CINCINNATI -- The Greater Catholic League South division is in the national spotlight as the second weekend of conference football games begins Friday.
MaxPrepslisted the GCL South as the second toughest football conference nationally this season based on computer rankings.
Only California’s Trinity League, which includes No. 3-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 4 St. John Bosco (Bellflower), is ranked higher. St. John Bosco defeated St. Xavier 34-0 in the Bombers' season opener in August at Nippert Stadium.
The GCL South has a rating of 58.3 compared to 65.8 for the Trinity League. Four GCL South teams -- Elder, Moeller, La Salle and St. Xavier are ranked in the top 173 nationally.
Elder (4-2, 0-1 GCL South) plays Moeller (3-3, 0-2) at 7 p.m. at Lockland in the Crusaders’ first true home game of the season.
La Salle (4-2, 1-0) plays host to St. Xavier (4-2, 2-0) at 7 p.m. at Lancer Stadium. St. X can win the conference outright with a win. La Salle can clinch at least a share of the title with a win. La Salle plays at Elder in Week 10. La Salle has sold over 4,000 presale tickets and could approach a record crowd at Lancer Stadium.
All four teams are projected to make the postseason, according to playoff prognosticator Steve Shuck.
The GCL was formed on Oct. 6, 1931 and included Elder and St. Xavier among the original schools.
Those schools played football prior the formation of the league. Elder, Purcell and St. Xavier shared the 1927 GCL title. Moeller and La Salle were granted membership in May 1962.
The South division started in 1990 for football when Elder captured the title.
