CINCINNATI — Taft High School football coach Tyler Williams held the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference championship plaque near the sideline Friday night and started the joyous celebration with his team.

"It's a special moment for my team, for my community, for my family," Williams said late Friday night.

"It's been a great, great journey with these young men right now. We dealt with a lot of adversity throughout this whole regular season, he said, adding, "Just seeing these young men continue to fight each and every day and continue to overcome the adversity that we had been faced with – it's been amazing to watch them grow as a team."

Taft defeated Woodward 34-20 Friday night to capture the CMAC Red division title in the first season for Williams as the Taft head coach.

"Coach Tyler continues to build on the football tradition here at Taft," Taft athletic director Romell Salone said.

"The kids have adjusted and are buying into what he is teaching on and off the field. Our kids are building life relationships and lessons and are really looking forward to the playoffs with hopes to build on the history."

The Senators (7-2, 5-0 CMAC) are projected to be the No. 1 seed in Division V, Region 20, according to Joe Eitel.

The Senators are projected to host No. 16 seed Madeira (4-6) in the first round at 7 p.m. Oct. 30. The Ohio High School Athletic Association plans to officially announce the playoff pairings Sunday afternoon.

Williams, a former Colerain High School star who played at the University of Akron and professionally in the Indoor Football League (IFL), was named the Taft coach in February.

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Williams was an assistant coach at Colerain and St. Xavier prior to Taft. His quick success at Taft this season is not a surprise to St. X head coach Steve Specht.

"Tyler has an innate ability to connect with kids and hold them to a higher standard," Specht said. "He's just scratching the surface. He'll be a great one."

Williams said the expectation this preseason was that winning the CMAC title is a "mandatory" step during the season for the program.

"We're winning it with structure, we're winning it with discipline, we're winning it with class," Williams said.

Taft had to overcome multiple injuries this season leading to the conference title, but Williams has emphasized a next player up mantra for the team to get stronger overall.

Williams mentioned multiple players who played well Friday night including junior running back Gavin Crawford, who had an estimated 200-plus yards rushing and five touchdowns.

Defensively, senior linebacker Everett Brown had a key interception. Senior Jakeim Sullivan has six interceptions this season while senior Keyandre Larry has eight interceptions.

Williams said his message to the team entering the playoffs this weekend is to stay patient before the official announcement on the pairings is made by the OHSAA on Sunday.

"Our kids are definitely putting themselves in a position to make a great run in the playoffs," Williams said.

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — While the Ohio high school football playoffs do not start until next week, the atmosphere said otherwise Friday night at Firebird Stadium.

Lakota West defeated Lakota East 34-7 to win its second straight Greater Miami Conference title in a sold-out stadium of 5,000 fans, renewing the district rivalry that started in 1998. The Firebirds lead the overall series 16-9, including a 14-9 regular-season record.

"What more can you ask for?" Lakota West coach Tom Bolden said. "A chance for sole possession in the league, playing your district rival."

The Firebirds led 10-0 at halftime after senior Jyaire Brown's 50-yard interception return with 50 seconds left in the second quarter set up a 15-yard touchdown pass connection from junior quarterback Mitch Bolden to junior wide receiver Trent Lloyd.

Junior kicker Tyler Bohn made a 33-yard field goal on the Firebirds' opening drive of the first quarter.

The Firebirds excelled in all three phases in the second half.

Lakota West (8-1) went ahead 17-0 early in the third quarter after junior Malik Hartford blocked a Thunderhawks' punt and senior Alex Afari returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. Afari had a game-high 11 tackles Friday night.

The Firebirds took a 24-0 lead about six minutes later when Mitch Bolden found Lloyd for the second touchdown pass connection of the night. Bolden, the son of Tom Bolden, said the GMC title is very significant for the Firebirds.

"We're building a great tradition here," Mitch Bolden said. "It's something nice."

Bohn made his second field goal of the night early in the fourth quarter to give the Firebirds a 27-7 lead.

Senior running back Cameron Goode scored on a 67-yard touchdown run with 5:23 left, and senior Hannah Duncan's third extra point of the night gave the Firebirds a 34-7 lead. Goode had 11 carries for 107 yards.

"This was definitely a statement game to show everybody in the playoffs we're going to play hard every game," Goode said.

Lakota West entered Friday night as the No. 3 seed in the Division I, Region 4 computer points standings and will likely host a first-round game next week. Lakota East (7-3) will also likely host a first-round game next week, according to Joe Eitel.

The Thunderhawks scored on a 6-yard run by junior quarterback TJ Kathman late in the third quarter. Senior linebacker Charlie Kenrich had a team-high seven tackles, according to game statistics.