CINCINNATI — Winton Woods football coach Chad Murphy arrived home around 5 a.m. Friday but he didn't seem to mind at all.

In fact, Murphy was all smiles two days later, reflecting on a state championship journey that no one at Winton Woods will ever forget.

"It's just been a little surreal," Murphy said Sunday afternoon. "It's like it's set in but it hasn't. Do you know what I mean? It still seems like we're probably going to practice tomorrow and that kind of stuff. It's been wild."

Murphy joined the WCPO High School Insider podcast to reflect on the Warriors' Division II state title.

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Winton Woods defeated Akron Archbishop Hoban 21-10 in the Division II state final Dec. 2 in Canton to capture the state championship.

"It was finally mission accomplished," Murphy said. "Like you said – 16 weeks is a long time. A lot of blood, sweat and tears go into it – behind-the-scenes stuff."

Winton Woods was one of three schools to capture state football titles this past week.

Mike Dyer/WCPO

Beechwood captured the Kentucky Class 2A state title with a 23-21 win over Lexington Christian at Kroger Field.

Clinton-Massie had a dramatic rally on Friday to defeat Youngstown Ursuline 29-28 thanks to a two-point conversion with 45 seconds left in the Ohio Division IV state final.

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Clinton-Massie coach Dan McSurley reflected on how much the seniors impacted the football program and a two-point conversion attempt in Canton that won't ever be forgotten in Clinton County.

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Welcome to the football regional finals week around Ohio.

Seven Greater Cincinnati high school football teams are still playing this week with opportunities to reach the state semifinals Nov. 26.

On this week's High School Insider podcast, you will hear from several high school head football coaches including:

These coaches reflect upon their teams and how the school communities have expressed significant support during this postseason.

The Ohio high school boys basketball season is right around the corner and you will hear from Triple Double Prospects analyst Corey Albertson about some of the top teams and players to watch this winter.

Listen to this episode in the podcast player below:

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LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Junior KC Spears rushed for 228 yards on eight carries and scored five touchdowns as Winton Woods defeated La Salle 42-25 in a Division II, Region 8 semifinal Friday night at Lakota East.

"KC is a phenomenal player," Winton Woods coach Chad Murphy said. "He is just so versatile. He plays quarterback, wide receiver, running back, punter and holder on point-after attempts."

Spears had a 94-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. He had an 83-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He also caught a pass, punted, and returned punts Friday night.

Winton Woods (10-3) advances to play Piqua (12-0) in the Division II, Region 8 final Nov. 19 at a neutral location to be announced Sunday.

Friday night was the second straight upset in the regional tournament for Winton Woods.

Last week, Winton Woods, the No. 7 seed, defeated No. 1 seed and previously undefeated Kings 31-21 Nov. 5. This time, Winton Woods defeated No. 6 La Salle.

Winton Woods is making its sixth regional final appearance in program history, according to the Winton Woods athletic department.

"I'm so happy for them," Murphy said. "I liked the fact that we just kept the pedal to the metal."

Winton Woods had 399 yards of total offense including 341 yards rushing. The Winton Woods defense limited La Salle to just 87 yards rushing.

Winton Woods senior Tyrek Spikes had 21 carries for 104 yards.

"He's just a phenomenal young man," Murphy said earlier this week. "He's a phenomenal player. Just dynamic as they get."

Defensively, senior defensive lineman Jay'ron Gibson had eight tackles. Senior linebacker Jeremiah Anderson had seven tackles while senior defensive back Quentin Jenkins Jr. had six tackles.

Junior defensive backs Jermaine Mathews and Cameron Calhoun each had interceptions.

"Our defense has been so solid, so consistent most of the year," Murphy told WCPO earlier this week. "Offensively I've felt like we've really come along here the last few weeks probably mid-season. I just felt like we've put it all together finally and I feel like when we're hitting on all cylinders we're a pretty good football team."

Friday night was a rematch of a Week 2 game that La Salle won at home 21-7 Aug. 27. La Salle won the 2020 regional final matchup over Winton Woods.