Big plays, and a lot of them…Both Minster and Coldwater can put up the points. But Coldwater’s defense gives them the edge in Friday’s matchup in Minster. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
At the halfway mark of the high school football season, there are some better matchups this week. It makes for tougher picks, and bigger crowds…because this is what the people have waited all year to see.
It’s week five already…and a chance to scratch our heads over week four. We got all the tough ones right last week (8 of 10), and the ones we missed (Lehman and Miami East) were two of the most confident picks.
And that’s why it’s called high school football.
But now things began to tighten a bit, as 4-0 unbeatens with high playoff hopes, like Coldwater and Minster, square off to exhibit just good they really are. 4-0 Xenia and Butler…likewise…while 4-0 Marion Local hosts 3-1 New Bremen who pushed another 4-0, Versailles, to the brink last week before losing 18-17.
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Checking back a year, at the four-week mark of the season we’re four games behind our pace then. So let’s see if we can’t make up some ground with the following games…..
Tipp can run it, and they can throw it. They’re the favorite to go 5-0 against Troy.
Tippecanoe @ Troy…This will be one of the best-attended games of the week, because of the recent tradtions fostered when Matt Burgbacher left Troy four years ago to take the Tipp City job. And since he did, the Red Devils have won four in a row over the Trojans, including a 13-12 thriller last year in Tipp. At 2-2 Troy has yet to play their best football, on either side of the ball. And they probably know it. The problem is, at 4-0 Tipp has yet to play their best football, too. And given the physical challenge of playing Piqua last week, the Devils handled that challenge with a convincing 35-10 win. And that’s the point. Tipp has become more convincing with each passing week. Quarterback Larkin Thomas leads the conference in passing, and two of the top five receivers, Will Strong and Jackson Davis, are there to catch it for him. Trust it, there’ll be a lot of bulletin board material this week, but the game is played on the field and not in the locker room. Plus, Troy has been bitten by the injury bug. You have to go with execution, and not emotion, and I think Tipp still has that advantage. I’m picking the Red Devils, by as much as two scores.
Greenville @ Piqua…Again, this pick is not about Greenville this week, but about what Bill Nees and the Piqua Indians can salvage out of a 1-3 start. With ‘get’ games in each of their next three, Piqua’s season is on the line for the sake of seeing how many wins they can amass by season’s end. This is one of them. Greenville is in the midst of a horrible cycle of losing football, and it won’t get any better at Purk Field on Friday. I’m picking Piqua to get better, instantly, with a three-score win over the Wave.
The best they’ve seen so far…Butler quarterback Mason Reckner hopes to power the Aviators past Xenia.
Xenia @ Butler…Without question, this should be the best game in the MVL ‘North’ this week, pitting a pair of 4-0 teams that in my mind…neither have been tested, as yet. That all changes Friday night. Credit Butler for 4-o, but 4-0 against Northmont (2-2), Piqua (1-3), Troy (2-2), and Greenville (0-4). Xenia is 4-0, too, and they’ve played Beavercreek (2-2), West Carrollton (0-4), Sidney (2-2), and Stebbins (1-3). People may not like reading it, but facts are facts. This Friday will be the first true test for either team. And the stats are telling. Xenia averages 430 yards of offense a game, largely because of running back Deaunte White, who has twice the rushing yards (730) of his nearest competitor, Piqua’s Jericho Burns (450). And Xenia leads the league in defense (125 yards per game), while Butler ranks fourth with 245. The difference here is overall speed, and Xenia just has more people who have it. With respect to 4-0, and how few teams can claim it, I’m picking Xenia to go 5-0 this week, by two scores over Butler.
West Carrollton @ Sidney…Sidney is another one of those teams, like Piqua, who has to look at the remainder of their schedule and chart the possible wins. This week is one of them. At 2-2 Sidney has more athletes. Quarterback Ethan New ranks #2 in conference passing, Tank Fleming is #1 in pass receiving, and Isiah Foster is #4 in rushing. And their two losses have come against highly superior football teams (Bellefontaine and Xenia). They have a chance to get better this week, and they will with a three-score win over winless West Carrollton.
Miami East @ Lehman (Thursday)…I flinch as I write this because I assumed too much consistency on the part of a young 3-1 Miami East last week. Northridge simply handled the Vikings at the point of attack, and with over overall team speed. Likewise, I gave West Milton too much credit and Lehman too little, as the Cavaliers went into Memorial Stadium, at Milton, and outlasted the Bulldogs, 35-27. So Lehman is 3-1, but they’ve also beaten opponents who are collectively 2-10. Yet, the Cavaliers can throw it around the field with #2 TRC quarterback Turner Lachey and #1 receiver Evan O’Leary…and Miami East counters with #3 quarterback KJ Gustin and receiver Jack Hamaker. But Lehman has given up too many yards on defense, and after last week’s klinker I have to believe that East will respond on a Thursday night TV game. Interesting, but I’m taking the Vikings in this one…by a score.
Sophomore QB Gavin Dicke leads 3-1 New Bremen into Marion Local for a date with the state champs.
New Bremen @ Marion Local…New Bremen was highly impressive last week in an 18-17 loss to Versailles. The Cardinals made some mistakes, yes. They lacked in execution at a couple of key points, yes. But they competed, played hard, and they made enough plays with Gavin Dicke to his brother, Grant, and running back Rogan Muether, to make one believe they’ll be a threat in the early rounds of the playoffs (if healthy). But gulp…they take their 3-1 record to Marion Local this week where the Flyers are not just beating people, they’re overwhelming them, by and average of 48 points a game. By the way, New Bremen was the last team to beat Marion, back in 2020, before Marion began their current 52-game win streak. Good memories for the Cardinals, of course, but memories don’t win football games. Marion is simply too good. Flyers to win, by four scores.
St. Henry @ Anna…One of my favorite picks of the week, and a game that going to say a lot about these two teams, one way or another. St. Henry is deceptively good with first-year coach Josh Werling. They have weapons on offense, and they rank #2 in MAC passing defense. And Anna, after a 2-0 start, has lost two in a row against Minter and Coldwater on nights where they were just out-played. This is the game that can have some defining influence on St Henry for the rest of the season, because they can win this before playing Minster, Parkway and Delphos St. John. Anna has to clean up some things to take advantage of their impressive skills on offense. But St. Henry has played well enough in the first half against Marion, in a win against Archbold, and in last week’s win over Fort Recovery (1-3) to make them a team you’d better respect. And for that…I’m picking St. Henry to win, by a score.
After years of frustration in Canton…the Ironton Tigers are playing a tougher, independent schedule to better prepare for the playoffs. They welcome Bishop Hartley to Tank Stadium this Friday.
Bishop Hartley @ Ironton…I heard from Ironton last week (yes, we have readers down there) and someone from Lawrence County asked, “What would it take to get a little attention for the hometown team…the fighting Tigers? I grew up outside of Ironton, football is a religion there, and the hometown Tigers are once again 4-0, playing an independent schedule to better prepare for the Kirtlands of the world (a team they’ve lost to in the state finals twice in three years). Ironton has invited Bishop Hartley, out of Columbus, to come south this week for a bigger challenge than their lopsided wins over local teams, Jackson and Wheelersburg. Hartley is 3-1, play in the tough Columbus Catholic League, and their lone loss has come to Youngstown Ursuline. After years of watching other good visiting teams run aground in Ironton – for one reason or another – I’m not afraid to believe that it can happen to Hartley, too. Here you go, boys. Ironton wins this by two scores.
Bethel @ Covington...Covington (3-1), for all its struggles the last three years, is suddenly ranked #6 in this week’s Joe Eitel list of Division VI, Region 24 teams, and they’re coming off a confidence-building offensive effort where they scored 45 points last week against winless Troy Christian. Bethel is 1-3, their lone win coming against National Trail in the season opener, and would be highly suspect against a team like Covington who’s beginning to feel it. It’s still too early, but teams that are learning how to win football games are teams that get your attention. I think the Buccs add another one this week…by two scores over Bethel.
Love the anticipation…but reality is that Coldwater’s defense is the best that high-scoring Minster has seen this season.
Coldwater @ Minster…Which brings us to a highly likeable matchup between a couple of teams that have more similarities than just wearing the same colors (orange and black). They have two of the MAC’s best quarterbacks in Baylen Blockberger (Coldwater) and Brogan Stephey (Minster), they can both score with balance, and both are building a constituency of fans that are looking for big, or bigger things, come the post-season. And let’s just say it. People are asking just how good can these two be? Very similar on offense, Minster actually leads the MAC in rushing and total offense (459 yards per game). Coldwater ranks #2 and #3, respectively, in those two categories. But on defense, Coldwater has shown me in two games seen that they can hold good teams to fewer yards and fewer points – they rank #3 in MAC team defense (179 yards per game). And that would be my biggest concern for Minster this week, that and strength of schedule. Face it, Coldwater has two of the season’s most impressive wins, non-conference, over Valley View and Clinton-Massie. They’ll both score in this game, but I give the defensive edge to Chip Otten’s defense. I pick Coldwater to go 5-0…by two scores.
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