Best bets for high school football: Week 5

There are so many teams with so much to prove and this week they will get the opportunity to do just that. If nothing else there may end up being more questions than answers after Friday’s affairs. We will find out who still has intestinal fortitude and the heart that makes the soul of a team. Others are going to let us know what they are really all about.

Conference action is in full swing in Ohio and Indiana while district play is set to kickoff in Kentucky

Here is a look at this weekend’s Best Bets:

OHIO
Moller (4-0) @ St. Xavier (2-2) – 7:30 PM – This is the third straight Top 25 Nationally Ranked team that St. Xavier has faced. The Bombers are in desperate need of a win sitting at #12 in the current Region 4 Harbin Ratings. The two teams split last year’s games with Moeller winning in the regular season and St. X taking the regional championship. Moeller holds a 37-17-1 advantage in the series. The Crusaders have been very successful running the football and St. Xavier has had times where they can’t stop the run, but they did hold Trinity to 83 yards on 23 carries. St. Xavier has allowed opponents to convert 46 percent of their third-down attempts and 67 percent of their fourth-down tries.

Colerain (4-0, 1-0) @ Sycamore (4-0, 1-0) – 7:30 PM – Something has to give in this affair. Sycamore has allowed just 24 points on the season. Colerain comes into the contest averaging 37 points per game. Aviators’ junior quarterback Greg Simpson has rushed for no less than 127 yards in a game and has set new personal bests in each of the last three outings which ended with a 191-yard performance versus Hamilton. Colerain is giving up just 117 yards rushing per game. No runner has gained more than 78 yards against them. The Cardinals are holding opponents to less than 29 percent on third-down conversions. The Sycamore defense is holding opponents to 26.1 percent on third-down conversions. The Aviators are allowing just 54 yards per game passing and 0 TD passes. They have not allowed an opposing QB to throw for more than 85 yards in a game. Colerain quarterback Alfred Ramsby is averaging over 175 yards with seven TD passes the last three weeks.

North College Hill (2-2, 1-0) @ Summit Country Day (4-0, 1-0) – 7:00 PM - Summit Country Day is looking for a school-best third straight trip to the playoffs Despite 4-0 start SCD still sits at #7 in the Region 20 Harbin Ratings. SCD is looking to prove that they can compete with the upper echelon in the MVC and will get their shot with NCH and CHCA next week. The Silver Knights have forced 12 turnovers and turned six of them into touchdowns. North College Hill running back Tevin Brown ran for a career-high 329 yards last week against New Miami. He is 35 yards away from 3,000 yards rushing in his career.

Fenwick (3-1, 1-0) @ McNicholas (3-1, 1-0) – Saturday, 1:30 PM - Expect a ton of yardage and a lot of points in this affair. Fenwick gives up 387 yards per game and McNicholas is yielding 261. Fenwick is 18-6 since the beginning of the 2010 season, but does not have a playoff appearance to show for their efforts. McNick has surpassed last season’s win total of two. The Rockets were Region 12 Champions in 2010.

Loveland (3-1, 1-0) @ Kings (1-3) – 7:30 PM – More than ever, Loveland has a chance to get over that hump of 4-6, 5-5, 6-4 seasons that they seem to appear stuck in. Conquering that hurdle in 2012 begins with winning on the road at Kings. The Knights are on their last playoff legs a fourth loss will pretty much end Kings’ post-season hopes with so many quality teams in Region 8 above them.

Madison (3-1) @ Milton-Union (3-1) – 7:30 PM – It is time for Madison to show if they are for real or not. The Mohawks three victories have been against teams, who are a combined 1-11. Milton-Union has all the makings of a very good playoff team. The Bulldogs have posted 42 or more points in all three of their victories.

Middletown @ Lakota East – 7:30 PM – Middletown is in need of a big win and knocking off the Thunderhawks would accomplish that feat. Lakota East controls their own destiny this week. They currently sit at Division I, Region 4 Harbin Ratings. It should be a relatively quick evening as both teams will pound the ball with the run. The Middies are allowing their opponents to convert 44.7 percent of their third downs.

Lebanon @ Fairmont– 7:30 PM – Lebanon still has some work to do on their resume. The Warriors better not look past a Fairmont squad that may be the best one-win team in Region 4. The Firebirds have lost to undefeated Alter and Springboro as well as reigning Division II state champion, Trotwood-Madison.

Thurgood Marshall (4-0) @ Winton Woods (3-1) – 7:30 PM - The top-rated team in Division III, Region 12 Harbins Ratings, Thurgood Marshall pays a visit to Frederick Stadium. The Cougars have one of the most explosive rushing attacks in Southwest Ohio. Winton Woods has shown that it can stop the run game and would like nothing better than notch