By Ed Letsinger
MaxPreps.com
Centerville is trying its best to shift some of the spotlight away from Cincinnati-area football and into Dayton.
The Elks have accomplished this by pounding No. 11 Lakota East 42-14 in their season opener followed by a 49-30 dismantling of then-No. 5 Princeton last weekend. They will go for their third straight win over a Cincinnati school when they take on highly-regarded Archbishop Moeller on Saturday night at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium.
Centerville has been explosive with an offense that has averaged 45.5 points and over 400 yards a game. Against Lakota East, the Elks racked up an uncharacteristic 291 yards passing before returning to their patented triple-option offense last week that produced a whopping 493 yards on the ground. Fullback Nick Miller gained a game-high 202 yards on 31 carries while quarterback Logan Hanes added 153 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Moeller defeated common-opponent Princeton 27-17 in week one setting the table for an interesting game on Saturday. A win over the Crusaders would go a long way toward establishing the Elks as a team to contend with down the road.
Prime Time Performers
Sycamore running back Bud Golden has lived up to all his preseason hype. The Illinois-bound senior has rushed for 422 yards on 33 carries (12.8 per carry) through week two and leads the area in rushing.
Indian Hill senior quarterback Bo Cordell has started out of the gate on fire, passing for 843 yards and six touchdowns in the Braves’ first two games. At his current pace, Cordell would re-write the record book for Cincinnati quarterbacks.
Highly-touted Princeton wide receivers Jordan Hopgood and Jeff Duckworth are causing major headaches for defensive backs. Hopgood (14 catches, 199 yards) and Duckworth (13 catches, 231 yards) have combined for 27 receptions and 430 yards, forming the most potent receiving duo in Cincinnati.
Greater Miami Conference Living Up To Its Name
Two weeks into the football season things really do appear to be great in the Greater Miami Conference.
Six of the top 10 teams in the latest area football coaches’ poll are from the GMC led by top-ranked Colerain. The Cardinals moved into the top spot after defeating St. Xavier 13-8 in their season opener.
Sycamore has moved into the third spot and is closing fast on St. X after two impressive wins over Glen Este and Springboro by an 84-23 margin.
The biggest surprise within the league and city-wide has been Oak Hills (2-0) and Hamilton (2-0), who are unbeaten and currently tied for sixth. The Highlanders have defeated strong teams in Harrison (49-28) and Withrow (36-18) with relative ease and face a huge test on the road on Friday against neighborhood rival Elder at The Pit.
Hamilton has yielded just eight points in wins over Springfield and Taft and also faces a major test on Friday against defending Division II state champion and current No. 1-ranked Anderson. Princeton is ranked No. 8 and Lakota West at No. 9.
Ursuline Wins Battle of Top-Ranked Teams
Ursuline proved once again that Cincinnati volleyball still has a decided edge over its Northern Kentucky brethren.
In a recent match pitting the No. 1-ranked Lions against Notre Dame Academy, the top-ranked team in Northern Kentucky, Ursuline posted a 25-18, 25-22, 25-22 three-game sweep of the Pandas.
Ursuline, of the powerful Girls Greater Catholic League, is off to a 4-0 start behind the play of Jade Henderson (27 kills), Dani Reinert (96 assists) and Kori Moster (61 digs).
The Lions begin league play today against No. 3-ranked Mercy.
Ed Letsinger covers Southern Ohio for MaxPreps. He may be reached at eletsinger@insightbb.com.
