Tri-State high school football preview: Week 3

The weather doesn't appear to be any looming concern for this weekend's high school football schedule but there are some story times brewing if a couple perennial powerhouses don't break through the gloom of slow starts. Greg Shoemaker of Tristatefootball.com has more in our weekly preview of the big games on the menu.

Franklin County at East Central

This is a time honored rivalry that only gets better, especially with Franklin County emerging as a power to be reckoned with. Though they've lost 15 straight. Are the odds about to come up Wildcats?

Cooper at Campbell County

Cooper's surge into the forefront reminds me of the scene repeated periodically during Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as they were being hotly pursued: "Who are these guys?" Campbell County will be the latest to see the up and comers in person Friday. Should be a classic, like the movie.

Badin at Edgewood

The Rams are back. Some say they never went away. Edgewood has weathered its own slump and is back on the map as well. A battle of un-beatens should lure a big audience to Trenton Friday. Not for the faint of heart as both are scoring in bunches.

Colerain at St. Xavier

It isn't yet on the order of the old Princeton-Moeller clashes but Colerain and St. Xavier are gaining ground. The Cardinals are behind in the overall series, (2-7) since 2005 but the Bombers 5-game win streak overall is a little gaudy. At home, the Bombers could up the count.

Middletown at Winton Woods

Ask St. X's Steve Specht about Middletown's prospects for another state title and he'll likely reply, "They gave us all we could handle. And then some." The Middies only loss was in OT to the Bombers. That’s the backdrop as they visit Winton Woods, a team that hasn't yet acquired the knack for holding a lead. When they do, it could be curtains for opponents.

Greg Shoemaker of TriStateFootball.com expands on this week's picks with greater detail and insight in the attached video.