By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Two much-anticipated match-ups in Ohio and Michigan are slated for this week with Elder and Colerain clashing in the Ohio state playoffs and Lowell and Muskegon playing in the Michigan Division 2 playoffs. Meanwhile Cretin-Derham Hall takes on upstart Blaine in the semifinals of the Minnesota state finals.
The prediction records after 10 weeks find MaxPreps Projections in first place at 80-20 while Mitch Stephens slipped to second place at 79-21 record. Steve Spiewak is third at 74-26 followed by Jason Hickman at 73-27 and Kevin Askeland at 70-30. Here’s a look at this week’s top 10 games.
Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) vs. Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio) at University of Cincinnati
Elder and Colerain don’t play each other too often, but when they do there is usually a lot on the line. The two teams have not played since the 2004 playoffs when Colerain defeated Elder en route to a state title. Elder defeated Colerain in 2002 and 2003 during its state championship runs. Elder is ranked No. 2 in Ohio by MaxPreps while Colerain is No. 3. Elder edged Clayton Northmont 13-10 behind the passing of junior quarterback Mark Miller, who threw for 180 yards. Colerain had an easier time with Wayne, winning 23-0. Tyler Williams ran for three touchdowns in the win while quarterback Greg Tabar rushed for 146 yards.
Mitch Stephens: Elder 21, Colerain 20
Jason Hickman: Colerain 28, Elder 21
Steve Spiewak: Colerain 24, Elder 14
Kevin Askeland: Elder 36, Colerain 24
MaxPreps Projection: Colerain 26, Elder 24
Lowell (Mich.) at Muskegon (Mich.)
Muskegon and Lowell have steadily climbed up the MaxPreps/National Guard national rankings with Muskegon has moved up nine spots to No. 4 in this week’s rankings while Lowell is situated at No. 12. The two teams are both 11-0 and meet this week in the Michigan Division 2 state playoffs. Muskegon edged Hudsonville last week 12-6 in a defensive battle for the district title. Lowell has been one of the highest scoring teams in the state with 527 points on the year.
Mitch Stephens: Muskegon 28, Lowell 27
Jason Hickman: Lowell 35, Muskegon 23
Steve Spiewak: Muskegon 38, Lowell 35
Kevin Askeland: Lowell 25, Muskegon 21
MaxPreps Projection: Muskegon 28, Lowell 27
Itawamba Agricultural (Fulton, Miss.) at Noxubee County (Macon, Miss.)
Noxubee County has been one of the top defensive teams in the country this year, allowing just 30 points on the season with 23 coming in the last two weeks. The Tigers have seven shutouts on the season and are ranked No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps. Noxubee has one of the state’s top receivers in Pat Patterson, who had seven catches for 111 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 36-10 win over Hernando in the first round of the 4A playoffs. Itawamba started the season with eight straight wins before falling to Shannon 42-21. The Indians have won two in a row since the loss, including a 26-0 victory over Yazoo City last week. Sophomore quarterback Maikhail Miller led the way in the victory with 105 yards passing.
Mitch Stephens: Noxubee County 24, Itawamba Agricultural 21
Jason Hickman: Noxubee County 35, Itawamba Agricultural 7
Steve Spiewak: Noxubee County 28, Itawamba Agricultural 17
Kevin Askeland: Noxubee County 24, Itawamba Agricultural 0
MaxPreps Projection: Noxubee County 38, Itawamba Agricultural 13
Roosevelt (Los Angeles, Calif.) vs. Garfield (Los Angeles, Calif.), at East Los Angeles College
Two longtime Los Angeles rivals, Roosevelt and Garfield, meet in the final regular season 5 Days 2 Friday match-up. Kevin Askeland gives a closer look at this rivalry.
Mitch Stephens: Roosevelt 29, Garfield 28
Jason Hickman: Garfield 21, Roosevelt 14
Steve Spiewak: Roosevelt 21, Garfield 14
Kevin Askeland: Roosevelt 28, Garfield 14
MaxPreps Projection: Garfield 26, Roosevelt 24
St. Rita (Chicago, Ill.) at East St. Louis (Ill.)
A pair of 10-1 teams meet in the Illinois 7A state quarterfinals with St. Rita playing at East St. Louis. St. Rita is ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps Illinois state rankings while the Flyers come in at No. 5. Lawrence Garrett leads the St. Rita offense with a reported 1,224 yards passing on the season. Running back Johwon Akui has run for 1,068 yards and 12 scores while Dave Marciano has added nine touchdowns. The Flyers have been flying high since a season-opening loss. East St. Louis has scored 555 points in 11 games while giving up just 83 points. Detchauz Wray has thrown 27 touchdowns on the season while amassing 1,960 yards. Terry Hawthorne has been the main target, catching 34 passes for 713 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Mitch Stephens: St. Rita 14, East St. Louis 13
Jason Hickman: East St. Louis 38, St. Rita 20
Steve Spiewak: St. Rita 28, East St. Louis 24
Kevin Askeland: East St. Louis 45, St. Rita 40
MaxPreps Projection: East St. Louis 34, St. Rita 21
Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at Miramar (Fla.)
The top two offensive teams in Broward County meet this week when Aquinas travels to Miramar. Aquinas leads the county in total offense with 425 yards per game. Miramar is in second place, although quite a bit behind the Raiders at 353 yards per contest. The two teams also have two of the stingiest defenses in the county with both giving up an average of about 178 yards per game. Giovanni Bernard leads the Aquinas rushing attack with 900 yards and 11 touchdowns while Miramar’s Orwin Etkins is close behind at 776 yards and eight scores. West Virginia-bound Eugene Smith gives Miramar a considerable edge at quarterback. He leads the county with 1,840 yards and 21 touchdowns while Aquinas QB Ryan Becker has thrown for 1,293 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Mitch Stephens: Aquinas 34, Miramar 21
Jason Hickman: Aquinas 45, Miramar 14
Steve Spiewak: Aquinas 42, Miramar 28
Kevin Askeland: Aquinas 48, Miramar 30
MaxPreps Projection: Aquinas 35, Miramar 21
Seymour (Conn.) at Ansonia (Conn.)
A week ago, this game might have produced the No. 1 team in Connecticut. But Crosby ended that possibility last week when it ended Ansonia’s 35-game winning streak with an 18-14 win over the Chargers. Seymour, which won the SS title last year, is 9-0 behind the running of Mike Osiecki. He has gained 1,396 yards and averages over 10 yards per carry. Osiecki has 19 rushing touchdowns while quarterback Connor Shugrue has run for 10. Shugrue has also thrown for 920 yards. Ansonia won the S crown last year behind national rushing leader Alex Thomas (3,587 yards), but Thomas has graduated and Tristan Roberts has taken over as the Chargers’ main back. He has rushed for 1,307 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season.
Mitch Stephens: Seymour 23, Ansonia 21
Jason Hickman: Ansonia 27, Seymour 14
Steve Spiewak: Ansonia 17, Seymour 10
Kevin Askeland: Seymour 28, Ansonia 21
MaxPreps Projection: Ansonia 27, Seymour 21
Cottonwood (Salt Lake City, Utah) vs. Pine View (St. George, Utah) at University of Utah
Pine View (10-1) stands in the way of Cottonwood’s march to a possible Utah 4A state title. Cottonwood is 12-0 on the season and has one of the best 1-2 punches in the state in quarterback Steve Romero and running back Isi Sofele. Romero is averaging just under 200 yards per game and had 1,592 yards heading into the playoffs. Meanwhile Sofele had rushed for 1,034 yards through the first eight games of the season. Last week in the quarterfinals, Romero threw for 253 yards while Sofele ran for 124. Cottonwood has been one of the highest scoring teams in the state with 492 points in 12 games. Pine View, a 4A finalist last year, squeaked out a 10-7 win over Highland last week to win its eighth game in a row. Justin Ence came up big last week on offense and defense for Pine View. He had 102 yards rushing and also had 17 tackles on defense.
Mitch Stephens: Cottonwood 27, Pine View 20
Jason Hickman: Cottonwood 24, Pine View 13
Steve Spiewak: Cottonwood 45, Pine View 30
Kevin Askeland: Cottonwood 36, Pine View 14
MaxPreps Projection: Cottonwood 35, Pine View 27
Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) vs. Blaine (Minn.) at Metrodome
One thing you can always count on in the Minnesota state playoffs is a match-up between Cretin-Derham Hall and Eden Prairie – except for this year. Blaine spoiled the annual party between the Gopher State powerhouses by knocking off last year’s state champion with a 28-24 win last week. Mark Alt leads Cretin-Derham Hall, throwing for 2,138 yards and 25 touchdowns while running back Marcus Binns has run for 1,153 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Raiders have outscored their four playoff opponents 166-42. James Peterson has come up big for Blaine this year, throwing for 2,289 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has also run for 810 yards and 16 scores.
Mitch Stephens: Cretin-Derham Hall 31, Blaine 21
Jason Hickman: Cretin-Derham Hall 42, Blaine 28
Steve Spiewak: Cretin-Derham Hall 31, Blaine 28
Kevin Askeland: Cretin-Derham Hall 35, Blaine 24
MaxPreps Projection: Cretin-Derham Hall 28, Blaine 14
Clear Lake (Iowa) vs. Bishop Heelan Catholic (Sioux City, Iowa) at University of Northern Iowa
Bishop Heelan Catholic moved closer to a state 3A title that eluded it last year by beating Harlan 38-21 last week to advance to the semifinals against Clear Lake. Both teams are 12-0, but Bishop Heelan has the top rusher in the state in Brandon Wegher. Although he had a season-low 178 yards last week, he scored four touchdowns on 39 carries. For the season, Wegher has 2,743 yards, giving him over 6,000 yards in his career with 106 touchdowns. Clear Lake, ranked No. 2 in Iowa behind Bishop Heelan, defeated Carroll 27-12 in the snow last week. Lukas Matheson ran for 111 yards and three touchdowns while Josh Carlson added 109 yards and a score.
Mitch Stephens: Bishop Heelan 34, Clear Lake 27
Jason Hickman: Bishop Heelan 34, Clear Lake 18
Steve Spiewak: Bishop Heelan 28, Clear Lake 27
Kevin Askeland: Bishop Heelan 30, Clear Lake 14
MaxPreps Projection: Bishop Heelan 31, Clear Lake 24
