this rivalry. Bet on the Lancers in a road 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, No. 7 Middletown at No. 4 Elder
Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:
OHIO
Louisville Trinity (KY) No. 3 Anderson
No. 8 Winton Woods at Springfield
Centerville at No. 9 Lakota East
Wayne at No. 12 Fairfield
No. 16 Mason at Springboro
KENTUCKY
No. 10 Highlands at Frederick Douglass
No. 15 Covington Catholic at No. 21 Ryle
