It’s go time.
After nine weeks of the regular season, it is time to head into the playoffs, where one bad outing can be the end of your year and the start of (barf) basketball.
Let’s get to it.
Last week: 19-1 (.950)
Overall: 160-34 (.824)
SOUTH SIDE AT EAST NOBLE. The last month has shown the tremendous strides that Coach Andre Goodwell is making with his Archers. A pair of wins, including a shocker over Bishop Luers, hit Blitz in all the feels. But the draw wasn’t kind to South. East Noble is the NE8 champion riding a seven-game winning streak heading into this one. Should be a big night for Dylan Krehl on the ground for the Knights. BLITZ SAYS EAST NOBLE BY 28.
COLUMBIA CITY AT BISHOP DWENGER. How’s this for some history? Bishop Dwenger has won 20 of its last 22 games against NE8/NHC foes. Then again, it lost to Leo in the sectional final last year. Also consider this, of the five defeats for the Saints this year, four came to 6A schools and the other, Cincinnati Moeller, is the No. 3 team in the top division in Ohio. That said, Columbia City has a good offense and an even better defense. Can the Saints score enough without Henry Jordan at QB1? BLITZ SAYS BISHOP DWENGER BY 2.
NEW HAVEN AT WAYNE. The Generals were able to turn the page from the Week 8 demolition at the hands of North Side by hanging around Snider last week without Kimar Nelson. With their star healthy, Wayne should breeze into Round 2. BLITZ SAYS WAYNE BY 26.
CONCORDIA LUTHERAN AT FAIRFIELD. Coach Cory Stoner’s Falcons picked up two impressive wins to wrap up the regular season, scoring 90 combined points. Concordia has taken a lot of licks since starting 2-0 and has rushed for just 54 total yards this season. BLITZ SAYS FAIRFIELD BY 13.
NORWELL AT BISHOP LUERS. Norwell has trouble stopping anyone on defense. That is good news for Daryea Williams and the Luers running game that has struggled to find its groove over the last month. BLITZ SAYS BISHOP LUERS BY 29.
LEO AT DEKALB. It would be fun to try to make this one sound like an intriguing intra-division matchup, but Leo beat up on the Barons by 41 points just last week. Home field advantage is only worth so much. BLITZ SAYS LEO BY 40.
FRANKFORT AT HUNTINGTON NORTH. No team got a better draw through the first two games than the Vikings. They get a winless team, followed by a home game against Marion, which received the bye. Who had Huntington North down at the beginning of the season as a seven-win team? Don’t lie. BLITZ SAYS HUNTINGTON NORTH BY 43.
JAY COUNTY AT BELLMONT. What’s the cure to a six-game losing streak? Visit a team that has dropped 31 straight. BLITZ SAYS JAY COUNTY BY 28.
WOODLAN AT TIPPECANOE VALLEY. A tough challenge for the Warriors to open up the postseason. Tippecanoe Valley is going to pound the ball on the ground, to the tune of 234 yards per game. There’s no doubt that Woodlan has exceeded expectations in Year 1 under Coach Brock Rohrbacher, but this is a more challenging matchup than people think. BLITZ SAYS TIPPECANOE VALLEY BY 6.
HERITAGE AT DELTA. The Patriots are undefeated on the road this season, which bodes well for the trip to Delta. The Eagles are led by a capable quarterback in Bronson Edwards and defensive end Landon Brooks, a Purdue commit. But Heritage is experienced and battle hardened. They aren’t intimidated by playing good teams away from home. BLITZ SAYS HERITAGE BY 8.
ADAMS CENTRAL AT BLUFFTON. A good ol’ fashioned conference showdown to start the postseason is always fun. Bluffton has definitely closed the gap to the Flying Jets in recent years, but it still has been 15 consecutive wins for AC in the series. If some bounces go the Tigers’ way they can keep this close. BLITZ SAYS ADAMS CENTRAL BY 22.
UNION CITY AT SOUTH ADAMS. The offense of the Starfires has done a very good job instilling its will against inferior opponents this season. Union City is an inferior opponent. Enough said. BLITZ SAYS SOUTH ADAMS BY 29.
LAKELAND AT GARRETT. The regular-season matchup was fun in the second half with plenty of scoring, but the full four quarters was only enjoyable for Garrett, which held a significant lead coming out of halftime. Lakeland’s defense needs to find a way, any way, to get some stops or turnovers to have any shot at advancing. BLITZ SAYS GARRETT BY 16.
WEST NOBLE AT ANGOLA. Another game that may be closer than people think. It is true that West Noble already been the Hornets by 25 points in the regular season, but if anything it allowed Angola to see how much tougher it needed to be to slow down the Charger rushing attack. Can it succeed? BLITZ SAYS WEST NOBLE BY 15.
CHURUBUSCO AT MANCHESTER. Have the last two weeks, blowout losses to West Noble and Fairfield, killed all momentum for ‘Busco heading into the playoffs? If the answer is no, it should be able to go on the road and get a win. Both teams rely on the run game. BLITZ SAYS CHURUBUSCO BY 4.
EASTSIDE AT WHITKO. Not since 2016 has Whitko experienced a victory in the postseason. Eastside will shake off last week’s bitter defeat to Angola by making a point on the road. BLITZ SAYS EASTSIDE BY 40.
PRAIRIE HEIGHTS AT CENTRAL NOBLE. Last year saw Prairie Heights’ season come to an end with a 14-0 loss to Central Noble to open the postseason. What goes around comes around. BLITZ SAYS PRAIRIE HEIGHTS BY 21.
FREMONT AT NORTHFIELD. This one is going to be decided by Fremont’s ability to hold down a Northfield running game that has gone for over 2,000 yards and accounts for 25 of the team’s 29 total touchdowns. Fremont has one postseason win in the last 12 years. BLITZ SAYS NORTHFIELD BY 5.
BLACKHAWK CHRISTIAN AT NORTH MIAMI. The good news? Blackhawk Christian is about to play in its first-ever IHSAA football postseason. The bad news? It has to travel to a North Miami team riding a four-game winning streak. Four different Warriors have scored seven or more touchdowns on the ground this year. BLITZ SAYS NORTH MIAMI BY 34.
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Good picks!
Just an FYI – New Haven beat Bishop Dwenger the 2016-2017 season (28-23).