Best Bets: Week 12

Week 12 is here and that means that we are one round down in the Ohio high school football playoffs. Each team that has made it this far is one step closer to holding that gold trophy when all is said and done. That means that the intensity will be that much higher when teams take the field this weekend. The top seeds are rested and rejuvenated as they had a week to scout and get their bearings as teams that competed last week may feel a sense of momentum and added confidence headed into hostile territory this week. Things are definitely heating up.

Last week was a good one as Fairfield won a tough conference re-match against Mason. La Salle got a scare from a game Turpin squad before squeaking by. Wyoming flexed their muscles against Roger Bacon and Mariemont pulled the upset on the road at North College Hill. We hope for the same type of excitement this week and the slate is something to salivate over. Lakota West heads to Moeller in a game we’ve become accustomed to in the postseason. Withrow visits Anderson in an eastside brawl. Harrison looks to pull the upset at Kings and Lebanon visits Middletown in an intriguing matchup at Barnitz. We are locked in and here are the Best Bets for week 12.

Division I, Region 4

No. 7 Lakota West at No. 2 Moeller (at MSJ)

Lakota West blanked Hamilton in the first round and did so on the heels of their running game. Kenyon Norman rushed for 86 yards and Braydon Johnson rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns to pace the offensive attack. Quarterback Jackson Smith through for 101 yards and a score when he connected with Tyson Davis for a score in the third quarter. The defense locked down Hamilton’s potent rushing attack as they held the Big Blue to just 16 yards on the ground. The defense was led by Cam Thomas who had 10 tackles and forced a fumble. The Firebirds also got big play from one of their biggest weapons in kicker Kofi Adubofuor who was 3/3 on field goals with a long of 46. Defense and special teams could be the difference to lead the Firebirds to an upset in the second round.

Moeller is 7-3 and have been led as usual by quarterback Matt Ponatoski. The senior playcaller has thrown for 1,921 yards and 24 touchdowns with only one INT on the season. He is completing 66% of his passes and will look to get his team back to the state finals this season. Tyler Joselyn has been a constant in the backfield with 588 yards on the ground and Reggie Watson leads the team in receiving yards with 707. Dante Ware has 327 yards on the ground and tight end Cooper McCuthchen has 269 yards receiving. Defensively Conner Cuozzo leads the team with 74 tackles. Ricardo Harris has 4.5 sacks to lead in that department. The Crusaders will look to get back to their dominating play as this postseason has rolled around.

This is a tricky game with all that it entails. Bet on Moeller to pull through a tight one.

Division II, Region 8

No. 8 Withrow at No. 1 Anderson

Withrow dominated Piqua 45-0 in round one as their speed was the difference. Sa’Vion Davis led the charge at quarterback doing damage with his legs including a 55-yard touchdown run to open the game. Dion Clardy also showed his skillset all night and had a long touchdown run. The two sophomores came to play. The Tigers gave a great defensive performance in the shutout and will need to keep that rolling into the second round. Christian Browner has been a leading tackler for Withrow all season long and Mister Achoe is a ballhawk in the secondary that will get plenty of opportunities to make plays in the second round.

Anderson has been a juggernaut this season and look primed for a return trip to the state finals. Owen Scalf has thrown for 3,307 yards and 29 touchdowns to lead a potent offense. Tysin Weaver, Cooper Kathman, and Tegan Jallick are all fantastic receivers that make defenses pay. Jordan Davis has been consistent as a tailback. The Anderson defense has been equally as impressive. Brady Kuhn, Reid Baker, and Ace Alston have been dynamite for the Raptors in shutting down offenses.

Anderson has been great all season. Bet on the Raptors to move on.

No. 7 Harrison at No. 2 Kings

The SWOC champion Wildcats knocked off Vandalia Butler in the first round by a score of 40-7. The Wildcats really turned things up on defense as they suffocated the Butler all night long producing the dominating win. The Aviators were held to just 46 yards of total offense on the night. David Baldock led the defense with seven tackles on the night. Harrison on the other hand amassed 428 yards of total offense. This included 231 rushing yards and 197 yards passing in a complete thrashing. Preston Flick rushed for 151 yards on the night with two touchdowns. Brady Lawhorn and Wyatt Dennis also added touchdown runs. Lawhorn was efficient in the passing game as he passed for two touchdowns and completed 78% of his passes.

Kings has been paced by quarterback Grant Nurre this season. The senior has passed for 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for another 474 yards and 11 scores. Running back Max Lockwood has also been a major threat in the run game as he has 607 yards and 11 TD and is a threat in the passing game out of the backfield. Andrew Lyman leads the team in receiving with 676 yards and defensively the Knights have been led by Josh Cassio with 48 tackles. The Knights only give up about 17 ppg and have been able to hold most teams below their scoring average all season long.

Kings is a threat to make it out of region 8. Bet on the Knights to advance in this one.

Division I, Region 2

No. 8 Lebanon at No. 1 Middletown

Lebanon won the first round’s most exciting game last week. The game saw coach Micah Faler go for two on the final possession to come away with a 22-21 win. Luke Faler was 15/17 on the night for 120 yards and a touchdown in the ball game and passed for that clutch two-point conversion in the final seconds. Logan Schmenk rushed for 81 tough yards and Faler added 44 yards in the running game himself. Daniel Wallace was the leading receiver per usual for the Warriors as they were able to escape the upset bid of Fairmont. Braylon McFarland and Ari Sizemore led the defensive effort as they both had 11 tackles in the win.

Middletown earned the top seed in region 2 with a big win over Princeton in week 10. Health will be the concern for the Middies as they have had several players out through various parts of the season. Wide receiver Julius Reed took snaps in the week 10 win and it is unclear who will be under center this week. Whoever gets the nod will look in the direction of Ace Cooper who led the GMC in receiving before injury held him to only six games on the season. He returned in week 10 and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Demetrian James is a tough runner at tailback and defensively the Middies rely heavily on linebacker CJ Bryant and defensive end JD Singletary.