Week Eight of the high school football season is upon us, and the Blitz 5 Game of the Week is back in Cincinnati for a Top 25 matchup and Greater Catholic League South rivalry, as the #6 St. Xavier Bombers travel roughly five and a half miles west on North Bend Road to square off against the #20 La Salle Lancers in the latest edition of the “King of the Road” rivalry.
#6 ST. XAVIER BOMBERS (3-4) at #20 LA SALLE LANCERS (3-4)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m., October 9
At: Buddy LaRosa Field at Lancer Stadium, La Salle High School, Cincinnati, Ohio
Follow on X: @TSFootball
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
St. Xavier’s Aidan Newdigate has done it all this year for the Bombers. He played quarterback for the first five games of the season, throwing for 473 yards and five touchdowns, and is the team’s leading rusher with 540 yards and nine touchdowns. Over the past two games, against #7 Elder and Louisville Trinity, Newdigate has also contributed as a receiver, catching 10 passes for 91 yards. He is an offensive threat wherever he lines up.
The Bombers have another rushing threat in junior running back Aidan Graham, who has averaged 5.5 yards per carry on his way to 449 yards, fourth in the GCL South, and one touchdown this season. His teammate in the backfield, current St. Xavier senior quarterback Thomas George, has thrown for three touchdowns over the past two games while posting a 121.9 quarterback rating.
Defensively, St. Xavier is led by two of the hardest hitters in the GCL South, junior linebacker Griffin Lyons and junior safety Graham Uran. Lyons, a Second Team All-GCL South selection as a sophomore, is tied for the GCL South lead with 61 tackles, eight of those for loss. Uran, who has scholarship offers from Syracuse and Miami (Ohio), is tied for second in the GCL South with 60 tackles, including six for loss. The duo has also combined for 3.5 sacks on the season.
La Salle’s offense is led by dual-threat junior quarterback Garrett Fraley, who is third in the GCL South with 612 passing yards to go with five touchdown passes against only two interceptions. Fraley has done it on the ground as well, ranking fifth in the conference with 368 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Two of Fraley’s favorite targets are senior wide receiver Jack McLaughlin, who has caught 16 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns, and senior wide receiver Tyler Roby, who has hauled in 13 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown.
La Salle senior linebacker Javion Presswood is the straw that stirs the team’s defensive drink. Presswood has notched 41 tackles on the season to go with a GCL South-leading three interceptions, including one pick-six. He is supported by fellow Lancer linebacker Haden Neff, a sophomore with 58 tackles on the year, and linebackers John Smith, a senior, and Trenton Hancock, a junior, who each have two sacks.
TEAM TRENDS:
These squads are almost mirror images of each other, both offensively and defensively.
St. Xavier has been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all season, alternating wins and losses through the first seven weeks. The Bombers have produced solid offensive performances, topping 30 points in each of their three victories, but have also been shut out in two of their four losses.
The Bombers are second to last in the GCL South in total offense, averaging 265.1 yards and 20 points per game, while allowing 323.4 yards and 22.4 points per game, also second to last in the GCL South.
La Salle is in a similar boat. The Lancers started the season 2-0, dropped two straight, notched a big win at #21 Badin in Week Five and have since lost two straight. The latest came against #19 Withrow, marking the first time the Tigers have ever beaten La Salle.
The Lancers are also struggling on both sides of the ball, averaging only 219 yards and 19.3 points per game on offense, both last in the GCL South. Defensively, they are allowing 353.2 yards and 24.2 points per game, also last in the conference.
St. Xavier and La Salle share a rivalry that has been billed as both the “King of the Road” and “Battle of North Bend,” with the schools separated by only five and a half miles along North Bend Road. St. Xavier leads the all-time series 50-17-1 and has won six straight and eight of the last 10 games in the rivalry. Last year’s meeting saw St. Xavier defeat the Lancers, 28-7.
This game has potential playoff seeding implications for both teams. In the first OHSAA football computer ratings of the year, released Sept. 29, St. Xavier sat sixth in the Division I, Region 4 ratings, while La Salle was ninth in the Division II, Region 8 ratings. The top 12 teams in each region make the playoffs.
HEAD COACHES:
St. Xavier: Steve Specht (200-84 at St. Xavier, 22nd year; 200-84 overall, 22nd year)
La Salle: Pat McLaughlin (71-48 at La Salle, ninth year; 90-58 overall, 12th year)
PLAYOFF HISTORY:
St. Xavier: (32 appearances, 63-28 overall) – 2025 (State Runner-up), 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 (State Champion), 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 (State Champion), 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 (Regional Champions), 2010, 2009, 2007 (State Champion), 2006, 2005 (State Champion), 2004, 2002, 2001 (State Runner-up), 2000, 1999, 1998 (State Runner-up), 1997, 1994, 1993, 1992 (State Runner-up), 1987, 1981. The Bombers have made 16 straight playoff appearances.
La Salle: (15 appearances, 33-11) – 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 (Regional Champion), 2019 (State Champion), 2017, 2016 (State Champion), 2015 (State Champion), 2014 (State Champion), 2010, 2004, 2002, 1985
XAVIER KEYS TO VICTORY:
Run, run and run the football some more. In their three victories this season, against Wayne, Westerville North and #7 Elder, the Bombers have averaged 202 rushing yards. They are facing the worst run defense in the GCL South in La Salle, which is allowing an average of 183.5 rushing yards per game. Expect St. Xavier’s running duo of Newdigate and Graham to get plenty of carries, which should also open passing opportunities for quarterback Thomas George.
LA SALLE KEYS TO VICTORY:
La Salle’s key to victory is similar to St. Xavier’s: establish the running game. In their three victories this season, against #16 Colerain, Northmont and #21 Badin, the Lancers averaged 174.6 rushing yards per game. While the La Salle defense ranks last in the GCL South against the run, one positive for the Lancers offensively is that St. Xavier ranks second to last in the conference in rushing defense. If La Salle can establish the run, it should allow quarterback Garrett Fraley to pick his spots in the passing game, where he has been effective.
Prediction: St. Xavier 28, La Salle 24
