WILMINGTON, Ohio — Wilmington High School named Ryan Evans Sr. its next head football coach Wednesday afternoon, pending board of education approval later this month.

"We are excited for Coach Evans to be the leader of our football program," Wilmington athletic director Troy Diels said. "Ryan's vision for the program as well as his passion are very clear and we feel he will make an immediate positive impact on our young men."

Evans would succeed Scott Killen as the Wilmington head coach. He has coached in a variety of roles around Southwest Ohio, including working as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Monroe High School this past season.

"Wilmington has a rich history of football and I wanted to be the person to change the narrative," Evans said. "The administration, the community, parents and players all have the same vision and mission that me and my family have. My family and I are so excited to roll up our sleeves and get started."

Prior to that, Evans was an assistant head football coach, special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at Middletown. He was an assistant head coach and defensive line coach at Princeton from July 2014 to December 2018, and the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Middletown from July 2010 to November 2013.

Evans had several roles in the Winton Woods football program from 2004 to 2010. The Warriors were the Division II state champions in 2009. He also coached at Central State University as a student assistant defensive line coach from June 2006 to December 2007.

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MOUNT ORAB, Ohio — Western Brown junior quarterback Drew Novak is the fourth Ohio high school football player to throw for at least 5,000 yards in a season, according to information from the Ohio High School Athletic Association record book list.

Novak's 5,269 yards passing this season is sixth all-time in the OHSAA record book. Kenton's Benjamin Mauk (2002 and 2001) and Maty Mauk (2010 and 2011) accomplished the 5,000 yards mark twice.

"Drew had a phenomenal year," Western Brown football coach Nick Osborne said. "I think he is only going to get better as time goes on. We're excited for his future."

Novak completed this season with 5,269 yards passing and 56 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,202 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Novak's 56 passing touchdowns this season is ranked among the all-time best for most passing TDs in a season, according to the OHSAA record list.

Novak passed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (Findlay High School) on Friday night. Roethlisberger threw for 54 touchdowns during the 1999 season.

Novak, ranked No. 1 nationally in passing yards this season by MaxPreps, will also be on the OHSAA's career passing yards list (9,924 yards) and career passing touchdowns (96 touchdowns) category.

He will also be on the OHSAA record book list for most passing touchdowns in a game (7) and most passing yards in a game (503 and 521).

Granville defeated Western Brown 57-49 Friday in the Division III, Region 11 final. Novak threw for 383 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

It was the first regional final appearance for the Broncos (11-3).

Osborne said the community support had a significant impact on the program this year. He said "Bronco Nation" was in full effect from start to finish Friday night.

Osborne said the community truly congratulated the student-athletes and the program Friday night. The student-athletes and coaching staff enjoyed the memorable journey.

"Our kids never quit," Osborne said. "They fought every game. We lost three games this year by eight (points), seven and eight again so we were right in it. We were honestly five plays away from being 14-0 right now and playing in the final four. But, it's part of life. That's what I told them last night. You are going to win some in life, you are going to lose some. It's how you respond from here on out. I'm just real excited for the future of our program and the future of our seniors that left us last night."

Western Brown senior kicker Evan Grimes is tied for fifth on the OHSAA list for most extra points in a season (82).

Senior wide receiver Logan Campbell will enter the OHSAA record book list in career receptions (187), career receiving yards (2,584) and consecutive games with a reception (25).

Senior Dylan Novak will enter the OHSAA categories in consecutive games with a reception (22) and most receptions in a season (92).

The Broncos will also enter OHSAA categories for having 700 points as a team and a 50 points per game scoring average.

MASON, Ohio — Big Moe is back.

The Moeller High School football team defeated Lakota West 21-17 in a Division I, Region 4 final Friday in front of 4,300 at Atrium Stadium.

Moeller (11-3) advances to play Springfield (12-1) in a state semifinal Nov. 26 at a neutral location to be announced Sunday. This is Moeller's first regional title since 2014 and 17th trip to the state semifinals in the storied history of the program.

"It means the world to those kids," Moeller coach Mark Elder said.

Moeller, the winner of nine state titles, put recent adversity in the rearview mirror. The Crusaders had a 3-6 record in 2020 and 2-8 record in 2019, but the 2021 Crusaders are different. Moeller was the No. 1 seed in Region 4 and defeated four consecutive Greater Miami Conference opponents to reach the state Final Four.

Dyer: Moeller defies odds as regional champs

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"It's crazy," Moeller senior quarterback Noah Geselbracht said. "Nobody expected us to be in this spot. You look at the beginning of the season and everyone predicted us to be 5-5, 4-6, maybe second round of the playoffs and that's it. This group of seniors, we've been doing this since we were freshmen. This is what we've been working for. It feels great."

The Crusaders were confident this past summer in Elder's second season as head coach at Moeller.

"You know at Moeller there is a lot of high expectations and that senior class before this year won five games in two years," Elder said. "It's hard to walk the hallways when there is an expectation level like that. They believed in themselves and they believed in each other. Worked their tails all offseason, all preseason. I couldn't be more proud of a group of young men than these guys."

Moeller proved to be one of the state's elite teams with a rugged regular-season schedule that included back-to-back overtime wins over Cleveland St. Ignatius and Lakewood St. Edward in October.

"That just prepared us," said Geselbracht, who was 14-of-20 passing for two touchdowns. "We were ready for big moments like this."

The Crusaders were led by several players Friday night including sophomore running back Jordan Marshall who rushed for 123 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that helped Moeller rally from a three-point deficit.

Marshall also caught a touchdown pass. Senior wide receiver Brandon White had two receptions for 63 yards.

Lakota West (11-2) completed its season as a regional runner-up for a second straight year.

"It's a tough one," Lakota West coach Tom Bolden said. "I feel for these kids. I feel for the seniors. Great group of kids. Special group."

RELATED: Lakota West senior linebacker Aden Miller is 'what you want in a football player'

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.

CINCINNATI — Elder High School football coach Doug Ramsey won his 200th career game during a Division I, Region 4 first-round playoff game Friday as the host Panthers defeated Colerain 55-48 in triple overtime.

Ramsey entered the Ohio High School Athletic Association records for the most coaching wins in Ohio.

Ramsey has a record of 200-93 since becoming the Elder head coach in 1997. He led the Panthers to back-to-back Division I state titles in 2002 and 2003 and two other state finals (2019, 2008).

He was presented the game ball by longtime assistant coach Craig James on the rain-soaked field Friday night.

"I told (the team), 'Could you guys have made it a little easier,'" Ramsey said. "What a way to get to 200 right? You know a game like that playing against a really good team...we just kept fighting."

Elder senior Drew Ramsey, Doug's son, scored four touchdowns and surpassed 100 receptions this season.

"It means everything," Drew Ramsey said of the milestone. "I'm glad I was here when he could do it. My brother [Peyton] is coaching. The whole family is around so it's really special."

Senior wide receiver Andrew Harp had three touchdown receptions including one in the fourth quarter, another in overtime and his third in the second overtime for the Panthers (6-5), who advance to play at St. Xavier (9-2) in a Division I, Region 4 quarterfinal Nov. 5.

Colerain (5-6) was led by sophomore quarterback Zae Jennings who rushed for five touchdowns including a 92-yarder, a 76-yarder and a 56-yard score.

He is the first Colerain player to score five touchdowns in a game since September 2018.

"Zae had a hell of a night and so did a lot of our kids," Colerain coach Shawn Cutright said. "They gave it their all and left it on the field. What more can a coach ask from their players. We will wake up tomorrow and be better men with the effort and attitude we have in the game tonight."

Former Colerain quarterback Deante Smith-Moore - then a senior - rushed for five touchdowns against visiting Princeton Sept. 7, 2018, according to the GMC website.

Colerain led 20-6 with 8:32 left in the second quarter but the Panthers rallied to tie the game at 20 at halftime. A dramatic second half saw the game tied at 34 at the end of regulation. Elder's defense stopped Colerain on fourth down in the third overtime to seal the victory.

"I tell these guys once we get to the playoffs it's one and done," Doug Ramsey said. "You don't think about anything else."

Ramsey discussed with WCPO this past summer about the significance of coaching Elder football while the program has had a strong connection to his family. He has coached three sons in the program including Tanner, Peyton and current senior Drew.

Peyton Ramsey was coaching from the press box for the Panthers on Friday night.

"I remember being a part of the 150th [win]," Peyton Ramsey said. "I remember coming around as a kid. We're talking this week it probably feels like a lot more than 200 — at least it feels like it. This place is special. It means a lot to our family and to do it in this kind of fashion is something special."

New York Giants tight end Kyle Rudolph, a 2008 Elder graduate, said Ramsey has impacted countless lives.

"As I'm sure Doug will say, it's a true testament to all the great players who've played for him and all the coaches who've coached with him, but it all starts at the top with Elder Football," Rudolph said. "The consistency he's shown for almost three decades is second to none."

Rudolph remembers going to an Elder football camp as a kid and idolizing all the players at the time.

The U.S. Army All-American football player was also a basketball standout and said he enjoyed playing both sports. Ramsey was always supportive of Rudolph being a multi-sport athlete.

"Now as a former player who's closing in on 15 years since my last season there, being able to watch the countless lives he's continued to impact as the head football coach, it's amazing," Rudolph said.

Dallas Cowboys long snapper Jake McQuaide, a 2006 Elder graduate, said Ramsey is all about the game of football and the student-athletes.

"Coach Ramsey has done an incredible job leading the program at Elder," McQuaide told WCPO. "The Elder fan base loves its Panthers. There are two sides to that coin though. As the head coach, you have tons of support to lean on, but you also have thousands of people critiquing your every move. Coach Ramsey has done a great job maximizing the former and minimizing the latter. He makes sure to keep it about the kids."

Elder athletic director Kevin Espelage said Ramsey's impact is remarkable in 25 years as a head coach. Ramsey was an assistant for several years prior to that.

"Like most good coaches, Doug will probably defer a lot of the credit to his players, past and present, and coaches and parents," Espelage said. "But Doug Ramsey is a great coach and even better father, husband and a tremendous teacher. Yes, the credit for 200 wins should be dispersed to all involved but Doug Ramsey is the 'face of the franchise' so to speak. His impact goes beyond just the 200 wins, four state title game appearances and two state titles."

Kevin Welch

Former Elder athletic director Dave Dabbelt hired Ramsey as the head coach in 1997. Dabbelt, who was the Elder athletic director from 1990 to 2017, said Ramsey's legacy goes beyond the success on the field.

"To me the key thing is he's always cared about all the kids," Dabbelt said. "It's not just the starters, it's not just the studs — it's all of them. It creates to me a great team atmosphere, a good feeling within the community. I think that's the piece that's gone well."

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.

Provided

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.

KINGS MILLS, Ohio — The Kings High School football team clinched at least a share of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference title Friday night with a 35-21 win against Turpin.

But the undefeated Knights don't plan on resting on the accomplishment anytime soon.

"Our first goal is to win the ECC title. But after that we want to go as far as we possibly can and make history at Kings," Kings junior quarterback Will Kocher said.

Kocher threw three touchdown passes and scored on a 69-yard touchdown run on the second play of the third quarter. Kings, which had 380 yards of total offense, entered Friday night as the No. 2-ranked team in the Division II, Region 8 computer points standings.

"I think to win and be in the position that we are in going into Week 10 is a great testament to what these kids have done all offseason," Kings coach Alex Garvin said.

"I'm so proud of them and these coaches have done so much work to put us in this position. It just means everything."

Kings, 9-0 for the first time since 2014, scored 28 unanswered points after it trailed 7-0 after the first quarter.

Kocher found junior wide receiver Michael Mussari for the first of two touchdown passes (42 and 70 yards) to help tie the game late in the second quarter.

Two minutes later, Kocher connected with senior wide receiver Andy Bauman for a 36-yard score to help give the Knights a 14-7 halftime lead.

Kocher opened the third quarter with a quarterback keeper. Then, he ran 69 yards for a touchdown to help give Kings a 21-7 lead.

Senior kicker Ryan Sylski recovered his own onside kick, and that helped to set up senior running back Max Sannella's 6-yard touchdown run to give the Knights a 28-7 lead at the nine-minute mark of the third quarter.

Turpin, ranked No. 9 in the Division II, Region 8 computer points standings entering Friday, closed the gap when senior running back Keenan Alcalde – the ECC's leading rusher – scored on an 18-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

However, Kocher connected with Mussari on a 70-yard touchdown pass a short time later to help give Kings a 35-14 advantage.

Turpin made things interesting late in the game after senior wide receiver Ryan McDole's 23-yard touchdown reception.

Turpin recovered an onside kick, but Kings junior Jake Cameron's interception helped to seal the game for the Knights (9-0, 7-0 ECC), who conclude the regular season at Little Miami Oct. 22.

Turpin (6-3, 4-3 ECC) plays host to district rival Anderson (7-2, 6-1) Oct. 22.

MARIEMONT, Ohio — Wyoming senior tailback CJ Hester had a significant motivation for switching jersey numbers Friday night.

Instead of wearing his familiar No. 33, the all-state running back chose to wear No. 23 in recognition of his cousin who Hester said was paralyzed while playing football earlier this season.

Hester said he spoke with his cousin earlier this week for several hours and wanted to give him a tribute on the field. His cousin asked if Hester could wear his jersey number for him.

Hester happily obliged and scored three rushing touchdowns in the Cowboys' 40-9 win at Mariemont Friday night. Hester has scored 21 rushing touchdowns and 25 touchdowns overall this season.

"It just means a lot," Hester said. "Family is everything to me. Family is important to me."

Wyoming coach Aaron Hancock said Hester is a humble student-athlete who understands a life perspective beyond football, too. That showed on Friday night especially as Hester continued to gain yardage after contact.

"Being able to use his platform to honor his cousin shows a lot about his character," Hancock said.

"However, every single day that you meet CJ says a lot about his character, honestly. Every single day he presents himself very humbly. He is a very humble person. He has a great family and he loves his family. It's fun to watch. The kid has grown up before our eyes and has become a great young man and is really having a lot of fun playing football. I think every week he is going to get better and better."

Wyoming (8-0, 5-0 Cincinnati Hills League) won its 55th consecutive regular-season game – the best in the state regardless of division – including its 40th consecutive CHL game. The Cowboys are 8-0 for the sixth consecutive season and are in a good position to potentially capture their sixth consecutive CHL title.

Sophomore quarterback Quaid Hauer connected with junior wide receiver Matty Mitchell for two touchdown pass connections Friday night. Sophomore DJ Gray scored on a 50-yard touchdown reception, too. Wyoming led Mariemont 20-3 at halftime after trailing after the first quarter.

"Our kids are getting better and better every week," Hancock said. "These guys have a mentality that they are going to improve Monday through Thursday so that can perform better on Friday."

Wyoming plays at Finneytown Oct. 15. Mariemont (6-2, 3-2 CHL) plays host to Reading Oct. 15.

ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — There were plenty of smiles to start homecoming weekend in front of the bleachers at Charles L. Brown Stadium Friday night.

Anderson rallied from an eight-point deficit with eight minutes remaining to defeat Winton Woods 28-21 in an Eastern Cincinnati Conference football showdown.

"It was remarkable how our kids came back," Anderson coach Evan Dreyer said.

It was Anderson's first win over Winton Woods since 2009, according to Dreyer.

"It was the most fun I've ever had playing a game," Anderson senior wide receiver Evan Upchurch said.

"The energy from our team and the energy from their team - it just added up and it was a great game."

Upchurch was part of a two-point conversion play when he threw the football to junior quarterback Griffin Scalf in the end zone to tie the game at 21 with 6:47 left.

"That is just Evan Upchurch and Griffin Scalf having some fun before and after practice," said Dreyer. "They wanted to run it and it was really, really cool as a coach to see those guys succeed."

Scalf connected with junior wide receiver Santos Alvarez for a 29-yard touchdown pass a play earlier to close the gap on the Warriors' lead.

After the two-point conversion, Anderson senior linebacker Casey O'Toole recovered the onside kick to give the Raptors another scoring opportunity.

The Raptors converted a fourth down from the Warriors' 12-yard line and three plays later Scalf eluded two defenders to find senior tight end Brody Foley in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown pass connection with under two minutes left.

"He's a big target," Scalf said of Foley. "Just throw it up and he goes and gets it."

Foley, who is verbally committed to the University of Tennessee, said he saw Scalf look away and he found an open space in the end zone.

"It was a great play by him and a great play by our offense," said Foley, who also scored a first-half touchdown.

The Anderson defense was strong on the Warriors' final drive to seal the victory.

"I've been here six years now and the curse of beating Winton Woods," Dreyer said. "They're a great ball club. (Coach) Chad Murphy took over and it's one of those things to get over a little bit of a hump as we head toward the last three games. It's going to be really, really crucial to finish these three games strong as we end ECC play and head toward the playoffs in November."

Foley said he won't soon forget Friday night's game.

"It's amazing," Foley said. "It's a great feeling. I love coming out here every Friday with my boys and playing. It's special at home, it's homecoming, the fans are all out. It's an awesome feeling."

Anderson senior kicker Hayden Brooke had two field goals - including a 38-yarder and 29-yarder to help the Raptors (5-2, 4-1 ECC), who play at Milford Oct. 8.

Winton Woods senior running back Tyrek Spikes scored two rushing touchdowns and senior wide receiver Tai'je Frazier scored on a 48-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter for the Warriors (4-3, 3-2 ECC), who play at Turpin Oct. 8.

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The St. Xavier High School football team scored 38 unanswered points Friday night en route to a 52-14 win over visiting Elder.

The Bombers (6-0), winners of 14 consecutive games going back to 2020, clinched at least a share of the Greater Catholic League South division title.

"We're in a great place right now. We really are," St. X coach Steve Specht said. "But, you can't rest on your laurels."

The Bombers, ranked No. 10 nationally by MaxPreps, had a running clock (30-point differential in the second half) for a fifth consecutive week and the sixth time in the past seven games going back to the end of the 2020 season.

They were all smiles after the game.

Senior quarterback Brogan McCaughey was 13 of 19 passing for 214 yards and three touchdowns. He has 156 pass attempts without an interception, according to St. X statistician Kelby Siler. McCaughey has thrown at least one touchdown in every game as a starter (2020 and 2021).

"(Brogan) is efficient," Specht said. "His efficiency is tremendous. The reality is, for three games he only played a half of football."

Senior Charles Kellom had 22 carries for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Kellom has rushed for 580 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

Senior wide receiver Terrell McFarlin had five receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Jay Farrar had three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown.

St. X had 468 yards of total offense to Elder's 170 yards of offense.

"It's a lot of fun," McCaughey said. "The seniors – it's definitely a good year. We're focused on leaving no doubt, leaving everything on the field."

The St. X defensive effort was very strong, too. Senior defensive back Eli Kirk, senior linebacker Grant Lyons, junior linebacker Max Bonner and senior defensive back Joe Nelson each had five tackles. The defense also had three sacks.

"We're having a lot of fun right now," McFarlin said. "I really love it. We're keep spreading the ball around. Everybody is getting the ball, everybody is spreading the wealth around."

The game was tied at 14 with 8:27 left in the second quarter after Elder senior quarterback Ben Hambleton found senior tight end Mike Kirch for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

Kellom scored on a 1-yard touchdown run about five minutes later and senior Mason Rohmiller added a 27-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to give the Bombers a 24-14 lead.

Rohmiller's field goal was set up by Kellom's 73-yard run earlier in the drive.

Still, the Bombers weren't pleased with a number of penalties in the first half and fundamental mistakes.

"We kind of opened our eyes and saw what we were doing wrong," McCaughey said.

Senior Alex Kemper took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and went 99 yards for a touchdown to set the momentum in the second half.

"The first thing I thought was, 'Don't get caught,' because everyone would be clowning me if I got caught," Kemper said. "After that, nothing enters your mind. Just run as fast as you can."

St. X plays host to Louisville Trinity Oct. 1 while Elder (2-4) plays host to Moeller (5-1) Oct. 2.

Next week is the first of three consecutive home games for the Panthers. Elder coach Doug Ramsey said the team wants to improve upon special teams after Friday night.

"I told them I still think we are one of the better teams in Cincinnati," Ramsey said. "We just can't give good teams like X great field position, because we can't cover kicks. Two big returns killed us and then they just pinned their ears back on defense."

WYOMING, Ohio — Wyoming junior tailback CJ Hester doesn't think twice about enjoying a Kit Kat and a blue Gatorade in the locker room about 30 minutes prior to every game this season.

"It's funny because it's a Kit Kat and a Gatorade — you wouldn't expect that on game day," Hester said with a smile before practice Tuesday afternoon.

"But, I've always been doing that for games, and I've been doing fine — like very good — so I was like, 'I need to have that.'"

There is certainly no reason to change the pre-game snack for Hester, who has rushed for 775 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Cincinnati Hills League), who play at Reading (4-0, 2-0 CHL) Friday night.

"CJ is a tremendous kid," Wyoming coach Aaron Hancock said. "A great young man. He's got a great head on his shoulders, a lot of physical attributes that are off the charts. But just the passion and the desire to be the best that he can be is second to none."

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Hester, who is listed at 5 feet, 11 inches and 185 pounds, showed his versatility on the field last week when he scored all of the Cowboys' points in a 30-0 win over visiting rival Indian Hill.

Hester had three rushing touchdowns, converted three two-point conversions, and scored on a 25-yard fumble recovery for the Cowboys, who shut out Indian Hill for the first time since 2001.

Mike Dyer/WCPO

"He's got a passion for football," Hancock said. "Just a competitor in all phases. Wants to be the best in everything that he does. I think that can kind of transcend all the way down to your program. Kids see that and want to be a part of that and want to really better themselves along the same lines."

Besides Hester's main duties in the backfield, he also returns kicks and punts and plays safety. He's had 30 or more carries in three games this season and may see up to 40 reps offensively and up to 50 reps on defense.

"He leads us," Wyoming offensive coordinator Keith Jordan said. "He's a kid who wants the ball in his hands every chance he can. He never asks out."

Wyoming running backs coach DeShawn Wynn, a former Reading High School star who won a national title at the University of Florida before his NFL career, is very impressed by Hester's work ethic.

"Throughout each week he comes every day ready to practice and ready to get better," Wynn said. "Very coachable. Just a tough-nosed kid. He's all over the field."

Tim Wilking

Hester said he's learned to be a leader as a captain this season. He may not be the most vocal player at all times, but his goals are consistent.

"For the team, to be the best version of myself," Hester said. "Just push everybody. Make sure everybody's cool. Make sure everybody's grades are fine. My goal is basically be myself. Don't force to be someone else. Focus on me, focus on the team."

Hester learned some of those leadership qualities as a freshman when he played with current University of Cincinnati quarterback Evan Prater, a 2020 Wyoming High School graduate.

Hester still talks to the former Ohio Mr. Football recipient and values what Prater brought to the program while Hester watched as a middle school student and then as a freshman.

Hester, who was a Division IV first-team all-state selection and Southwest District offensive player of the year as a sophomore in 2020, stays in the moment with a vision for success.

He has scholarship offers from Toledo and Buffalo and interest from programs that include UC, Purdue, Michigan State, Iowa, Iowa State, Duke, Vanderbilt, Stanford and Bowling Green.

Hester said the expectations at Wyoming never waver, and that's something he doesn't take lightly, whether at home or on the road. Wyoming has won 51 consecutive regular-season games — the top mark in Ohio for that team category.

"The tradition is incredible," Hester said. "To be a Cowboy is very important. We really embrace it. We love the field. We protect the field. We do anything for each one of us."

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Lakota West High School football team heard plenty of hype this week regarding Friday night's game against visiting Princeton.

"We didn't want to talk about it; we were just going to be about it, is what I told the kids," Lakota West coach Tom Bolden said. "We let our game speak for itself tonight. Bottom line."

The Firebirds defeated Princeton 24-0, scoring all of its points in the first half, en route to their third consecutive win this season.

Friday night was also Bolden's 150th career win, according to the Lakota West athletic department. Bolden, in his third season at Lakota West, has a 150-27 career record in 16 years.

"A lot of fun," Bolden said when asked about the career milestone. "150 - that's pretty wild. A lot of great players. A lot of great memories with those players and coaches. That's pretty cool."

Lakota West (3-1, 2-0 Greater Miami Conference) had plenty of offensive firepower to start the game. Junior quarterback Mitch Bolden – Tom's son – found junior Ben Minich for a 49-yard pass connection in the first play from scrimmage.

The drive was completed when junior Tyler Bohn made a 37-yard field goal to give the Firebirds a 3-0 lead at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter.

Lakota West forced Princeton on a three-and-out on its opening drive before Mitch Bolden scored on a 41-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left in the first quarter to help give the Firebirds a 10-0 lead.

Lakota West junior defensive back Joshua Fussell's interception early in the second quarter helped to set up the Firebirds' third score of the night.

Bolden found senior running back Cameron Goode on a 16-yard screen pass to help give the Firebirds a 17-0 lead at the 6:55 mark of the second quarter.

Goode had 16 carries for 92 yards and the touchdown reception.

"They blitzed, just rolled to the left, and I just knew I wasn't going to get touched," Goode said.

Bolden threw his second touchdown pass of the night late in the second quarter when he connected with senior Jyaire Brown for an 18-yard score to help give the Firebirds a 24-0 halftime lead.

Lakota West had 299 yards of total offense. The Firebirds' defense limited Princeton to 45 yards passing.

Lakota West senior linebacker Aden Miller had a team-high 11 tackles.

"It was a very hyped game, but we just came here and balled out and calmed down," said senior defensive back Alex Afari. "Our coaches told us, 'Don't make this a bigger game than it should be.'"

Princeton (3-1, 0-1 GMC) was led by sophomore quarterback TJ Engleman, who had 25 carries for 95 yards. Senior linebacker AJ Nunley had a team-high 11 tackles, including one sack and a forced fumble.

Princeton coach Andre Parker said after the game the Vikings would continue to improve this season and he is confident the Vikings are going in the right direction.

Parker and Bolden said their respective teams need to clean up the penalties. Princeton and Lakota West were penalized nine teams each Friday night.

Princeton plays host to Fairfield Sept. 17. Lakota West is scheduled to play at Hamilton Sept. 17.

CINCINNATI — The Eastern Cincinnati Conference announced Friday morning the adoption of a nine-game conference football schedule starting with the 2022 season.

The ECC athletic directors voted 9-1 Thursday in favor of the move.

The 2022 season would have just one non-conference game possibility for ECC members in the first week of the year. There are 10 weeks in an Ohio high school football regular season.

The ECC is in its first full season of an eight-game conference schedule since it added Lebanon, Winton Woods and Little Miami starting in the fall 2020. (The COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2020 regular season across the state with Kings and Winton Woods named ECC co-champions).

The ECC said conference football games will occur in weeks 2-10 starting in 2022. Each school's conference scrimmage will become the Week 2 contest.

"It's great for our conference," Winton Woods athletic director David Lumpkin said. "I think you are going to see probably other leagues as well. We're not the only league to consider this. It's getting tougher and tougher to schedule and it leaves us with a true champion without having a bye every year."

The expansion of the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs to 16 teams per region in the seven divisions also played a factor in the ECC's decision.

In Division I, Region 4, 16 of the 17 eligible programs will make the playoffs this year.

While the computer playoff points, also known as Harbin points, earned are important for playoff seeding, it's not as relevant for making the postseason as in past years.

"Looking at the structure, I think everyone realizes things are evolving and we have to evolve and change with it," Milford athletic director Aaron Zupka said. "I think it was a pretty easy decision. It was just timing of when to do it."

Lebanon athletic director Keith Pantling said the move to nine ECC games is very beneficial for the communities and for Lebanon to continue to establish new rivalries.

Pantling and Zupka recognized the change locally for the football scheduling landscape where rivalries outside the conference will change during the regular season.

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"It's getting tougher for smaller conferences and further diminishes the chances of more local private school-public school matchups," said Pantling, who was the La Salle athletic director from 2016 to 2018. "I've been in both chairs."

The ECC, which started in 2012, includes Kings, Turpin, Anderson, Milford, West Clermont, Little Miami, Walnut Hills, Winton Woods, Lebanon and Loveland.

The Greater Miami Conference discussed a nine-game conference schedule at its Sept. 7 meeting and plans to revisit the discussion no later than the October meeting, but it could happen sooner.

The Kings High School football team has started the season with a 3-0 record for the second straight season.

Kings coach Alex Garvin and senior tight end/wide receiver Andy Bauman joined the WCPO High School Insider to discuss the Knights' 14-13 win host Winton Woods last week. Kings plays host to Anderson this week.

You will also hear from ScoutingOhio.com director Mark Porter as he discusses the latest in college football recruiting and his thoughts about this high school season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The transfer portal has taken a dent out of high school recruiting," Porter said. "If Ohio was going to put out about 115 kids a year, I think there is going to be 15 to 20 kids that don't get scholarships now because transfer portal type players. And you can't blame colleges. They might think they can get a better player or more proven player from college than they can from high school."

Also, you will hear from Mount Notre Dame volleyball coach Michael Crofton as he discusses his first season as the Cougars' head coach. He also talked about senior All-American Carly Hendrickson who has helped to lead MND this season.

Listen to this episode in the player above.

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WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — There is no debate that Lakota West senior offensive tackle Tegra Tshabola is one of the nation's top high school football players in the 2022 class.

The 6-foot-6, 330-pound offensive lineman is verbally committed to The Ohio State University.

This past May, he committed to the prestigious All-American Bowl.

What may not be as commonly known is the 17-year-old with size 17 shoes speaks fluent French.

His family moved to West Chester Township more than a dozen years ago from the Democratic Republic of Congo where French is spoken. Tshabola had to learn English because French was his first language and is still spoken in his family.

"People usually don't know but then when they see me speak with my parents sometimes they look at me funny," Tshabola said.

Football has been also a common language in the Tshabola family for a number of years.

Tshabola has two elder brothers, Dan, a 2018 Lakota West graduate and former defensive lineman, and Michael, a 2016 graduate and former linebacker, who played for the Firebirds.

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Tegra used to stand next to the stadium bleachers as a young football player watching the Lakota West games while listening to the coaching staff instruct the team. He did everything he could to learn about the game from his brothers.

"They both played really hard," Tshabola said. "They taught me to play every play like it's your last so when I'm out here playing football I finish out every play."

Tshabola has had quite the journey since his freshman season when he played on the defensive line to his junior season when he was named a Division I first-team all-state offensive lineman.

Caleb Noe/WCPO

"He was a basketball kid, a good basketball player," said Lakota West coach Tom Bolden, who arrived at Lakota West for the 2019 season.

"He always had that athleticism but just everything was just so raw and not refined. Now he really works at his craft and his pass pro and his run blocking and all that. He's really, really stepped up and he's become a complete football player from the standpoint that it's not just him bullying people around. He's using the skill set that he has now."

Soft-spoken and unassuming off the field, Tshabola is imposing between the lines. He's seen defensive linemen do anything possible to try to avoid his blocking. Tshabola said he is patient in waiting to put his hands on a defender in a game and perfecting his craft in practice.

"I'm an offensive lineman so I like hitting so you get to come out here, you get to grind it out,"
Tshabola said.

"You get to work with your friends that you see every day. Come out here and all work to achieve the same goal."

Tshabola embraced his role as a captain and has made it a point to help younger players this season.

"This program I've learned that when you really want something you got to really put in the work if you want to get somewhere far in life," Tshabola said. "I've definitely bought into that. I've been working hard trying to get up to Ohio State soon in January."

Tshabola will graduate from Lakota West in December and join Ohio State as an early enrollee in January.

"He's got the tools," Lakota West offensive line coach Jeff Wadl said. "He's obviously got the size. But, he's got the strength and he works hard in the weight room so he's got a good work ethic there. I think what I've really seen him do this year is be more cognizant of his technique and things he needs to do especially at the next level."

Bolden said Tshabola's best football days are ahead of him.

"It will be really cool to see in a couple of years from now with a couple college seasons under his belt what he does," Bolden said. "Because like I said I think he's gotten better each year and I think the sky is the limit with him."

Tshabola, who has worked with Bengals great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz, would like to play in the NFL. He'd also like to help others along the way.

"My biggest goal is to train other athletes, train other kids," Tshabola said. "My dream is to have a training facility, like a big national training facility for people to come to."

CINCINNATI — Between the heat concerns, game cancellations due to COVID-19 and Friday's inclement weather, it was quite a week for Greater Cincinnati high school football.

Six games were canceled due to COVID-19, multiple schools pushed back kickoff times in advance of heat concerns and then several games had to delay Friday night or postpone until Saturday morning due to inclement weather.

"We fought through more adversity last year than ever before and we've been trained to be prepared for any opportunity at any moment," said Anderson coach Evan Dreyer, whose Raptors played Clinton-Massie Saturday morning after being postponed Friday.

Adversity came in the form earlier this week of unexpected scheduling issues for multiple Greater Cincinnati teams that were impacted by their opponent's COVID-19 quarantines.

McNicholas found out its game with Batavia was canceled Thursday but was eventually able to connect with New Richmond whose game with Bethel-Tate was canceled.

McNicholas had some familiarity since its first scrimmage was against New Richmond. Still, the uncertainty didn't make it any easier with about 24 hours to prepare a game plan.

"I mean it was a whirlwind," McNicholas coach Mike Orlando said. "We found out (Thursday) afternoon and it was probably a two-hour window there where it was like kind of scrambling - what do you want to do, what can we do with our options that type of thing."

McNicholas defeated host New Richmond 34-14 Friday night but those two teams weren't the only schools looking for opponents the day before the game.

McNicholas High School

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Moeller football coach Mark Elder sent calls and text messages from his iPhone starting Thursday morning in order to find an opponent after Louisville Trinity had to cancel its trip to Cincinnati for a Saturday night game at Shea Stadium in Norwood.

Initially, he wasn't receiving much success.

"I kept getting no, no, no," Elder said. "It reminded me of my dating life in high school. Rejection after rejection."

At one point, Elder reached out to contacts in five states from Tennessee to Michigan for hours on Thursday in order to try to schedule a game.

"I was literally all over the place," Elder said. "I was on Google maps going, 'What else is there? Are there any other areas I need to look up?'"

Elder told the team around 2:45 p.m. Thursday about the cancellation and instructed the players to bring home and road uniforms Friday to prepare for any game location and most importantly a mindset to be ready to compete.

"'If we get a game at noon (Friday), we're playing," Elder told the team. "'That's what we're doing. I don't know if it will be at home. I don't know if it will be away. I have no idea. Nor do I care nor should you.'"

Two hours later, Elder sent a text message to the team saying an agreement to play at Chaminade Julienne at 7 p.m. Friday had been reached.

Moeller had considered a Northeast Indiana opponent that would've been a four-hour and 30 minute bus ride. But, Moeller athletic director Justin Bayer wanted more time to find the right fit.

"I was actually more like, 'Justin, I've been doing this for five hours and the game is tomorrow,'" Elder said. "'Like we need to make a call.' And so we started to get in talks with CJ and that other school in Indiana called back and said, 'We're out, we found somebody else.' My heart sunk because CJ hadn't made the call yet."

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Eventually Moeller and Chaminade Julienne agreed on Friday night. Chaminade Julienne's game with Dayton Belmont was canceled so it created an opening for the Eagles, who hadn't played Moeller since 1977.

On Thursday night, Elder sent over Hudl film of Moeller's two scrimmage and last week's win over Lakota East and organized a quick game plan after breaking down CJ's film.

"We had a team meeting at 6:30 a.m. (Friday)," Elder said. "We met for an hour to cover special teams, the day and then side of the ball stuff and that was it. Offense did a walk through. No practice, no nothing. We didn't practice (Thursday). We get to roll the ball out and play some football. That's the most important thing to these kids."

Yet, that wasn't the end of the challenging week.

Moeller's game at Chaminade Julienne was delayed nearly two hours due to weather Friday night in yet another twist this week.

The Crusaders eventually won 42-28 to improve to 2-0 this season. Elder was grateful for an opportunity for his team to close out August.

"We couldn't be more appreciative of (Chaminade Julienne) coach (Marcus) Colvin and CJ for giving us this opportunity," Elder said.

"I will be honest. I don't know if we're playing a game if they say no. Very, very appreciative of them playing us. It was huge for us."

CINCINNATI — The high school football scene was impacted by severe weather around the Greater Cincinnati area on Friday night.

Multiple games were in weather delays prior to scheduled kickoff times. Some games were scheduled to start later than the common 7 p.m. kickoff due to heat concerns. The lightning just added to the weather situation.

The Clinton-Massie (0-0) at Anderson (0-1) game was postponed until 10 a.m. Saturday.
The game had been a Spectrum News 1 game of the week in Southwest Ohio.

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"We fought through more adversity last year than ever before and we've been trained to be prepared for any opportunity at any moment," Anderson coach Evan Dreyer told WCPO.

"I think things like this make your program and teams better. We want to be a playoff team, so we must fight through adversity. We must adapt and overcome to be a great football team."

The Princeton (1-0) at Loveland (0-1) game is postponed until 10 a.m. Saturday. There was a power outage plus lightning on Friday, according to Loveland coach Andy Cruse.

The Lakota East (0-1) at Milford (1-0) game is postponed until 9 a.m., according to the Milford athletic department.

The Holy Cross (1-0) at Walton-Verona (0-1) game is postponed until 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Franklin (0-1) at Beavercreek (0-1) game is postponed until 10 a.m. Saturday.

WCPO will continue to update this story.

GREEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — La Salle junior kicker Mason Luensman made four field goals as the host Lancers defeated Winton Woods 21-7 Friday night.

Luensman made field goals from 38, 34, 30 and 36 yards to help lead the Lancers.

"He did a fantastic job," La Salle coach Pat McLaughlin said. "The operation from snap to hold to kick was good. Protection was good. Anytime you have a weapon when you kick the ball, anytime you get inside the 20, it's awesome. He did a great job tonight."

La Salle earned a 13-0 halftime lead and went ahead 18-0 when senior linebacker Tristen Wolf made a tackle for a safety late in the third quarter.

The kickoff was delayed due to inclement weather like many Greater Cincinnati high school football games Friday. The game didn't conclude until well after 11 p.m.

La Salle earned three interceptions, including a pick-six by senior defensive back Gage Howard late in the second quarter.

Senior defensive end JJ Ruffin had a game-high 10 tackles (six solo). Senior linebacker Chase Stein had nine tackles.

"We're finding a way to win," McLaughlin said. "They battled. They play hard. We played a ton of kids tonight. I told them I'm proud of just how hard they played."

La Salle (2-0) is scheduled to play IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) Sept. 3. That will be the third consecutive home game for La Salle.

"We want to bring the best teams in here," McLaughlin said.

"I think we got one of the best teams in the last 25 years in Colerain Week 1. We got one of the best teams in Kentucky. We got one of the best teams in Division II this week. We got one of the best teams in the country (with IMG Academy) and then you have our league. Our kids are going to be excited. We're going to have a good week of practice and we'll go out there like we did tonight and play hard from start to finish."

IMG Academy is scheduled to play Bishop Sycamore (Ohio) Saturday afternoon.

IMG Academy, ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps, was declared the 2020 national champion by MaxPreps and USA Today.

Whether it was St. Xavier's win over visiting Lakota West, Princeton's 58 points, or plenty of other highlights, there was plenty to discuss from Week 1 of the Ohio high school football season.

This week's WCPO Insider includes a conversation with Taylor football coach David Dransman as the Yellow Jackets won their first season opener since 2015.

Dransman and seniors Harry Hilvert and Johnny Kearns discuss the optimism within the program after a 38-17 win at Greenon Aug. 20.

"And after that win it was just like really clear to me that there is something special here that hasn't been present in the past years," Kearns said.

You will also hear from St. Xavier coach Steve Specht, Princeton coach Andre Parker and Cincinnati Country Day coach Dennis Coyle. Cincinnati Country Day opened its renovated stadium before a 56-0 win over visiting Manchester.

Listen to this episode in the player above.

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MILFORD, Ohio — Tom Grippa likes to say he was always meant to be a high school football coach. On Friday night, it was his time to be recognized for a special career milestone.

Grippa celebrated his 200th career win as visiting Milford defeated Edgewood 41-14 in a non-league football season opener.

"We've been consistently good wherever I've been – whether it's Elder, Fairfield, La Salle or Milford," Grippa told WCPO.

"I'm really, really proud of my Milford kids because...I took over a program that was terrible and we won right away. The kids bought in. We changed the culture, and that's not always easy to do. It took a little bit of time to change it at Fairfield and here we did it right away."

Grippa, starting his 30th year as a high school head coach, is in his fifth season leading the Milford football program. He has a 200-116 record, according to the Milford athletic department.

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Grippa is the 64th coach in state history to reach 200 wins, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association record book.

"I'm really proud of the kids and the program," said Grippa, who spent four seasons as the Mount St. Joseph University offensive coordinator prior to Milford.

Grippa is 23-15 at Milford and has led the Eagles to three playoff appearances including the first postseason win in program history in 2017.

“We are so proud to have a legend like Coach Grippa leading our program,” Milford athletic director Aaron Zupka said. “He has led our program to unprecedented heights during his time in Milford and we couldn’t be more excited to have him earn this milestone while leading our Eagles.”

Zupka said Grippa has always connected well with the Milford teams. There are 130-plus players in the Milford program.

"He's a player's coach," Zupka said. "The kids love playing for him. He relates to those kids."

The Eagles, which led 28-7 at halftime Friday, were led by junior quarterback Austin Hardin. He was 16 of 22 passing for 293 yards and four touchdowns.

Grippa was able to celebrate the career milestone win with a banner after the game surrounded by his players. He triumphantly raised the game ball in the locker room beside the team.

"We came home and it was like we won the Super Bowl," Grippa said.

The Eagles (1-0) play host to Lakota East (0-1) Aug. 27.

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — St. Xavier football coach Steve Specht said the Bombers are still in the process of figuring out their identity as a team.

If Friday night was any indication, the Bombers are giving a strong first impression to the 2021 season, a year after winning the Division I state championship.

St. X scored 28 unanswered points in a 31-14 win over visiting Lakota West in front of 5,300 fans at Ballaban Field at RDI Stadium.

"Look at our cheering section," Specht said. "We've got 400 kids, 500 kids coming out to support their school's team. The band is playing tonight. This is living. What happened last year – these kids didn't get to live. They're living now. I think that's a bigger victory than anybody winning or losing on the field tonight is the fact that these kids get to compete again. That's exciting."

St. Xavier senior linebacker Grant Lyons, a Miami University verbal commitment, was named the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown MVP after two key interceptions, including a pick-six in the third quarter to give the Bombers (1-0) the lead for good.

"It was awesome," Lyons said. "I love playing out here with my guys. We work so hard all offseason and it showed up tonight. It was a lot of fun."

St. X, ranked No. 22 nationally by MaxPreps, took an early 3-0 lead when senior kicker Mason Rohmiller made a 27-yard field goal to complete a 13-play, 44-yard drive that took 3:47.

Lakota West struck twice in the second quarter and took a 14-3 lead midway through the quarter.

Junior quarterback Mitch Bolden found sophomore Brennan Remy for a 4-yard touchdown pass and senior Tyler Sparnall added the extra point at the 8:52 mark to give Lakota West a 7-0 lead.

The Firebirds took advantage of a St. X special teams turnover and capitalized.

Bolden found senior wide receiver Alex Afari in the corner of the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown pass connection to help give the Firebirds a 14-3 lead.

The Bombers closed the gap to 14-10 at halftime after senior running back Charles Kellom scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 2:24 left in the first half.

Lyons gave the Bombers the lead for good on his 27-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the third quarter.

Senior quarterback Brogan McCaughey found senior Max Klare for a 25-yard touchdown pass connection five minutes later to give St. X a 24-14 advantage.

Kellom scored on his second touchdown carry late in the fourth quarter to help give the Bombers a 31-14 lead.

McCaughey was 11 of 21 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown. Kellom rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Senior linebacker Max Bonner had a team-high eight tackles.

St. X plays at Colerain (0-1) Aug. 27.

Lakota West, which plays host to West Clermont (0-1) Aug. 27, couldn't find consistency on the offensive side in the second half.

Lakota West coach Tom Bolden said the Firebirds lost junior wide receiver Trent Lloyd to an injury in the first quarter and that impacted the offense.

Mitch Bolden, Tom's son, had 81 yards rushing and 103 yards passing. Senior linebacker Aden Miller had a game-high 10 tackles.

Bolden said he was proud of the Firebirds' effort, especially on the defensive side. He said several younger players gained experience, too.

CINCINNATI — When Elder senior Drew Ramsey walks into The Pit Friday night, he will likely have a much different feeling than the 2020 season opener.

Thousands of fans will likely await the opening kickoff against visiting Covington Catholic at 7 p.m. in the 24th annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown.

There is simply no replicating the anticipatory energy for players and coaches when a stadium has thousands of fans.

"My sophomore year (in 2019) it was just crazy because it was always so loud," said Ramsey, a Greater Catholic League South division football tri-athlete of the year in 2020.

"Every game was packed. Then last year there was just no one there. It was silent. You could literally hear what the coaches were saying on the sideline. It was so much different. We weren't used to it. When you know you're going to have 10,000 or 8,000 fans there it changes the game so much. It gives so much more momentum."

Mike Dyer/WCPO

Ohio high school football games likely will return to a more traditional game-day atmosphere this week without COVID-19 restrictions and protocols.

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Ohio lifted most statewide COVID-19 pandemic health orders in June and Ohio High School Athletic Association member high schools aren't subject to the state mandates and limited attendance procedures set forth by the Ohio governor's office in 2020.

Local and county health departments, school districts and private schools set their own guidance this fall for interscholastic and extracurricular activities.

Last season, high school sports venues could have no more than 1,500 fans or 15% of their seating capacity starting in August 2020.

The spectators last season were primarily parents, families or loved ones of the student-athletes. The euphoria around the stadium wasn't the same.

"I think last year was so different that you just hope that student sections can get back to being the way they were and fans in stands and packed crowds," said Tom Gamble, organizer of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown. "We just hope that's the way it is because I think that's what makes high school football not only in this area but anywhere."

Mason High School is having a 60th anniversary celebration of its football program Friday night in its home game against Gahanna Lincoln. More than 50 alumni are scheduled to join the celebration in the pregame and halftime festivities.

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Mason coach Brian Castner said the return of a larger fan capacity at Dwire Field is "long overdue."

"I met with my captains last night," Castner said. "Just to talk through a 15-minute captains' meeting, see them smiling and just chomping at the bit -- can't wait to get to Friday. You can't mimic that. You can't make that up."

Despite the easing of restrictions, school administrators are using cautious optimism to start the school year as the pandemic continues.

"On one hand there is a lot that I'm excited about," said Lakota West athletic director Scott Kaufman, who is president of the OHSAA board of directors. "We're going into this season with no fan restrictions, which certainly is a dramatic change from last year. But, in the same respects it's a little bit disheartening and frustrating that we're dealing with restrictions (in schools) that quite frankly are probably more self-induced than they are necessary.

"When you look at numbers of hospitalizations being where they are and the percentage of those being unvaccinated people -- without getting into a political battle -- we're all being handcuffed because of people choosing not to get a vaccination. If we want to get back to normal especially in the schools, we have to get people vaccinated."

Lakota West opens the football season at St. Xavier Friday night in a highly-anticipated rematch of the 2020 Division I regional final that St. X won en route to a state title.

St. Xavier High School

St. X athletic director Brian Reinhart anticipates a sold-out RDI Stadium at Ballaban Field, which has a capacity of about 7,500 fans.

Reinhart said Monday there are no pandemic-related attendance regulations for those entering the game, but the school plans to make announcements and reminders to encourage the use of hand sanitizer, hand-washing procedures or wearing masks when necessary.

"You know last year I just can't say enough good about our families and our entire community was so supportive because they knew how important athletics was," Reinhart said. "I think we have a whole new level of respect for our coaches, our athletic trainers, our training staff -- just the amount of time and energy they put into supporting and enabling our young people to be able to play."

CINCINNATI — The Ohio High School Athletic Association is considering the addition of a strength-of-schedule component to its football playoff computer points system for the 2021 season.

The potential change is that Ohio high school football teams could earn one-half of first-level points with a loss to a team that is in a certain distinction in each region during the season.

For example, if Team 'A' loses to Team 'B' early in the season but Team 'B' is in the top ranking of its region (such as top eight or top 10 ), then Team 'A' earns one-half of the first-level points if Team 'B' remains in that category the remainder of the season.

But, if Team 'B' falls out of that specific category the following week, then Team 'A' would not receive any points.

Losing teams wouldn't accumulate and keep points. Rather, a losing team would only be rewarded if their victorious opponent is in a certain category (such as top eight or top 10) each week. If not, the points are gone.

If a team loses to an opponent early in the season and that opponent isn't in the top eight or top 10 of their region until much later in the season, then the losing team would earn those points at that time.

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The specific category -- such as a top eight or top 10 ranking in a region in each division -- has not been determined yet.

The potential change would apply to all divisions and any crossover regular-season games such as Division I against Division III, etcetera.

The proposed change to the computer points system, also commonly known as the Harbin system, would apply to all seven divisions of Ohio high school football.

Currently, teams do not receive any computer points for a loss.

There would be no changes to teams who play out-of-state opponents. A loss does not have the potential for points in that scenario.

The plan is not approved or finalized, but a proposal may be sent to the OHSAA board of directors in May as part of the 2021 football tournament regulations.

OHSAA football administrator Beau Rugg told WCPO Friday morning that he's heard requests for a strength-of-schedule component from the membership on an annual basis.

The Ohio High School Football Coaches Association said Friday it is aware of the initial discussions.

"The broad-stroke picture is that it's been asked for for a long time, and we'll see," Rugg told WCPO. "It's like anything. We'll see how this goes. If we need to tweak later on, we'll tweak. That's kind of the nuts and bolts."

Rugg has discussed the potential change with Joe Eitel, who works to input and display the OHSAA computer points postseason ratings each football season. He said that Eitel used some of the numbers from the 2019 season with the component, and there wasn't an overwhelming amount of change to the playoff qualifiers.

"We hope that helps some of our schools that struggle to schedule outside their conference," Rugg said. "And that's the hope. Again, any time you do something like this and there is change, you know, somebody could be negatively affected."

Rugg said the potential change would also bring an added element late in the regular season.

"This will create a component of uncertainty of exactly, 'If I win and somebody loses am I going to get in?'" Rugg said. "Not necessarily. Those strength of schedule points can change things."

Rugg said this potential proposal would enhance the computer points system where it already rewards quality scheduling.

"The bottom line we all know is it's a sport thing that you've got to take care of your own business," Rugg said. "The other stuff will fall where it falls."

The OHSAA board of directors approved a plan in May 2020 to increase the number of football playoff qualifiers in each region from eight to 12 starting in 2021.

The first Friday of the football regular season is scheduled for Aug. 20 and the regular season will conclude on Oct. 23, followed by six weeks of playoffs instead of five weeks.

The 2020 season was the first time since the OHSAA playoffs were implemented in 1972 that all Ohio teams were eligible for the postseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We wanted to run a dummy system last year to see how it would work and of course COVID hit and we just didn't have the data," Rugg said.

Coaches voted for seeding in each of the seven divisions in 2020 instead of using the computer points system.

Teams also had the option to opt out of the playoffs, or once eliminated they could continue to play regular season games until mid-November.

The 2020 regular season was shortened to six games.