Best Bets: Week 10

Another week is upon us and that can only mean that we have yet another week full of great matchups in the tristate area. In the grand scheme of things; whether you’re a team in Ohio, Indiana, or Kentucky, your season is nearing its end. It may end in joy and celebration but if it doesn’t, it will undoubtedly end in heartbreak. Whatever the case may be, it is still time to make a run and finish strong.

Last week we had several teams put up strong performances. Anderson continued their domination of the ECC with a win against Winton Woods. Lakota East took care of Colerain, La Salle survived against Harrison and Indian Hill got the win over Deer Park. Every team came to play and left it all out on the field and we can expect the same with this week’s slate.

Here in week 10 things get going as Northwest travels to battle Harrison, Lebanon heads to Winton Woods, New Richmond travels to Wilmington, and in Kentucky Ryle visits Simon Kenton. Things are beginning to heat up. Here are the Best Bets for week 10.

Northwest at #14 Harrison

The Knights are 8-1 and have enjoyed one of their best seasons since head coach Brandon Schon was a junior linebacker himself back in 2013. At that time Northwest won their first playoff game in school history and would love to do more postseason winning this year. Jaylen Lilly has been a major bright spot for Northwest as a dual threat quarterback. Lilly has passed for over 700 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for over 1,000 yards and 12 more scores on the ground. Ethan Dixion has carried a major load on offense as well as the tailback has rushed for 922 yards and six scores on the season. Kaleb Peters leads the team in tackles and Dixion is not far behind being second on the squad.

Harrison is coming off a defeat to westside foe La Salle. The Wildcats have had a great season and seemed poised to make a run in the region 8 playoffs. Brady Lawhon has led the team from the quarterback position. Lawhon has passed for 1,884 yards and 19 touchdowns for the 7-2 Wildcats. He has also rushed for 261 yards and six scores on the ground. Wyatt Dennis leads the rushing attack with 633 yards and six touchdowns and Colton Rehage and Kyle Davidson are the team’s most effective wideouts. Issiah Taylor and David Baldock lead the team defensively.

Bet on Harrison to get a big win at home.

#20 Lebanon at #7 Winton Woods

Lebanon is coming off of a dominating win a week ago where they scored 40 plus points. The Warriors look like a team that could cause problems for a higher seed come the postseason. The main reason for that is their running game that is anchored by Logan Schmenk. The ECC’s leading rusher has been tough to slow down all season while rushing for 1,399 yards on the ground with 23 touchdowns to his name. Mason Reed has been more than solid at quarterback in his first year as a starter. Reed has thrown for 1,401 yards and 13 touchdowns and has also pitched in on the run game with 337 yards and four scores. Wyatt Lassen is a threat at wide receiver and Evan Gray leads the league with seven sacks on defense.

Winton Woods fell to the buzzsaw that is the Anderson Raptors last week. The Warriors will be looking to get back on track as they head into the region 4 playoffs this season. Zeke Garrett has been a constant as a running back. Rushing for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns, Garrett will need to dominate games going forward to help an otherwise pedestrian offense. Jojo Jones has put up good numbers for the offense but mostly against the bottom feeders of the league. The defense will be the reason the Warriors could make a splash this week and beyond. Christian Coston and Terrence Moore lead that side of the ball but the entire unit is full of playmakers.

Bet on Winton Woods to get the home win.

New Richmond at Wilmington

New Richmond and Wilmington sit at 5-4 with both teams looking to secure a winning season on the final night of their regular season. Brady Young has passed for 2,165 yards and 20 touchdowns for New Richmond who like to spread things around through the air to players like Peyton Abner and James Vail. Wilmington is productive in the running game and that’s easy to see when you look at Jaidyn Collier (947 YDS, 10 TD) and Josiah Puller ( 773 YDS, 9 TD). This will be determined by which team can dictate their style of play.

Bet on Wilmington to get the win at home.

Ryle at Simon Kenton

Ryle and Simon Kenton have been somewhat mirror images of each other this season. They both sitat 4-4 and have had similar outcomes with many common opponents. Both teams also struggle to put points on the board which has been both of their downfalls this season. Ryle is scoring 14.6 PPG on the season while Simon Kenton is a tick over 20 PPG on the season. A sixth district title is on the line as Ryle can with it outright with a win while Simon Kenton will still need some outside help with a win. Cruze Sauley and Xavier Collins have been threats in the run game for Ryle. Brody Smith, the sophomore quarterback has helped weather some of the storms that the squad has had. For Simon Kenton they have relied heavily on junior quarterback Grant Webb. Webb is a tremendous runner who can help keep the chains moving and keep the tempo where they want it.