Believe it or not, the final trimester of the 2024 football season is at hand, with some area teams having key matchups this week that will determine if they achieve some season-long goals.
Coming off our first perfect week on Friday ‘Picks’, a couple of games (teams) stand out as we prepare for the final three weeks of the season.
One, in Division VII…for all the talk about Marion Local and 55 straight wins, the Lehman Cavaliers have become the talking point we mentioned in last Friday’s game story and their win over Riverside. At 6-1, the Cavs have won the games they should win, and truthfully, are getting better with each passing week. If they stay healthy….interesting!
Two, as predicted, Anna rose to the occasion and some questionable officiating to beat Versailles 13-7 to go 5-2 on the year. Anna is not a threat at this point to challenge Marion Local for the MAC title, but they are a threat in Division VI to ruin the seasons of other regional teams come playoff time. I still say that too many people are unaware of the Rockets on a given night. Now, they’ll need to have those given nights for the next three weeks!
Talk about Coldwater continues, now 7-0, and whether they have enough to close out Marion Local for the MAC title in week 10, and then make their accustomed run against other Division VI challengers in the tournament.
How good is Ansonia again, a year after shocking Division VII with a regional win over St. Henry?
Is undefeated Tipp ready for their coming showdown in week 10 with undefeated Xenia?
And what about Minster? After disassembling New Bremen last week, the Wildcats could do themselves a lot of good in the final three weeks against…Versailles, Marion Local, and Fort Recovery.
The Friday night ‘Picks’ are sponsored exclusively by the Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio, with offices in Centerville, Greenville, Dayton, Fairborn and Sidney to ensure you get the best, and most convenient care if, and when you need them. Their reputation will put your mind at ease. Again, the Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio, sponsors of the Friday ‘Picks’ page on Press Pros.
Standing now 59 and 70 on the season, here’s what we have for you in Week eight…with a lot to gain by the following teams…..
Tri-County North @ Ansonia…Relevant because 6-1 Ansonia is another one of those teams that seems to improve with each passing week, and the Tigers are just two weeks away from their only significant challenge since opening night – 7-0 Preble Shawnee – the odds-on favorite to win the Western Ohio Athletic Conference title. The Tigers need to stay healthy, stay confident, and focused. Tri-County North will be no threat in between. Tigers roll against 2-5 TCN, by three scores.
Covington @ Lehman Catholic…They won three of their first four, but the strength of schedule has caught up with Covington, who has now lost three in a row against better competition. Lehman, on the other hand, has now won six in a row after their season-opening loss to Delphos St. John. The Cavaliers’ homestretch includes Covington, Troy Christian, and then rapidly-improving Northridge. Both are 3-0 in TRC play, and it would appear that they’re on a collision course. But first, Covington, and the Buccaneers can expect a lot of Turner Lachey, the passing game, and the powerful run option of Da’Ron Pride. Tied with Northridge for the TRC lead, Lehman needs to win to keep pace, because ‘Ridge will win Friday over winless Troy Christian. I like Lehman to roll this week, by four scores over Covington.
Versailles @ Minster…One of the evidences of Week 7 was the Versailles-Anna game, where Versailles played hard, gave a stubborn effort, and held Anna to just 13 points. But, in the end they did not have enough weapons when they needed them to win. Unfortunately, the 5-2 Tigers get another team in 6-1 Minster who have weapons aplenty, both running and passing. And that’s significant here because both are a little dinged up, as you tend to be at this point in the season. At home, with Brogan Stephey, Connor Schmiesing, and Dylan Heitkamp playing at full efficiency, Versailles will be out-weaponed again. Minster, on the other hand, needs to play one of their best to prepare for next week’s matchup with Marion Local, a game you don’t want to go into having lost the previous week. A lot of orange and black in this one, and a good old fashioned cat fight…but Minster comes out of it with a two-score win.
New Bremen @ Coldwater…At 7-0, Coldwater is once again raising eyes across Division VI because, well…they’re Coldwater. And while they haven’t really been challenged since Valley View, Clinton-Massie, and Minster, they’re going to be challenged in the next two weeks against Versailles and Marion Local. New Bremen (4-3) is in full development phase with a lot of young talent, and the Cardinals are capable of putting of a good effort for a half. But against Coldwater, the halftime adjustments and the second half is usually the toughest part. Admire the season Chris Schmidt and the Cardinals have had, and I’m optimistic for some success in the post-season, but I’m not optimistic for them against Coldwater. Cavaliers win this one, by three scores.
Piqua @ Xenia…Piqua doesn’t have an MVL title to gain by winning this one, but they could sure improve their tournament seed, and reliability of even being there. Xenia is undefeated, leads the MVL in a lot of statisyical categories, and has the best running game with Deaunte White. And the Indians are going to see a lot of White, who carried it 38 times for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns in last week’s struggling 21-18 win over Troy. The better news for Piqua, Troy was able to at least be competitive at the end, and if Piqua can rig its defense to do the same, well, strange things can happen in football. But, the Indians have had their own problems scoring, despite last week’s blowout over West Carrollton, and there’s no such hope for that this week. More competitive than you might guess, I still give the edge to Xenia to win this one by a pair of scores.
Tecumseh @ London…We’re picking up considerable readership out of Madison County because the London Red Raiders are doing just that…pillaging everyone they play. They winning by an average of 50 points, and are coming off back-to-back wins where they outscored Bellefontaine and Jonathan Alder 100 to 6. You can add Tecumseh to that this week. The Red Raiders will roll against the winless Arrows, by many, many scores.
Sidney @ Butler…Again to the topic of needing to win, Sidney (4-3) will make the post-season, but are they consistent enough compete and survive the first two rounds. Butler (5-2) is in that category, as well. Case in point, coming off three wins in a row, the Yellow Jackets were throttled by better competition last week against Tipp. And Butler falls into that category of being better competition, and being at home. But Butler only beat Fairborn last week by a touchdown, so there’s obvious some vulnerability there. However, Sidney has not shown the consistency of taking advantage of a better team’s vulnerability. At home, I like Butler in this one, by two scores.
Marion Local @ Anna…We’re only picking eight this week because we’re getting to that point of having fewer intriguing games. That can change in the next two weeks, but if you’re a MAC fan this one stands to be particularly telling. If there is such a thing as being the best 5-2 team around, it might belong to Anna because of their ability to put up yards and points. However, they’ve shown some inconsistency against good competition over preventing other teams from putting up the same yards and points. Marion Local’s win streak now sits at 55, and they’re simply good enough to win any way you choose. They’re deep, well-coached, confident, and yes…there isn’t another Division VI or VII team in the state that you’d bet on to derail them at this point. Anna, win or lose this week, is going to be a heart-breaker in the post-season for Division VI teams, because they won’t see anyone who’s better than Marion Local. And if you scoff, go back to last year’s post-season and see if they didn’t win three straight before losing to another MAC team, Versailles. Marion Local is just too good – really, really good – and despite Anna being competitive, the streak will reach 56 this week. I like Marion to win, by at least three scores.