Week two is here and is full of big time games that we believe will be marquee matchups. We saw a full slate of high intensity games a week ago, but only some walked away from their matchup unscathed. Last week we saw big wins from Princeton, Lakota West, Badin, and La Salle. They were able to get the ball rolling in the right direction. They and others will look to continue that momentum and improve to 2-0 while some teams will be looking to bounce back from a week one loss.
This week conference play gets underway in both the Greater Miami Conference and the Eastern Cincinnati Conference and two other Cincinnati powers make their way to the Bluegrass state. Princeton travels north to Middletown. Winton Woods hosts Kings in a dynamite affair. Elder makes the trip over the Brent Spence Bridge to Covington Catholic and Indian Hill visits Beechwood.
#25 Indian Hill at #22 Beechwood
Indian Hill got off to a 1-0 start with a win over Roger Bacon in week one. The Braves outdueled the Spartans in every aspect of the game en route to a 35-14 road win. They’ll look for another road win this week. Jacob Alexander rushed for 156 yards in the win and quarterback Devlan Daniel accounted for a rushing score and two passing touchdowns in the win. Dylan Hartman and Brady Drost were on the receiving ends of those scores. Topher Wachtel has seven tackles for a defense that didn’t allow a point until the fourth quarter.
Beechwood is opening their season this week and will have a big crowd on hand. Coach Noel Rash is back on the Tiger’s sideline for his second stint at head coach and has a pair of players that are as good as any in the area. WR/DB Tyler Fryman will be leaned upon heavily on both sides of the ball. Fryman is always a threat to take one to the house and is as solid as they come in the secondary as well. Quarterback Emmett Queen is tasked with getting Fryman and others involved in an offense that loves to put the ball in the air. The Wake Forest commit threw for over 2,700 yards last season.
This will be one of the better contests on week two. Bet on Indian Hill to get another road win.
#18 Kings at #9 Winton Woods
Kings used a dominant rushing attack and stifling defense to dismantle Sycamore in week one 34-6. The Knights had 241 rushing yards on the night and were relentless in their attack. Oliver Young led the way with 132 yards and three scores on 15 carries. Jaden Hornbeck added 83 yards and another score in the victory. Jack Pearson and Matt Doyle led the defense with solid tackling and a hardnosed mindset. Noah Magrino had an interception and a fumble recovery on the night as well.
The Winton Woods Warriors fell in a heartbreaker on the road at Springfield last week. Tiyone Strong paced a great defensive effort for the Warriors with six tackles on the night. Tariq Coleman had a fumble recovery and Jachai Dubois added an interception for a defense that kept their team in the game throughout. Offensively Winton Woods got their running game going agains a tough Wildcat defense. Isaiah Garrett rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort. Quinton Simms caught seven passes for 72 yards at wide receiver.
This game has always been big in determining the league standings and this year should be no different. Bet on Kings to get things done on the road.
#1 Princeton at #7 Middletown
Princeton showed last week why they could be seen as the favorite in the region with a big win over Moeller. The Vikings used a balanced attack to improve to 1-0 but they were led by the play of tailback Jordan Hall who rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on the night. Monsanna Torbert passed for 137 yards and a touchdown as well to help pace the offense. Defensively Charles Newton Jr. recorded 12 tackles to lead the effort on that side of the ball.
Middletown visited one of the toughest high school environments in the country and did not fair well against Elder. The Middies had trouble sustaining drives and capitalizing off of their big plays. The Middies could not muster any momentum on the ground but were led by quarterback Kolby Morgerson on offense as he passed for 199 yards on the night. Defensively DJ Bryant led the team with 9 tackles.
The Middies open the season in a gauntlet. Bet on Princeton to secure the road win.
#2 Elder at #14 Covington Catholic
The Elder Panthers made a statement at home against Middletown in week one in a 35-3 dominant win. Both sides of the ball played a crisp and clean game. Kaden Estep was the star of the show for Elder at quarterback. The senior passed for 208 yards and four touchdowns and added 114 yards on the ground with another TD. Andrew Lyman caught all four of those touchdown passes while amassing 138 yards receiving. On defense Elder was led in tackles by Pete Fortkamp with 11.
CovCath also had a dominant performance in week one by beating rival Ryle 50-6. The Colonels showed their physical identity on both sides of the ball. Kiyan Miller scored three touchdowns on the night for the Colonels doing so both on the ground and receiving. The CovCath defense forced multiplr turnovers and made a safety in a dominant showing. In his first career start, quarterback Dylan Courtney passed for 105 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 40 yards.
This was a close game a year ago. Bet on Elder to pull out a win once again.
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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. 9 Lakota East at No. 5 Lakota West
Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:
OHIO
No. 5 St. Xavier at Wayne
No. 8 Anderson at West Clermont
No. 19 Oak Hills at No. 11 Fairfield
No. 24 Hamilton at No. 16 Colerain
KENTUCKY
Cooper at No. 15 Highlands
No. 23 Ryle at Conner
