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FRIDAY

Taft (0-1) at Hamilton (1-0)

Last year: Hamilton, 14-0

Last week: Hamilton 30, Springfield 6; Anderson 56, Taft 6

Taft will win if ... the Senators can play better defense. Taft allowed 271 yards and 49 points — in the first half — last week against a very good Anderson team.

Hamilton will win if ... the Big Blue defense continues to dominate. HHS allowed just 172 yards of offense against Springfield. If Big Blue can get a similiar effort, they figure to get enough offense from quarterback Drew Townsend, running back Steven Tarrent and Co.

Madison (1-0) at Troy Christian (1-0)

Last year: Madison, 6-0

Last week: Madison 28, Tri-County North 14; Troy Christian 27, Bradford 0

Madison will win if ... it can get off to a quick start. The Mohawks spotted Tri-County North a pair of first-quarter TDs before rallying last week.

Troy Chrsitian will win if ... it can get another big game out of T.C. Gaines. Gaines rushed for three TDs against Bradford.

Landmark Eagles (0-1) at Preble Shawnee (1-0)

Last year: Did not play.

Last week: Indianapolis Lions 18, Landmark Eagles 14; Preble Shawnee 53, National Trail 21

Landmark will win if ... it can keep the ball away from the Arrows and force some turnovers. The Eagles play only four games this season against Ohio High School Athletic Association-sanctioned squads, so they'll need plenty of help to compete.

Preble Shawnee will win if ... it continues to build off the momentum of its season-opening win. The Arrows are looking for another big game from senior quarterback Kyle Letner, who accounted for four TDs (two rushing, two passing) in the opener.

Valley View (1-0) at Indian Hill (1-0)

Last year: Valley View 24, Indian Hill 21

Last week: Valley View 45, Thurgood Marshall 6; Indian Hill 44, Ross 6

Valley View will win if ... it can slow down Bo Cordell and the Braves offense. There figures to be plenty of of offensive fireworks in this matchup, but VV can't let Cordell go off. He passed for 501 yards and five touchdowns against Ross.

Indian Hill will win if ... can corrall Valley View quarterback Johnny Day. Day didn't put up Cordell-like numbers against Marshall, but he was very good (12-of-20, 222 yards, four TDs) in leading a balanced offensive attack.

Goshen (0-1) at Ross (0-1)

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Little Miami 27, Goshen 0; Indian Hill 44, Ross 6

Goshen will win if ... its defense can pull off a similar performance to the one Indian Hill did last week, holding the Rams under 300 yards while forcing multiple turnovers.

Ross will win if ... the Rams can shut down the Goshen running back and make the Warriors throw the ball, which is not something they have done well the last few years.

Cincinnati Country Day (1-0) at Cincinnati Christian (1-0)

Last year: Cincinnati Country Day, 58-26

Last week: Cincinnati Country Day 39, Clermont Northeastern 20; Cincinnati Christian 40, Yellow Springs 23

Cincinnati Country Day will win if ... the Indians can get their speedy skill players into open space. Running backs Lawrence Ervin and Max Dietz combined for five touchdowns last weekend, with Ervin returning the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score.

Cincinnati Christian will win if ... the Cougars' defense rises up and plays physical football, not exactly a constant in the program's early years. Cincinnati Christian played with some swagger against Yellow Springs, but CCD isn't Yellow Springs. Getting free safety Nate Brusman (ill) and wide receiver David Mann (back injury) back this week should help the CCHS cause.

Fenwick (1-0) at Monroe (0-1)

Last year: Monroe, 21-14

Last week: Fenwick 32, Mariemont 3; Plain City Jonathan Alder 14, Monroe 7

Fenwick will win if ... it can have a repeat performance from their defensive unit. In the season opener, the Falcons held Mariemont to 65 yards in the first half while forcing two turnovers.

Monroe will win if ... it gets improved play from the offense. The Hornets were held to 126 yards of total offense and failed to capitalize on two possessions that started inside Jonathan Alder territory last week.

Talawanda (0-1)

at Kings (1-0)

Last year: Kings, 31-7

Last week: Eaton 28, Talawanda 7; Kings 37, Springboro 14

Talawanda will win if ... its offense can control the clock and keep the ball away from the Knights' offense. The Braves only mustered 192 yards last week and had possession of the ball for less than 20 minutes.

Kings will win if ... senior running back Nick Bauer has his way, just like he did against Springboro. Bauer racked up 174 yards rushing and two TDs in Week 1, allowing the Knights to handily win the time of possession battle.

Lakota East (0-1)

at Glen Este (0-1)

Last year: Glen Este, 42-26

Last week: Centerville 42, Lakota East 14; Sycamore 35, Glen Este 6

Lakota East will win if ... its offense can manufacture long drives to keep the Thunderhawks' defense off the field. Last week, Centerville piled up 432 total yards, much in part because East punted five times, committed two turnovers and only owned the ball for 14 minutes, 49 seconds.

Glen Este will win if ... it can stop East's offense, which is basically a one-man attack — senior QB Evin Dusold. However, the Trojans' offense isn't anything to brag about, but if guys like RBs Keiran Rodgers and Ryan Lehr get going, East's defense will on the field all night.

Reynoldsburg (0-1)

at Lebanon (1-0)

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Dublin Jerome 28, Reynoldsburg 0; Lebanon 39, Western Hills 13

Reynoldsburg will win if ... its overall size is able to control both lines of scrimmage and open holes for the option game.

Lebanon will win if ... the Warriors maintain their focus during the pre-game festivities (Lebanon is inducting the 1998 state championship team to the school's athletic hall of fame prior to the game) and if Lebanon's young offensive line can rise to the occasion against a talented defensive front and give the Warrior playmakers (tailback Nate Woods, wide receivers Elliott Rice and Chase Cochran) the chance to make plays.

Hillsboro (0-1)

at Little Miami (1-0)

Last year: Little Miami, 21-20 (OT)

Last week: Western Brown 28, Hillsboro 14; Little Miami 27, Goshen 0

Hillsboro will win if ... the Indians can strike for big plays through the air. The combination of quarterback Aric Carroll and Airic Steagall hooked up for a pair of touchdowns last week. "They like to spread things out with their offense and get the ball to their skilled players in open space."

Little Miami will win if ... the Panthers can limit those big plays by Hillsboro and force the Indians to run the ball. On offense, Little Miami wants to sustain scoring drives throughout the game and keep Hillsboro's explosive offense on the sidelines. "That's going to be the key," Little Miami coach Mike Shafer said. "We want to control the ball on offense and dictate what they do with our defense."

Waynesville (1-0)

at Clinton-Massie (1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29

Last year: Clinton-Massie, 30-13

Last week: Waynesville 14, East Clinton 0; Clinton-Massie 49, Blanchester 0

Waynesville will win if ... the Spartans can force Clinton-Massie out of their power running game and into the air. Offensively, Waynesville expects the Falcons to key on fullback Seth Millar, so quarterback Cory Young will have to spread the ball to his other weapons and use a balanced attack to put points on the board.

Clinton-Massie will win if ... the Falcons can grind it out with their wishbone attack. Quarterback Logan McCormick and running backs Jordan Scanlon and Cody Burton are equal threats carrying the ball. "They dare you to stop it," Waynesville coach Glen Burchfield said. "They don't really have a plan 'B' because plan 'A' works most of the time."

Brookville (1-0)

at Carlisle (1-0)

Last year: Brookville, 35-6

Last week: Brookville 55, Dayton Belmont 0; Carlisle 69, Arcanum 0

Brookville will win if ... the Indians are unable to stop Josh Doles from scoring. In last week's rout of Belmont, Doles scored on runs of 28, 34 and 37 yards, and also had a 53-yard punt return for a score.

Carlisle will win if ... they can shut down the Blue Devils' Doles while racking up big points similar to last week. In the season opening win against Arcanum, Carlisle led 38-0 by halftime enroute to a 69-0 thumping.

Edgewood (1-0)

at Eaton (1-0)

Last year: Edgewood, 42-7

Last week: Edgewood 31, Withrow 21; Eaton 28, Talawanda 7

Edgewood will win if ... the Cougars defense can give Eaton quarterback Austin Fudge troubles. Fudge ran for two TDs and threw for another in Eaton's win last week. Shut him down and Edgewood's potent misdirection offense will do the damage.

Eaton will win if ... junior back Dalton Caudill continues to play well in place of the team's No. 1 back Josh Slemker, who is serving a two-game suspension for violating team rules. Caudill had 144 yards on 30 carries in last week's win over Talawanda.

Sycamore (1-0)

at Springboro (0-1)

Last year: Sycamore, 28-3

Last week: Sycamore 35, Glen Este 6; Kings 37, Springboro 14

Sycamore will win if ... senior quarterback Nick Schlie is given time to pass. Last week in the win over Glen Este, Schlie passed for 239 yard and three TD passes and the Aviators racked up 330 yards in total offense.

Springboro will win if ... the Panthers can eliminate costly turnovers and find a way to get the offense in gear. Last week, the Panthers' Matt Graber was intercepted four times.

North College Hill (1-0)

at Franklin (0-1)

Last year: Did not play

Last week: North College Hill 42, Reading 9; Dayton Dunbar 14, Franklin 7

North College Hill will win if ... University of Cincinnati recruit Everett Horne is able to break free of the Franklin defense for big yardage. Horne scored three touchdowns, two of which went for more than 40 yards.

Franklin will win if ... the Wildcats stick to their basic offense and play like they did during the second half of last week's narrow loss to Dunbar. After being stymied in the first half for zero yards of offense, the Franklin ground game (led by Sam Gauze) churned away for 131 yards on 26 carries in the second half.

Fairfield (0-1)

at Piqua(0-1)

Last year: Did not play

Last week: Xenia 13, Fairfield 10;

Memorial St. Mary's 36, Piqua 32

Fairfield will win if ... they come out with the same enthusiasm they did against Xenia. The Indians came out with a hungry attitude and played well enough to beat the Buccaneers in the opener. The Indians need another solid performance from their defense to keep it close. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Ammon needs to grow up fast and not let last week's mistakes bother him.

Piqua will win if ... they can get pressure on the Fairfield quarterback and force him to make bad decisions. Linebacker Colin Nickolai is a three-year starter and needs to be accounted for by the offensive line. On offense, Piqua will follow the lead of running back Ty Knox, who also plays in the defensive secondary and has the potential to play at the next level.

Mason (0-1)

at Anderson (1-0)

Last year: Anderson 35, Mason 12

Last week: Clayton Northmont 28, Mason 17; Anderson 56, Taft 6

Mason will win if ... they come out and establish themselves early against the defending Division II state champions. The Comets must slow down the Redskins 'Pistol' offense that is led by senior quarterback Daniel Rod. It is crucial that Mason controls the ball on offense and gets better blocking from its o-line and limits the opportunities it gives Anderson.

Anderson will win if ... they strike early and often through the air behind Rod and his veteran receivers. Last season, Anderson jumped to an early 21-0 lead before Mason knew what happened. The Redksins return six starters on defense and will need to capitalize on that experience. The Comets are much smoother on offense than they were last season.

SATURDAY

Turpin (1-0)

at Badin (0-1)

Last year: Turpin, 49-35

Last week: Turpin 6, Loveland 2; Woodward 38, Badin 28

Turpin will win if ... the defense can play like it did last week against Loveland. The Spartans can't expect to hold the Rams out of the end zone like they did Loveland, but if they can limit Badin's scoring chances, their offense should be able to put up enough points for the win.

Badin will win if ... the Rams can avoid turnovers. Badin moved the ball successfully on the ground and through the air last week, but three turnovers — including one near the goal line in the final two minutes of a two-point game — ended up costing the Rams the win. If they can take care of the ball, they can take care of Turpin.

New Miami (1-0)

vs. Middletown Christian (0-1)

at Franklin's Atrium Field

Last year: New Miami, 51-14

Last week: New Miami 50, Chillicothe Southeastern 27; Clark Montessori 28, Middletown Christian 14

New Miami will win if ... senior tailback Josh Hampton has another impressive outing rushing the ball. Hampton carried 15 times against Chillicothe Southeastern for 241 yards and three touchdowns.

Middletown Christian will win if ... the Eagles can grab the early momentum with a clock-hogging offense, which would keep New Miami's potent ground attack off the field. Vikings coach Jeremy Rogers said MCS has several talented players at the skill positions.

Middletown (0-1) vs. Warren Central (Ind.) (1-0)

Note: 2 p.m. Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium

Last year: Did not meet

Last week: Elder 38, Middletown 19; Warren Central 42, Merrillville 0

Middletown will win if ... it can carry over the momentum it pulled together in the second half against Elder last week. Both the offensive and defensive units played much better in the final two periods last week. The offense put together two scoring drives out of its four possessions, and the defense held the Panthers to just one score in the final two quarters.

Warren Central will win if ... senior running back Eric Williams has another game like he did in the Warriors season-opening win. Williams had 12 carries for 227 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-0 win over Merrillville, which was the state's preseason No. 2-ranked team in the big-school division.

SUNDAY

St. Rita (Ill.) (0-0) vs. Lakota West (0-1)

Note: 6 p.m. Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium

Last year: Did not meet

Last week: St. Rita did not play; Huber Heights Wayne 20, Lakota West 17

St. Rita will win if ... it can effectively run the ball, which West coach Larry Cox said is its bread and butter. The Fighting Mustangs remind Cox of Elder, and if their physical, smash-mouth attack gets going, a victory won't be far behind.

Lakota West will win if ... it stops the run and protects the football. The Firebirds gave up just 64 yards rushing to Wayne, but three turnovers by the offense — the final one cost the game — cannot be repeated.