The Blitz 5 Game of the Week heads to Hamilton for Week 10, the final week of the regular season in Ohio, for a winner-take-all affair where the champion of the Greater Catholic League Co-Ed conference will be decided as the #24 McNicholas Rockets visit their GCL Co-Ed rival, the #19 Badin Rams.
#24 MCNICHOLAS ROCKETS (7-2, 4-0) at #19 BADIN RAMS (7-2, 3-1)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m., October 23
At: Lanni Family Stadium at the Matandy SportsPlex, Badin High School, Hamilton, Ohio
Follow on X: @TSFootball
PLAYERS TO WATCH: The McNicholas offense is led by senior quarterback Evan Sandfoss, the leading passer in the GCL Co-Ed conference. Sandfoss is completing 63.8 percent of his passes on the year, and leads the GCL Co-Ed both in passing yards with 1,480, and touchdown passes with 13.
Sandfoss spreads his passes out amongst his receiving corps, starting with senior tight end Connor Powderly, who has caught 17 passes for 338 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Powderly is not the only receiving weapon for the Rockets, as fellow senior wide receiver Finn Mayer also has 17 receptions for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, junior wideout Max Orlando has added 15 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown.
It’s not all about the passing game for McNicolas, however, as the rushing tandem of junior running back Joseph Reuss (77 carries for 454 yards and two touchdowns) and sophomore running back Josiah (46 carries for 384 yards and five touchdowns) give the Rockets a potent backfield attack as well.
Defensively, McNicholas is led by senior defensive lineman Max Hamilton, a Division III All-Ohio honorable mention as a junior, who leads the GCL Co-Ed with 12 sacks this season to go with 44 tackles, 19.5 of those tackles for loss. He is joined by fellow senior Josh Charron, also a Division III All-Ohio honorable mention last season, who has racked up 35 tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries this season, and junior linebacker Matthew Powderly, who leads the team with 58 total tackles, while adding four and a half sacks and two fumble recoveries.
The Rocket secondary is spearheaded by defensive back Max Orlando, who in addition to his receiving exploits on offense, is second in the GCL Co-Ed with three interceptions on the season, in addition to a GCL Co-Ed-leading three forced fumbles.
Badin, meanwhile, has the leading rusher in the GCL Co-Ed in junior Chase Even, who has carried 157 times for 1,153 yards and 16 touchdowns – both totals which lead the conference. Even is joined in the Ram backfield by senior running back LT King, an explosive back who has added 288 yards on the ground on only 13 carries – averaging 22.2 yards per carry – and three touchdowns.
The Ram offense isn’t all ground and pound, however. Junior Davis Martin and sophomore Jimmy Gajewski have shared the quarterbacking duties for Badin this season, and have combined to throw for 933 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. The receiver most on the end of those passes has been senior wide receiver Hudson Heid, who has 20 receptions for 318 yards and five touchdowns on the year.
Defensively for the Rams, junior defensive lineman Balin Wong has been able to find his way into the opponent’s backfield, as he has notched eight sacks on the season to lead Badin in that category. The Rams also have junior linebacker Jackson Turner, who leads the team with 64 tackles, to help anchor a defense that only allows 13.4 points per game.
TEAM TRENDS: After starting 1-2, McNicholas has reeled off six straight victories to position themselves to win the GCL Co-Ed conference for the first time since 2017, when the Rockets won the GCL Co-Ed Central Division.
McNicholas is the leading offense in the GCL Co-Ed, averaging 400.3 yards per game and 33.7 points per game, while defensively, the Rockets have allowed only 8 points per game on defense during their six-game winning streak.
With a victory on Friday night, McNicholas head coach Mike Orlando would not only capture the conference title, but his 100th career victory. Orlando is 99-75 in his 15 years leading the Rockets.
Badin started the season hot, going 4-0, but have since gone 3-2, with those losses to GCL Co-Ed foe Fenwick and the other to #13 La Salle. The Rams average 32.9 points per game on offense, while only allowing 14.7 points per game on defense – both second-best in the GCL Co-Ed behind McNicholas.
The Rams have won eight consecutive GCL Co-Ed conference titles, and would capture their ninth in a row with a victory over McNicholas Friday night.
In last year’s edition of this rivalry, McNicholas defeated Badin 17-10, handing Badin their first loss of the season while breaking a seven-game losing streak to the Rams. In the all-time series between the schools, Badin holds a 12-10 advantage, with their last victory being a 10-6 win over McNicholas in 2024, which denied the Rockets the outright GCL Co-Ed title that season.
The longest winning streak in the series, for McNicholas, is six in a row from 2012-2017, and for Badin it is seven in a row from 2018-2024.
Both teams, according to prognosticator Joe Eitel, have clinched playoff berths – Badin is currently rated seventh in Ohio Division II, Region 8, and McNicholas rated fourth in Ohio Division III, Region 12. A victory for either team will likely boost their playoff seeding, and such seeding is important as the top four seeded teams in each region receive a first-round bye, while seeds five through eight host a first-round playoff game.
HEAD COACHES:
McNicholas: Mike Orlando (99-75 at McNicholas, 15th year; 99-75 overall, 15th year)
Badin: Nick Yordy (95-24 at Badin, ninth year; 95-24 overall, ninth year)
PLAYOFF HISTORY:
McNicholas (17 appearances, 17-17) – 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010 (Regional Champion), 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1985, 1984 (State Runner-up)
Badin (30 appearances, 39-29) – 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 (State Runner-Up), 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998 (Regional Champion), 1995 (Regional Champion), 1994, 1993, 1990 (State Champion), 1989 (Regional Champion), 1987, 1982, 1981 (Regional Champion), 1980 (State Runner-Up), 1979 (Regional Champion), 1978 (Regional Champion)
MCNICHOLAS KEYS TO VICTORY: Get in the Badin backfield and slow down the top running back in the GCL Co-Ed in Chase Even. The Badin running back is the Rams’ biggest offensive weapon. If the McNicholas defensive line – which has made it a habit this year getting into the opponent’s backfield, evidenced by the 24.5 sacks and 49 tackles for loss the team has – can slow Even down, make Badin one-dimensional and force it to rely on its passing attack, it will bode well for the Rockets.
BADIN KEYS TO VICTORY: Open up holes and space for running back Chase Even. The McNicholas defensive line is stout, and has shown all season it can get into the opponent’s backfield and disrupt both running and passing games. The Badin offensive line needs to keep McNicholas defenders such as Max Hamilton, Josh Charron and Matthew Powderly out of the backfield, and give Even room to breathe and work, or else it will be a long night for the Rams offense.
Prediction: McNicholas 28, Badin 17
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