High School Insider With Mike Dyer | Cincinnati Nky Sports

The high school football season kicks off this week with a flurry of highly-anticipated matchups. No season opener draws more attention each year in Greater Cincinnati than a non-conference showdown between Lakota West and St. Xavier. The rivalry is renewed Friday night as the Bombers host the Firebirds at RDI Stadium (7 p.m. kickoff). This will be the fifth meeting between the teams since the 2020 season including three consecutive season openers. The WCPO High School Insider Podcast highlights the game this week including interviews with St. X coach Steve Specht, junior quarterback Chase Herbstreit, senior running back Steven Napier and senior center Andrew Jennings along with Lakota West coach Tom Bolden. Lakota West defeated visiting St. X in 2022 while the Bombers won the 2021 matchup. "Such a special game last year; it'll be special this year," Bolden said. "I've said it over and over again: It's what's best about high school football when you can have games like that. Have them early or whenever but es