Ohio Week 1 Predictions/Discussion

[Coletrain06]

Colerain @ La Salle - Colerain 24 La Salle 21

Colerain has to replace 9 starters on Defense, 4 OLinemen, 1 FB, and 1 WR. Coach
Bolden said that in the past he has never wanted to do alot of playing guys both
ways, but this year he decided Colerain will be doing quite a bit, because of
how talented some of the guys are. At QB, both Gunnar Leyendecker and DSM2
return after splitting time last yearn because of Gunnar's injuries. DSM2 will
be the starting FB and backup QB. Gunnar is noticeably bigger and stronger this
year. In addition Colerain brings back 2 speedy WB's in JJ Davis and Syncere
Jones. Colerain returns a fantastic 3 year starter at WR Ja'von Hicks, and very
big & tall TE Eric Phillips. On the OL, Colerain has some good size and talent,
and should be much better than last year...........On Defense Colerain returns
4th year LB Dan Bolden and OLB/DE Ivan Pace Jr, and also LB/DE Luke Bolden whom
had significant playing time last year. On the DL, Colerain will have good size
and Eric Phillips will be playing both ways to use his size and height. In the
Secondary Ja'von Hicks, DSM2, and Syncere Jones will be playing both ways. Hicks
had a good amount of time playing both ways last year.

La Salle had to replace their Coach again in the offseason, making it their 3rd
coach in 4 seasons. La Salle brings back QB Griffin Merritt, and some stud LB's.
Otherwise I'm not too familiar with their team. 

In the scrimmages so far Colerain has looked very solid on both offense and
defense. They beat Moeller and looked good, especially on the lines, which were
a concern. Against Princeton, The Colerain offense took a bit to get going, but
then were rolling. Gunnar was a little shaken up on one play and sat the rest of
the time. DSM2 moved to QB and Ivan Pace Jr. came in at FB playing both ways.
Pace was near untackleable, rushing 4 times for probably 70 yds, and was only
tackled 1 time. The Defense, without Dan Bolden, didn't let Princeton cross
midfield while the 1's were in...........La Salle scrimmaged Lakota East and
Centerville. I can't find anything on the Lakota East scrimmage, though I have
heard Lakota East has looked pretty bad. The Centerville scrimmage ended up near
even, with people saying La Salle's offense was unimpressive, but their LB's
were impressive. 

This matchup is 2 neighborhood rivals around 5 mins apart playing each
other...The game being moved from Nippert Stadium to La Salle is a big
deal...The last 2 times Colerain has played at La Salle, its been a shady
experience (in 2004, when that highly touted Colerain team came to La Salle,
somehow La Salle left their field sprinklers on for like 24 hours prior to the
game, resulting in a mud pit. Colerain destroyed them, but the rivalry ended
after that game. Then the rivalry picked back up in 2014, and in 2015 when
Colerain returned to La Salle, Colerain was famously screwed by the refs.)
Surely this will be on Colerain's mind. I think Colerain's DLine will cause some
serious problems this year. Eric Phillips and Ivan Pace Jr have looked
incredible in the scrimmages so far. I think both teams will have trouble on
offense at first. If Colerain uses Ivan Pace Jr at FB, I think Colerain will
have a significant advantage. Colerain's new secondary should be tested against
La Salle, whom I think will look to test them early. Colerain's
defensive weakness is overpursuing a mobile QB. This should be a close matchup
with slight advantage to Colerain.

Pickerington Central vs. Cass Tech MI - Pickerington Central 21 Cass Tech 20

Pick Central has a very talented roster, returning a lot on both sides of the ball and seem to be the favorite from the Columbus region. I wish I knew more, but there seems to be little trace of any info regarding Columbus area teams.

Cass Tech should be down from last year. They should still be loaded with talent, but might not have the massive lines that they had last year. 

Some Michigan football followers don't think that Cass Tech will win this game. They don't expect Cass Tech to be as talented as they were last year. They say most of the time Cass is able to win by athletic superiority alone, but lack good discipline. They believe an athletic, disciplined, well coached team like Pickerington Central will give Cass lots of trouble. Also Pickerington Central is the only Columbus School that frequently plays top Ohio teams outside of Columbus and they also perform well against OOS teams, with wins over: Goose Creek SC, Oscar Smith VA, and Orange Lutheran CA. Last year I would've picked Cass Tech hands down, but this year I'm going to trust the Michigan folk. 

Wayne @ Pine-Richland PA - Wayne 34 Pine-Richland 21

Wayne returns some great skill players, and defensive players. They've been very good the last handful of years, and I don't expect that to change.They play great shutdown defense and try to mix it up on offense. I'm not sure if they're as talented as the past couple of years, but I'm sure they'll find someone. 

Pine-Richland returns top QB Jurkevic(sp?). He's a big Dual threat QB whom is fantastic. Pine-Richland can score, but last year had trouble on defense agaisnt top teams. 

According to Wayne guys, they've looked solid in their scrimmage against Upper Arlington, but need a lot of work. If Pine-Richland's defense has improved, then I think this is a toss up, otherwise Wayne wins. You won't beat Wayne playing poor defense. They are too fast, athletic, and lights out on D.  

St. X vs. Hinsdale Central IL @ Princeton High School - St. X 31 Hinsdale Central 14

St. X brings back Wisconsin-bound QB Chase Wolf who played most of last year while Sean Clifford was injured. They also bring back 4 WR's. Their OL should be good, but inexperienced. They bring back a good amount of their defensive front, but will have to replace most of the secondary. X is loaded with Senior leadership. 

Hinsdale Central competes in 8a in IL and went undefeated befor getting bounced in the playoffs last year. They return a decent amount of players. Other than that, I know next to nothing about them. 

So far X has been pretty solid in scrimmages, and Hinsdale hasn't scrimmaged. This should play a huge impact in the game. I expect X to pass much more than they run this year, as Wolf is more of a pocket passer. I think X will be too much, and the scrimmages should be an overwhelming advantage.

St. Ignatius @ Hoban - Iggy 27 Hoban 20

Iggy lost a heartbreaker last year in the final, but return a good amount of talent. They always have size on their lines, and return RB Bobinski, but word is he may be hurt? I'll hopefully hear more details about the Northern teams from the Northern Ohio posters.

Hoban loses some big names, but have plenty of talent waiting in the wings. They move up to D2 this year. 

Iggy hasn't looked so great on offense in scrimmages. Hoban had some serious talent last year, and could compete with some of the better D1 teams. I don't think this years version of Hoban will be able to hang with the size and depth of Iggy. 

St. Edward @ McDowell PA - St. Edward 28 McDowell 14

Ed's brings back some good talent, and has a very talented junior and sophomore class with players ready to step in. 

I have read very little on McDowell.

Word is that Ed's has had pretty good line play and big size advantage. Ed's is very dangerous when they have very good Lines. They beat Massillon Washington in a scrimmage 31-0, reportedly because of their size dominance. McDowell is a tough team, but usually a team that the Ohio powers beat. This should be a decent measuring stick for an IMO uderrated Ed's team.

Elder vs. Lakota West @ Princeton High School - Elder 28 Lakota West 21

Elder brings back their QB and RB, but their RB is injured and possibly out for the year. From reports, Elder's OLine looks pretty good. Elder's defense will probably be like most Elder defenses....seriously lacking in speed. Their DB's have been an area of concern. 

Lakota West had an unusually bad year this year, but from scrimmages they appear to be much improved. I haven't read too much about West this year, yet.

I think this game will closer than people think. If Lakota West is back to form, I would expect them to challenge Elder. I'm not sure if West's coaching will be able to take advantage of Elder's weaknesses, but if they do, Elder will be in trouble. Gonna have to take Ramsey over Cox in this one.

Fairfield vs. Centerville

 

[Mjd33]

Good write up like always. Really interested in cass tech/pick central and colerain/lasalle games. 

[ATLien12x]

Nicely done, my man! I count on your Ohio analysis all season so don't steer me wrong! 

[Jack1234]

This years pine richland team is possible the best team they have in school history. They return 9 starters on both sides of the ball, including one of the best QB's in the country, they have nice size up front, and added two big time transfers. The one transfer was from a 5A PA powerhouse West Allegheny, Kenny White who is one of the top defensive backs and running backs in PA. They also added Thomas Burns from northwestern in Miami who moved in with his older brother in pine richland (brother is steelers first round pick Artie Burns). Burns is one of the top track runners in the country, running the 300m hurdles in 35.90 seconds which I believe qualifies for the fastest time in the country. He was also committed to Miami at one point to play CB. This team already had the talent to be a favorite for the 6A championship in PA and they only got more loaded adding White and  Burns. From what Ive heard from some ohio guys is that wayne has struggled in scrimmages and they haven't looked too good, and outside their core athletes they don't have a great supporting cast. Also I've heard their offensive line has struggled. Any other year I'd say wayne is the favorite, but I wouldn't necessarily call them the favorite just yet. This pine richland team is going to be very good, offensively they have multiple guys that can take it to the house at any time. I expect PR to pull it out in a shootout 42-38. 

[Mjd33]

Pine Richland 6 point underdog on 5 dimes. 

[ATLien12x]

Just now, Mjd33 said:

Pine Richland 6 point underdog on 5 dimes. 

Their QB last year was a major baller 

[PrepGridiron]

Man, PR looked decent in that ESPN game last year. Also, that is sounding like a good line. Although I've heard this may be Wayne's best team. Ugh, so hard not sure who to buy into

[ATLien12x]

6 minutes ago, PrepGridiron said:

Man, PR looked decent in that ESPN game last year. Also, that is sounding like a good line. Although I've heard this may be Wayne's best team. Ugh, so hard not sure who to buy into

Stay away. Easier games to call out there this weekend 

[Jack1234]

PR lost that game against saint eds last year because they didn't have a solid kicking game and were wore down in the 90+ degree weather (multiple two way kids). The QB last year, Phil Jurkovec, got injured midway through the season and was done for the year. Last year their biggest problem was defense, their line was small and teams ran the ball on them like crazy. This season they return a lot of starters like I mentioned, and now have one of the top secondaries in PA with the two transfers they got (also returned three other starters on in the secondary but the one kid is going to play just offense now). If there defense is improved from last season then they could give wayne some issues.

I was at the pine richland scrimmage against Erie McDowell a few days ago and there first team offense scored two times in 6 plays (first play of first drive was a 80 yard touchdown bomb). PR will score points, I think this game comes down to a big special teams play and whoever forces a turnover first. No way PR is held to only 21 points though.

[Coletrain06]

Sorry for the long bit on Colerain, but it's the team I know most about.

Jack great posts! Real interested in seeing PR.

Wayne's defense the last couple years has been elite. Last year I only seen a few defenses comparable. I'm not sure how they'll look this year, but they should be good. 

[Coletrain06]

1 hour ago, PrepGridiron said:

. Although I've heard this may be Wayne's best team. Ugh, so hard not sure who to buy into

No, not true at all..........Could they be?....I suppose....................Are they expected to be?....No, not at all. 

[nptb17]

I think that Pickerington Central is the best team in Ohio based on what they have returning.  Still I like to wait to comment on teams after the first week of seeing them.  

[Jack1234]

52 minutes ago, Coletrain06 said:

Sorry for the long bit on Colerain, but it's the team I know most about.

Jack great posts! Real interested in seeing PR.

Wayne's defense the last couple years has been elite. Last year I only seen a few defenses comparable. I'm not sure how they'll look this year, but they should be good. 

From what I've seen Wayne has that DE going to Kentucky returning, some secondary guys and a transfer LB. Even if Wayne's defense is very good, PR's offense is elite. They have speed everywhere and you have to respect jurkovec leaving the pocket and hurting you with his legs. Plus if this burns kid plays offense for them, then you have basically have a top 10 fastest kid the country to add to that speed. PR defense from what I've seen is going to be ten times better, they have more size and heart and they have stud LB's and DB's. The head coach took over the defensive callings and he has better schemes and setups than before. 

[PrepGridiron]

58 minutes ago, Coletrain06 said:

No, not true at all..........Could they be?....I suppose....................Are they expected to be?....No, not at all. 

Fair. The season will tell, I suppose

[prepsbill65]

Very good assessment Cole....  Cardinals D will develop as the year goes on; Offense will simply outscore teams. They still have a very potent backfield.  Only advantage LaSalle has is playing at home.

Hate to look ahead... but Colerain hosting StX next week will certainly tell us more about Cincinnati HS football this year.

 

[zulu1128]

10 hours ago, Mjd33 said:

Pine Richland 6 point underdog on 5 dimes. 

Were I a fan of betting on high school football, I’d be putting some money on PR.

[Adam Kurkjian]

9 hours ago, Jack1234 said:

From what I've seen Wayne has that DE going to Kentucky returning, some secondary guys and a transfer LB. Even if Wayne's defense is very good, PR's offense is elite. They have speed everywhere and you have to respect jurkovec leaving the pocket and hurting you with his legs. Plus if this burns kid plays offense for them, then you have basically have a top 10 fastest kid the country to add to that speed. PR defense from what I've seen is going to be ten times better, they have more size and heart and they have stud LB's and DB's. The head coach took over the defensive callings and he has better schemes and setups than before. 

Good post.

I was impressed with the QB last year in the Ed's game. Some highly-rated guys don't always live up to the hype in games like that, but he can really play.

Wayne is no pushover, but I think this will be a fairly even matchup.

[OdbCle]

Good writeup as always CTrain. Definitely some good early action in Ohio this weekend with some marquee in-state matchups and a couple out-of-state measuring stick games. Up in the NE portion of the state, here are some other openers of note:

Aurora @ Solon - many people, including myself, think Solon could make some noise this year returning a bevy of talent from last year's 9-1 team that fell to Iggy in the playoffs. Reports were that they handled Iggy very well in the first preseason scrimmage of the year. They will lack size along the lines, but have speed to burn. Aurora, a very solid program, drops to D3 this year. This needs to be a statement game for Solon to show they are legit. 

Massillon @ Mentor  - Mentor returns a three-year starter in signal caller Tadas Tatarunas who should have the always-potent Mentor spread offense humming along with receivers Logan Shea and Steven Baird. Lines should be pretty good on both sides, especially with D1 prospect Noah Potter at DE. We will see if a switch to a 3-4 defense can pay dividends for a program that has been hamstrung by their defense over the years despite historic offenses. Secondary could be the issue. Massillon fans have a pretty bleak outlook for their team this year, especially after getting manhandled in the last scrimmage against Eds. Mentor should be able to light them up. 

Mooney @ Cleveland Heights: Heights has talent and speed everywhere (headlined by OSU prospect Tyreke Smith), but can they be a disciplined team and coached up? Don't know much about Mooney as they've fallen off some in recent years, but they are usually a tough out. Heights should take this at home, but it's a toss-up IMO. 

Euclid @ Glenville - speaking of teams that have fallen off, Glenville just does not seem to be producing (or acquiring) the talent that they used to. Ted Ginn Sr.'s health issues have really set the program back. Euclid on the other hand has seen an uptick in talent acquisition since Rotsky took over the program. Aubrey Shabazz (transfer from VASJ) and  Dre'Von Linsay (transfer from Garfield Heights) will add to form a dangerous WR corp along with Cincinnati commit Arquon Bush.  I look for Euclid to roll in this one. 

Warren G. Harding @ Canton McKinley - McKinley fans are starting to get excited after good scrimmage performances against Ed's and Ignatius. Tough to say what to make of that as both Ed's and Ignatius are breaking in a ton of new starters. Haven't heard much about Harding yet, but they did graduate superstar Lynn Bowden who led them to a 9-1 record and deep playoff run in D2 last year. If we are going to take McKinley seriously, this is a game they must win at home in their newly built stadium (and I think they will).

Game of the week up north is definitely Iggy-Hoban. Hoban may actually have the talent edge, but can they hold up to the depth of Ignatius? They had the talent edge last year against Ed's but were worn out in the 4th quarter.  Bobinski's availability could be the determining factor. I'm sure Iggy would probably love to run him (and the clock) behind that massive o-line while they break in a new starting QB. Hoban will be starting a freshman at QB and lost stud RB Will Collier to a transfer. This game is really a toss-up. 

 

[954gator]

I had a very tough time picking between the first two matchups in your list .  My first gut instinct was to go with Colerain and Pick Central,  but Had to roll with cass until they lose.  Plus I did check, and Cass  does have a couple beasts on the line in their 2019 class.  Either way I never get the Ohio/midwest games right lol.

Thanks for the write up!

[954gator]

15 hours ago, Jack1234 said:

PR lost that game against saint eds last year because they didn't have a solid kicking game and were wore down in the 90+ degree weather (multiple two way kids). The QB last year, Phil Jurkovec, got injured midway through the season and was done for the year. Last year their biggest problem was defense, their line was small and teams ran the ball on them like crazy. This season they return a lot of starters like I mentioned, and now have one of the top secondaries in PA with the two transfers they got (also returned three other starters on in the secondary but the one kid is going to play just offense now). If there defense is improved from last season then they could give wayne some issues.

I was at the pine richland scrimmage against Erie McDowell a few days ago and there first team offense scored two times in 6 plays (first play of first drive was a 80 yard touchdown bomb). PR will score points, I think this game comes down to a big special teams play and whoever forces a turnover first. No way PR is held to only 21 points though.

What position will Burns play? (Miami transfer) 

[nptb17]

58 minutes ago, 954gator said:

I had a very tough time picking between the first two matchups in your list .  My first gut instinct was to go with Colerain and Pick Central,  but Had to roll with cass until they lose.  Plus I did check, and Cass  does have a couple beasts on the line in their 2019 class.  Either way I never get the Ohio/midwest games right lol.

Thanks for the write up!

Colerain and Pickerington Central are locks.

[954gator]

2 hours ago, nptb17 said:

Colerain and Pickerington Central are locks.

Lol I thought about changing it right after I sent them in, but ehhh I play it for fun and am lazy lol.

[Omaha Vol]

2 hours ago, nptb17 said:

Colerain and Pickerington Central are locks.

I don't know about them being locks. LaSalle is never any easy out and who knows if Cass Tech will be anything how they were last year? 

[nptb17]

3 minutes ago, Omaha Vol said:

I don't know about them being locks. LaSalle is never any easy out and who knows if Cass Tech will be anything how they were last year? 

Lock, lock, lock, lock, lock.  

[TheRealCAJ]

Will the St X Bombers lose 5 or 6 games this year, win state and be ranked nationally in the Top 10?