3rd round Playoff Preview: Cincinnati

There was some awesome football games in Cincinnati last week during the 2nd round of the 2021 playoffs.  This week, there are also some exciting games in the 3rd round as teams try to move one step closer to their goal of winning a state championship.  Here are five 3rd round playoff games that feature schools from Cincinnati. St. Xavier vs Lakota West The Firebirds of Lakota West have been waiting months to avenge their only defeat of the season that came from the Bombers of St. Xavier and they will get a chance on Friday night when these two powerhouses face each other in the 3rd round.  The Thunderbirds are 10-1 and have won 10 games in a row.  Last week, they defeated Milford 49-14.  This season, they have averaged 36.2 points per game on offense while giving up 11.2 points per game on defense.  The Bombers are 10-2 and last week, they defeated Elder 42-7 for their 3rd win in a row.  This season, they have averaged 40.75 points per game on offense while giving up 13.7 points per game on defense.  Some outstanding players to keep an eye on during this game are DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="186345" first="Bryan" last="Henderson"]</strong> and LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91598" first="Aden" last="Miller"]</strong> from Lakota West and OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34416" first="Brian" last="Parker"]</strong> and OL <strong>Cameron</strong> <strong>Collins</strong> from St. Xavier. Princeton vs Archbishop Moeller On Friday night, the Princeton Vikings will play the Archbishop Moeller Fighting Crusaders.  Princeton is currently 11-1 and last week they defeated Sycamore 37-35 for their 8th win in a row.  This season, they have averaged 37.6 points per game on offense while giving up 20.5 points per game on defense.  Archbishop Moeller is 9-3 and last week they defeated Fairfield 35-7.  This season, they have averaged 34.8 points per game on offense while giving up 26.25 points per game on defense.  Some talented players to watch in this game are LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="186796" first="Anas" last="Luqman"]</strong> and QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34452" first="Mekhi" last="Lynn"]</strong> from Princeton and TE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34391" first="Josh" last="Kattus"]</strong> and DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="129154" first="Chase" last="Brown"]</strong> from Moeller. Archbishop McNicholas vs Eaton In the 3rd round of the playoffs, the Archbishop McNicholas Rockets will play the Eaton Eagles.  The Rockets are 10-1 and last week, they defeated Bethel-Tate 49-13.  This season, they have averaged 33.1 points per game on offense while giving up 16.3 points per game on defense.  The Eagles are 11-1 and last week they defeated Milton-Union 13-12.  This season, they have averaged 29.2 points per game on offense while giving up 11.9 points per game on defense.  Some very good players to keep an eye on in this game are CB/WR <strong>Tyler Haynes</strong> and RB <strong>Tyler Snyder</strong> from Archbishop McNicholas and WR <strong>Josh Martin</strong> and RB <strong>Aiden Williams</strong> from Eaton. Badin vs Memorial On Friday night, the Badin Rams will play the Memorial Roughriders.  The Rams are undefeated at 12-0 and last week they defeated Shawnee 17-0.  This season, they have averaged 32.25 points per game on offense while giving up 7.5 points per game on defense and have not allowed a point so far in their playoff run.  The Roughriders are 10-2 and last week they defeated Chaminade-Julienne 24-21 for their 8th win in a row.  This season, they have averaged 30.1 points per game on offense while giving up 9.75 points per game on defense.  Some great players to watch in this game are DL<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="175827" first="Hunter" last="Harrison"]</strong> and DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34487" first="Logan" last="Neu"]</strong> from Badin and DL <strong>Dylan Giesige</strong> and OL/LB <strong>Tyler</strong> <strong>Howell</strong> from Memorial. LaSalle vs Winton Woods This week, the LaSalle Lancers will play the Winton Woods Warriors.  The Lancers are 7-5 and last week they upset Anderson 45-21.  This season, they have averaged 24.25 points per game on offense while giving up 25.4 points per game on defense.  The Warriors are 9-3 and last week they upset previously undefeated Kings 31-21.  This season, they have averaged 26.5 points per game on offense while giving up 15.4 points per game on defense.  Some talented players to watch in this game are RB [player_tooltip player_id="34376" first="Gi’Bran" last="Payne"] and OL [player_tooltip player_id="34464" first="Paul" last="Haywood"] from LaSalle and LB [player_tooltip player_id="186830" first="Seven" last="Blue"] and LB <strong>Jeremiah Anderson</strong> from Winton Woods