Week 9 predictions for central Ohio high school football
It's crunch time for high school football teams that are battling for league titles and playoff computer points, but the Predictions Panel hasn't reached the make-or-break point of its 2023 season.
That's because our tradition is to pick games through the seven state championship contests, not just the regular season.
That means there's plenty of time for current leader Eric Frantz, the defending champion, to build on his three-game advantage or be caught by any of the other nine panelists.
Perhaps Frank DiRenna or Andy Resnik will begin to build momentum after going 11-4 to tie for last week's top performance. Frantz went 10-5.
Dave Purpura, Kurt Snyder and Dave Weidig went 9-6, a game better than Ryan Baker, Lee Cochran and Tom Wilson. Steve Blackledge had a rare subpar week, going 6-9.
In last week's Lone Wolf picks, in which one staffer goes against the rest of the panel, Cochran correctly predicted Independence's win over Africentric, while Wilson suffered a loss when DeSales fell to Hartley. That moved the panel's Lone Wolf record to 6-24 for the season.
We have four Lone Wolf picks this week. DiRenna has picked South over Africentric and Hamilton Township over Bloom-Carroll, Frantz has taken Delaware Hayes over Canal Winchester and Resnik is going with Thomas Worthington over Hilliard Darby.
Enjoy Week 9!
South (4-4, 2-3) at Africentric (5-3, 3-2)
South Bulldogs: DiRenna
Africentric Nubians: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Briggs (5-3, 2-3) at Walnut Ridge (3-5, 2-3)
Briggs Bruins: Blackledge, DiRenna, Frantz, Snyder
Walnut Ridge Scots: Baker, Cochran, Purpura, Resnik, Weidig, Wilson
Eastmoor Academy (5-3, 4-1) at Marion-Franklin (4-4, 4-1)
Eastmoor Warriors: Baker, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Wilson
Marion-Franklin Red Devils: Blackledge, Snyder, Weidig
Canal Winchester (8-0, 5-0) at Delaware Hayes (7-1, 4-1)
Canal Winchester Indians: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Delaware Pacers: Frantz
Central Crossing (3-5, 1-2) at Reynoldsburg (1-7, 1-2)
Central Crossing Comets: DiRenna, Frantz, Resnik
Reynoldsburg Raiders: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, Purpura, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Hilliard Bradley (8-0, 3-0) at Olentangy Orange (4-4, 2-1)
Hilliard Bradley Jaguars: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Olentangy Orange Pioneers:
Hilliard Darby (4-4, 1-2) at Thomas Worthington (5-3, 1-2)
Hilliard Darby Panthers: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Purpura, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Thomas Worthington Cardinals: Resnik
Olentangy Berlin (7-1, 3-0) at Marysville (4-4, 2-1)
Olentangy Berlin Bears: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Marysville Monarchs:
Olentangy Liberty (2-6, 1-2) at Hilliard Davidson (4-4, 0-3)
Olentangy Liberty Patriots: Baker, Blackledge, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Wilson
Hilliard Davidson Wildcats: Cochran, DiRenna, Weidig
Upper Arlington (5-3, 1-2) at Dublin Coffman (6-2, 2-1)
Upper Arlington Golden Bears: Baker, DiRenna, Purpura, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Dublin Coffman Shamrocks: Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Resnik
Bloom-Carroll (7-1, 5-0) at Hamilton Township (8-0, 5-0)
Bloom-Carroll Bulldogs: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Hamilton Township Rangers: DiRenna
Logan Elm (7-1, 4-1) at Teays Valley (4-4, 3-2)
Logan Elm Braves: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Teays Valley Vikings:
Licking Valley (6-2, 2-0) at Granville (8-0, 2-0)
Licking Valley Panthers: Blackledge, Frantz, Weidig, Wilson
Granville Blue Aces: Baker, Cochran, DiRenna, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder
Grove City Christian (5-3) at Worthington Christian (3-5)
Grove City Christian Eagles: DiRenna, Purpura, Resnik, Wilson
Worthington Christian Warriors: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Snyder, Weidig
Watterson (8-0) at Harrison (6-2)
Watterson Eagles: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Purpura, Resnik, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Harrison Wildcats:
Standings after Week 8
Eric Frantz 10-5 last week; 93-39
Andy Resnik 11-4; 90-42
Kurt Snyder 9-6; 90-42
Dave Weidig 9-6; 89-43
Frank DiRenna 11-4; 87-45
Steve Blackledge 6-9; 86-46
Lee Cochran 8-7; 86-46
Dave Purpura: 9-6; 85-47
Ryan Baker 8-7; 82-50
Tom Wilson 8-7; 82-50
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Week 9 predictions for Columbus-area high school football
