1st Round Playoff Preview: Cincinnati

The 2021 regular season was a great one in Cincinnati.  Several teams in the area played extremely well and have earned the right to play in the postseason.  Most of those teams feature players from the Prep Redzone rankings.  This week is the opening round of the playoffs and there are several teams in Cincinnati looking to make a deep run this year en route to a state championship.  Here are five exciting playoff games to watch this week in Cincinnati. St. Xavier vs Hamilton The Bombers of St. Xavier will open the 2021 playoffs at home against the Hamilton Big Blue.  The defending Division 1 state champion Bombers are 8-2 this year and last week they defeated Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy from Georgia 44-14.  This season, they have averaged 41 points per game on offense while giving up 15 points per game on defense.  The Big Blue are 2-6 and last week they were defeated by Mason 28-21.  This season, Hamilton has averaged 23.5 points per game on offense while giving up 33.5 points per game on defense.  Some players to watch in this game are OL [player_tooltip player_id="34416" first="Brian" last="Parker"] and TE [player_tooltip player_id="182017" first="Max" last="Klare"] from St. Xavier and WR [player_tooltip player_id="141069" first="Breeon" last="Ishmail"] and DL [player_tooltip player_id="189494" first="Gabe" last="Verdon"] from Hamilton. Lakota West vs West Clermont The Firebirds of Lakota West will play the West Clermont Wolves on Friday night.  The Firebirds are 8-1 and last week they defeated their big rival Lakota East 34-7 for their 8th win in a row.  This season, they have averaged 33.33 points per game on offense and have given up 10.55 points per game on defense.  The Wolves are 2-8 and last week they were defeated by Milford 28-7.  In 2021, they have averaged 15.3 points per game on offense and have given up 37.5 points per game on defense.  Some players to watch in this game are DB [player_tooltip player_id="34377" first="Jyaire" last="Brown"] and OL [player_tooltip player_id="34373" first="Tegra" last="Tshabola"] from Lakota West and WR/DB <strong>Cameron Sleet</strong> and OL <strong>Matt Botts</strong> from West Clermont. Princeton vs Walnut Hills On Friday night, the Princeton Vikings will play the Walnut Hills Eagles.  The Vikings are 9-1 and last week they defeated Colerain 13-12 for their 6th win in a row.  This season, they have averaged 38.6 points per game on offense and have given up 21.1 points per game on defense.  The Eagles are 2-8 and last week they lost a close one to Lebanon 28-27.  This season, they have averaged 14.4 points per game on offense while giving up 28.5 points per game on defense.  Some players to watch in this game are WR [player_tooltip player_id="34398" first="Rodney" last="Harris"] and QB [player_tooltip player_id="34452" first="Mekhi" last="Lynn"] from Princeton and WR/DB <strong>Yeremyyah Yisrael</strong> and LB <strong>Isaiah Williams</strong> from Walnut Hills. Colerain vs Elder In the opening round of the playoffs, the Colerain Cardinals will play the Elder Panthers.  The Cardinals are 5-5 and last week they were defeated 13-12 by Princeton.  This season, they have averaged 18.3 points per game on offense while giving up 16 points per game on defense.  The Panthers are 4-5 and last week they defeated LaSalle 28-21 for their 2nd win in 3 games.  This season, they have averaged 26.9 points per game on offense (36 ppg over the last 3 games) while giving up 31 points per game on defense.  Some players to keep an eye on in this game are RB [player_tooltip player_id="34469" first="MJ" last="Flowers"] and LB [player_tooltip player_id="120382" first="Levert" last="Jarmon"] from Colerain and WR [player_tooltip player_id="91557" first="Drew" last="Ramsey"] and OL [player_tooltip player_id="118737" first="Evan" last="James"] from Elder. Harrison vs LaSalle This week, the Harrison Wildcats will play the LaSalle Lancers.  The Wildcats are 4-5 and last week they lost to Edgewood 48-13.  This season, they have averaged 23.55 points per game on offense while giving up 34.22 points per game on defense.  The Lancers are 5-5 and last week they were defeated 28-21 by Elder.  This season, they have averaged 20.4 points per game on offense while giving up 27 points per game on defense.  Some players to watch in this game are QB <strong>Mason Young</strong> and OL <strong>Zachary Halusek</strong> from Harrison and RB [player_tooltip player_id="34376" first="Gi’Bran" last="Payne"] and OL [player_tooltip player_id="34464" first="Paul" last="Haywood"] from LaSalle. &nbsp; &nbsp;