Recapping week 12 Greater Cincinnati high school football action
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The Ohio high school football regional quarterfinals are complete, while Kentucky's playoffs began this week.
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Across Greater Cincinnati, there were surprising results, close games and upset. Here's a look at how some of the action unfolded, as well as a short preview of week 13.
Moeller, Princeton set for 'King of the Block' rematch
When the postseason rolls around, the Crusaders turn to their defense. In a 24-7 win over Winton Woods, they didn't give up a run-play first down until the second quarter and only gave up two big gains in the first half: a 33-yard touchdown pass to Quinton Simms and a 46-yard completion to Greg Lawrence.
"We have a name for our defense, we have a swagger to our defense. When it gets cold and it's playoff time, run games travel, defenses travel and those are the kind of games that we want to play in," Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany said.
Moeller got out to a 14-0 lead before the Warriors could muster any real offense. Sophomore tight end Jayden Davis's 53-yard screen pass set up a Juice Glover-Brown score. In the second half, Davis caught his own seven-yard touchdown.
"He's this year's version of Cooper McCutchen. Cooper's more of a tight end and Jayden's more of a wide receiver but we can do so many different things with him," Bathiany said.
Reggie Watson opened the scoring with a 16-yard reception, giving him eight touchdown catches on the year.
For just more than three quarters, Princeton and Middletown fans thought they might see a "scorigami" as the Vikings forced a safety and converted a field goal for a 5-0 lead. The Middies scored a touchdown to take a 6-5 lead but couldn't complete the two-point conversion.
Princeton's minimum offensive output this season was 27 points in a win over Lakota West. The Vikings eventually returned to form in the fourth quarter against Middletown, scoring three times for the 27-6 win.
Now they'll host the Crusaders at what is sure to be a sold out Jake Sweeney Automotive Stadium. Most will remember Princeton's exciting Week 1 win over Moeller at Paycor Stadium where Jordan Hall broke out as a star with 91 rushing yards and three touchdowns and an 88-yard receiving touchdown. Moeller nearly came back from a 31-14 deficit before falling 31-24.
Elder's offense ramping up ahead of showdown with St. Xavier
Elder didn't get the start it wanted in its playoff opener at The Pit. In a battle of Panthers, the home team led Springboro by just four points heading into the halftime break. Elder head coach Doug Ramsey gave credit to the Springboro staff for having their team ready to play and disrupting Elder's game plan.
The purple Panthers shook off the rust in the locker room, taking control of the game for a 37-20 win. After getting the bye, it was a return to form for an Elder team that closed the regular season on a three-game winning streak against some out-of-state powerhouses.
"I sometimes think the week off isn't great for a teenager to stay in the routine," Ramsey said. "I thought in the second half we played more to the way we should play football."
A big part of Elder's success, to no one's surprise, was quarterback Kaden Estep. He combined for over 300 yards of offense and four touchdowns, getting the job done with his legs as much as his arm. It was a stat-sheet stuffing night, but that's what the Panthers have come to expect from their leader.
"He's 21 of 25, all these things he does, and I'm just like 'he didn't do anything special tonight.' He obviously did, but it's just the way he plays every week. Everything we do on offense is through him," Ramsey said.
Elder's No. 1 receiver, Andrew Lyman, had 100 yards and a score in what many expected to be his final game in the purple and white. Lyman transferred in this season and was at the center of a lawsuit against the OHSAA over eligibility for the second half of the season. He ended up settling out of court, with the expectation that he would only be allowed to play one postseason game. Ramsey, however, painted Lyman's status as very much up-in-the-air.
"We'll see, I don't know," Ramsey said on Lyman's eligibility for next week. "That's all up to us. (Elder)"
While the Panthers would certainly like to have Lyman in the lineup, their primary focus is on the upcoming revenge spot against St. Xavier. The Bombers have won back-to-back games against Elder, ending Elder's 12-0 run in the 2025 regional finals and upsetting the Panthers on a last-second field goal in The Pit in 2026. The Panthers players are champing at the bit to get their revenge.
"It's going to be a good get-back game for us," Estep said. "All the boys will by hyped, we'll be ready to really get after it.
St. Xavier makes a statement with stunning rout of Lakota West to set up the Elder rematch
Coming off a state runner-up finish last season, St. Xavier had a lot of question marks to begin a new campaign after major graduation losses from 2025.
Head coach Steve Specht didn’t get many answers in Week 1 when his Bombers lost 20-7 on the road to Lakota West. But a much different team returned to West Chester Friday night and the Bombers declared that they’re ready for another chance at a state title.
In what was easily the most stunning result of the night in Southwest Ohio, St. Xavier defeated Lakota West 51-14. The Bombers (7-5) put the game in a running clock in the third quarter and set up another rematch next week when they travel to Elder in the Region 4 semifinals. Lakota West finished 9-2.
The Bombers and Firebirds had met nine times since 2020, three times in the playoffs. They have played in the season opener each of the last six years. All but one of them were tight, low-scoring affairs.
Not this one. The Bombers overwhelmed the Firebirds on both sides of the ball. Leading the charge was junior running back Aiden Graham, who rushed for 256 yards and five touchdowns, including a 59-yard sprint. The elusive runner broke multiple tackles on most of his scores.
He came into the game with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage, but only five touchdowns. He doubled that total.
“My offensive line, tight ends, receivers, everyone was blocking for me,” he said. “The coaches trusted me and gave me 30 carries and I stepped up for my team.”
“The offensive line has gotten better as the year has progressed,” Specht said. “Aiden has developed into a fine running back. We knew from day one he was going to be the workhorse for us."
St. X was just as dominant on defense. The Bombers stifled senior Northwestern commit Kenyon Norman, limiting him to 26 yards on eight carries, by far his lowest output of the season.
“The whole focal point was to stop him,” Specht said. “We wanted to pack the box, we wanted to challenge him with a lot of man coverage. We knew they were athletic on the perimeter but we wanted to force them to throw the ball if we wanted to have a chance to win the game."
Lakota West blocked a punt for a touchdown, with Judah Blair blocking the kick and scooping up the ball for a 30-yard touchdown. Its biggest play on offense was a 56-yard completion from receiver Karmelo Jordan to Labron Lumpkins on a trick play.
St. X has had its ups and downs this year. The Bombers lost big to nationally ranked Trinity and St. James (Virginia) late in the year but began the playoffs with a 42-0 shutout of Fairfield.
“I told them three weeks ago I thought we were this close to being a good football team and I told them tonight after this game, I said we’re not close anymore,” Specht said. “We’re a good football team. There are 16 teams left in the state of Ohio, and we’re one of them. It’s anybody’s game."
Elder is also one of those 16 heading into next week's showdown at The Pit.
"I'm going to enjoy tonight," Specht said. "They know us. We know them, and we'll get to work tomorrow"
Deer Park, St. Henry secure historic playoff wins
As much as Week 12 was a showcase for the typical powerhouses, two local programs earned milestone playoff wins after lengthy droughts.
Deer Park, which made history with it's first ever Cincinnati Hills League co-championship in the regular season, kept it's winning ways rolling against Covington. The Wildcats blasted the Buccaneers 44-10, earing Deer Park's first postseason win since 2021. With the win, Deer Park secures its first 10 win season since 1981. That year, the Wildcats advanced all the way to the regional finals.
In Kentucky, St. Henry earned its first ever playoff victory. The Crusaders are in just their second year as a varsity football program, finishing the regular season at 5-5. St. Henry played host to West Carter in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs and came away with a 25-22 victory. The Crusaders advance to play state title favorite Beechwood next week.
Top Performers
Charles Alexander, Jr., Withrow: Alexander Jr. led Withrow on defense with seven tackles and an interception while catching four passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns against Anderson.
Bryce Armstrong, Highlands: In a 50-0 win over Boyd County, Armstrong was 4-of-6 passing for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
Noah Bilinski, Springboro: In a 37-20 loss at Elder, the senior receiver hauled in nine catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. He also completed a deep pass, throwing a 43 yard bomb on a trick play.
Ka’ronn Daugherty, Princeton: With Middletown still in reach, Daugherty had his first interception of the season and returned it 39 yards for a score.
Kaden Estep, Elder: The senior quarterback completed 21 of 25 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown, also running for 84 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 37-20 win against Springboro.
Aiden Graham, St. Xavier: Graham dominated a tough Lakota West defense in a 51-14 win, carrying the ball 30 times for 252 yards and five touchdowns.
Jordan Hall, Princeton: Princeton beat Middletown 27-6 with Hall gaining 156 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
Cooper Kathman, Anderson: The senior receiver had 10 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns in a 58-28 win against Withrow.
Brady Lawhon, Harrison: The quarterback led Harrison to a 22-21 comeback win against Talawanda. He was 11-for-17 passing for 143 yards and a touchdown while running for 39 yards and two more scores.
Gray Robinson, Williamsburg: The senior had 13 carries for 213 yards and four touchdowns plus two catches for 66 yards and another score in Williamsburg’s 60-20 win over Greenon.
Owen Scalf, Anderson: Anderson beat Withrow 58-28 with Scalf going 30-for-36 for 425 yards and five touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Recapping week 12 Greater Cincinnati high school football action