The back half of the 2025 high school football season has graced us with its presence and every opportunity to get a victory looms larger. The playoffs will be here in no time for some teams these last five games mean getting to a place of health and confidence. For others the playoffs are already here in many ways as they need to do some serious work to be able to call week 11 a home when the time comes. There is still a great deal of football left to play but the proverbial clock has started to tick. There are a great number of high-level games this week and we know we will get the best effort from all teams across the board.
A week ago there were statements made all across the area as some teams showed why they are looked highly upon and a threat to play deep into the season. In the ECC the Anderson Raptors went on the road and dismantled Kings. La Salle held off Withrow in a home tilt that was full of excitement. Across the bridge in Kentucky Covington Catholic proved to be too much for Beechwood to handle and the Highlands Bluebirds continued their strong season with a home win over Ryle.
This week things are no different as a slate of teams will look to make their own statements and build momentum during the last stretch of the season. We will have our popcorn ready as the Elder Panthers travel east for a meeting with St. Xavier in Finneytown. Middletown looks to all but eliminate Lakota West from the GMC race when they meet in West Chester. The La Salle Lancers will look to make it a two game when streak against Moeller and Taft will take on Withrow on Madison road on Saturday. We are ready to learn more about this season and week six will undoubtedly teach us. Here are the Best Bets for week 6.
#4 Elder at #2 St. Xavier
The Elder Panthers are 5-0 and although they haven’t been exactly dominant, they have found ways to win ballgames. A big reason why is quarterback Kaden Estep who ranks second in the GCL South in passing (863 YDS, 6 TD) and leads the conference in rushing yards (398 YDS, 4 TD). The junior play caller has been a constant leader, doing whatever the game requires to get the win whether it is with his arm or his legs. Estep has also managed his team well in close ball games to help the Panthers get victories. Tommy Becker has 299 yards rushing for the Panthers out of the backfield and both Jackson Ruth and Chase Walpole are top four in the conference in receiving yards to give Elder a balanced offensive attack.
Defensively the Panthers have been solid and have made big plays when they have needed to get off of the field. Brody Turner (37) and Derek Uran (35) lead the team in tackles while Uran also leads the team with 3.5 sacks. Jared Lammers has two interceptions to pace the secondary good for a tie for first in the league. Elder is giving up 11.8 PPG on the season and have been strong against the run as they only give up around 68 YPG on the ground.
The Bombers are coming off a humbling defeat at the hands of Moeller last week. The St. Xavier offense had a tough time getting going as they have for the majority of the year. The Bombers average a shade under 20 PPG on the season. Quarterback Jackson Frey has thrown for 769 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season and most frequently connects with Cam Taylor (17 rec, 286 yds, 4 TD). Aiden Newdigate and Alex McClatchey have also been threats at wide receiver.
The St. Xavier defense has been their strongest asset but they themselves are coming off of an outing that they would like to forget. Kobe Clapper, Aden Reeder, and Brayden Reilly are all high level prospects that make an impact on that side of the ball with their playmaking ability. Daniel Vollmer is a jack of all trades athlete who may need to get back involved on offense for the Bombers to get that punch they desperately need to put up points.
This one could go either way. RDI stadium and the bomb squad make a difference. Bet on St. Xavier to pull out a tight one.
#14 Middletown at #17 Lakota West
The Middies may be the surprise team of the season as they are off to a 5-0 start. Middletown has been pretty dominant on both sides of the ball but will undoubtedly be facing their toughest test on the season on Friday night. Quarterback JoJo Ward has been great for the Middies this season. He has been a threat passing and throwing the ball. Ward has thrown for 684 yards and rushed for 132 in his four games this season. Ward missed week four against Colerain. Ace Cooper has been his biggest target and is the league leader in receiving yards on the season. Cooper has 21 receptions, 460 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Defensively C.J. Bryant leads the team with 40 tackles and Braylon Bryant (4.5), J.D. Singletary (4.5), and Jaiden Davis (4) are the top sack leaders in the league as Middletown is only giving up a mere 6.2 PPG on the season.
Lakota West has shown a vulnerability that we haven’t seen since Tom Bolden took over in West Chester. The Firebirds were upset last week at Fairfield where they only scored seven points. The Firebirds however still have droves of talent. Jackson Smith is second in the league in passing and his top target Tyson Davis (443 yds) is one of the best receivers in the league. Kenyon Norman is a threat to break any run at any time out of the backfield to give West a great three options offensively. The Firebirds need to finish drives with touchdowns to get back to their winning ways. On defense West has still been decent while giving up 14 PPG. Derrick Edwards leads the team in tackles with 48 and Chris Bradley leads the GMC with four interceptions.
This one is a toss up. Bet on Lakota West to rise to the challenge at home.
#7 La Salle at #1 Moeller
La Salle is looking like a contender in the division II region 8 playoffs and a big reason for that is quarterback Avier Carter. Carter is a big time dual threat option for the Lancers and has shown his ability to help win games on the ground as well as in the air. He ranks third in the GCL South in passing yards with 669 and second in rushing yards with 350. He has accounted for 11 touchdowns. David Malone has been solid out of the backfield as a runner as well and Drew Dipzinski has been the team’s top target in the passing game. La Salle boasts the top two tacklers in the league on defense in Colin Wooldridge who has 57 tackles and Rodney Portis who has 42. The Lancers only give up 14 PPG on the season.
The Moeller Crusaders got a big win last week and did so on the back of All-American quarterback Matt Ponatoski who is the league’s leader in passing yards. Ponatoski has thrown for 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns so far this season and has the Crusader offense poised to make another deep run. Reggie Watson and Carson Khayo have been reliable targets in the passing game for Moeller and running back Tyler Joselyn has been excellent out of the backfield. He has rushed for 349 yards and four touchdowns. Dante Ware provides another significant threat as a tailback with 213 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively the Crusaders have leaned on Conner Cuozzo who leads Moeller with 34 tackles and 2 sacks. Caleb Coe and Paxton Dodsworth are tied for the league lead with two interceptions.
Moeller is on a high trajectory. Bet on the Crusaders to continue that this week.
#10 Taft at #19 Withrow
Taft has been one of the most dominant teams in the area through five games as they have pitched shutouts in three of their five games and have scored over 50 points three times this season. The Senators are averaging 58 PPG over their last three games. Monsanna Torbert has passed for over 1,200 yards already this season and has 16 touchdowns against zero interceptions. He has a trio of wide receivers in Lorenzo McMullen, Nijia Hill, and Eddie Holloway who all have over 250 yards receiving on the season and can all make the big play when called upon. JoJo Pouncy (60) and Adam Kirtley (50) lead a stingy Taft defense who doesn’t give up much at all.
Withrow has been impressive through the first five weeks of the season although they suffered their first defeat last week. Defensively the Tigers have only given up a total of 54points on the season and have shut out two of their five 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 42 tackles and Chaneli Gilden leads the team with 2.5 sacks as the Tigers have been great up front and at linebacker as well. Sa’Vion Davis has been a force as a dual threat quarterback and has led his team to being one of the highest scoring teams in the area.
Taft and Withrow is always a great game. The Tigers are tough to beat at home. Bet on Withrow to pull the upset.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Make sure to check out the COMPLETE PREVIEW for this week’s featured game on the Blitz 5 Tour, Milford at No. 3 Anderson
Here are some other games for teams ranked inside the Blitz 5 Top 25:
OHIO
No. 5 Princeton at No. 13 Mason
No. 8 Kings at No. 20 Lebanon
No. 16 Fairfield at No. 18 Lakota East
No. 23 Harrison at CHCA
KENTUCKY
No. 6 Highlands at Harrison County
Tates Creek at No. 11 Ryle
No. 12 Covington Catholic at Central
INDIANA
South Dearborn at No. 21 East Central
