NO. 6 ELDER AT NO. 1 ST. XAVIER
It’s the Bombers world and we are all just living in it. After handling Moeller 49-16 to open conference play, St. Xavier is riding high and have separated themselves as the best team not only in Southwest Ohio, but arguably in the entire state.
Senior running back Charles Kellom ran for over 200 yards with three touchdowns against the Crusaders and signal caller Brogan McCaughey has yet to turn the ball over through five games while accounting for more than 15 touchdowns. Defensively, they have yet to allow more than 20 points and have the experience and talent to shut down even the most potent of offenses.
Elder has had a forgettable first half of the season. Coming in losers of two straight and three out of their last four, the Panthers are desperately trying to find their mojo. What we thought was going to be a potent offense led by Payton Ramsey and Ben Hambleton has sputtered, averaging only 15 points per game in their losses.
Elder only has one quality win on their schedule and that came to a CovCath team in Week 1 that is way down from the past. Defensively, things have unraveled as well, especially when it comes to stopping the run. They have given up 124 yards or more on the ground in all of their losses and have been gashed with big plays on both ends.
With all of this being said, the Panthers are still a proud bunch and are well coached. We have every reason to believe they will get better as the season goes on and become a factor during playoff time. However, this week they run into a freight train going full speed, and it will take a perfectly executed game for the Panthers to even keep this one close.
Through the first half of the regular season we have some teams in the area on track to be historically good (see below). This has also been a year where teams that have struggled for many years ar…
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