Cincinnati has reached the halfway point of the high school football regular season with five weeks in the books.
Following each week of the regular season, The Enquirer will provide its top 10 high school football power rankings, regardless of division, class or state.
Week 5 brought a shakeup to the power rankings after a pair of top 10 matchups produced thrilling one-score finishes. One team drops out of the new rankings, and a GCL-South team returns to the top 10.
Here are the top 10 area teams heading into Week 6.
10. Moeller
Previous ranking: NR
Week 5: Win over St. Xavier (30-15)
Moeller has a one-score loss to Princeton and a loss to Kentucky powerhouse Louisville Trinity thus far. Since falling to the Shamrocks, Moeller has won back-to-back games and opened
Greater Catholic League-South play with an impressive 30-15 road victory over St. Xavier in a game they controlled in the second half (tied 7-7 at halftime). Moeller hopes to have found something in sophomore signal-caller Hunter McLaughlin, who threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns against the Bombers. He had two touchdowns (one rushing) in Week 4. Moeller is on the road against La Salle in Week 6 before hosting Elder at Welcome Stadium in Week 7.
Week 6: Moeller (3-2) at La Salle (3-2)
9. Wyoming
Previous ranking: No. 10
Week 5: Win over Taylor (21-13)
Wyoming was in, perhaps, a letdown spot after its three-overtime thriller over Indian Hill in Week 4. Facing a Taylor team that had lost by 10, 34 and 27 points this season, Wyoming ground out a 21-13 victory on the road. Taylor outgained Wyoming (279-254), but the Cowboys held off the Yellowjackets. David Dupee threw a touchdown pass to Donovan Brown (97 receiving yards) while Jonas Whalen and Tyler Johnson-Huff each ran for a touchdown. Brown and Brylan Miltenberger are the CHL's leading receivers with a combined 817 yards. The Cowboys remain undefeated and will be at home for three of their next four contests, beginning in Week 6 against Mariemont.
Week 6: Mariemont (3-2) at Wyoming (5-0)
8. Badin
Previous ranking: No. 6
Week 5: Loss to La Salle (27-14)
In a big regional matchup against La Salle, Badin couldn’t overcome a poor first half and suffered its first September loss since 2019 (Talawanda). The Rams trailed 24-7 after two quarters as the Lancers racked up 199 rushing yards and held Badin to 4 of 12 on third down. Badin also turned the ball over twice with a pair of interceptions. Running back Chase Even ran for 147 yards and a score. The junior is averaging 115.4 yards per game this season. Badin should get right in Week 6 as they open GCL-Coed play at home against Chaminade Julienne, a team they’ve beaten six consecutive times.
Week 6: Chaminade Julienne (1-4) at Badin (4-1)
7. Winton Woods
Previous ranking: No. 7
Week 5: Win over Walnut Hills (54-0)
As expected, Winton Woods faced little resistance as it rolled over winless Walnut Hills at home. The Warriors led 40-0 at halftime and outgained the Eagles, 404-199. Quarterback Josiiah Jones completed just seven passes, but threw for 201 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers (Jayon Shelton, Carleon Thomas, Quinton Simms and Greg Lawrence). Since losing by a point to Springfield in the season opener, Winton Woods has won four straight in ECC play by an average of 37.2 points. The Warriors are on the road the next two weeks while all eyes are on a potential Eastern Cincinnati Conference championship game in Week 9 against Anderson.
Week 6: Winton Woods (4-1) at Little Miami (3-2)
6. Lakota West
Previous ranking: No. 5
Week 5: Loss to Princeton (27-24)
It’s hard to drop the Firebirds too far in the rankings after losing a coin-flip game to Princeton in Lockland. The game featured seven lead changes before Princeton notched the game-winning score with 3:20 remaining and Lakota West turned the ball over on downs in the final minute. The game had Greater Miami Conference title and Division I, Region 4 implications. Quarterback Jackson Smith threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns to Karmelo Jordan and running back Kenyon Norman ran for 128 tough yards on 32 attempts. Lakota West’s defense forced six turnovers, but the Firebirds were held to just 5 of 17 combined yards on third and fourth down. Lakota West will try to bounce back in Week 6 when it hosts Fairfield.
Week 6: Fairfield (2-3) at Lakota West (4-1)
5. Beechwood
Previous ranking: No. 8
Week 5: Win over Covington Catholic (42-35)
Beechwood jumps into the top 5 after securing its first win over Covington Catholic since 2021 and first on the road since 2014. The Tigers passed a big test in this Northern Kentucky showdown between two schools separated by just a few miles. Beechwood got a combined six touchdowns from Nate Pabst and Tyler Fryman. Pabst had four rushing scores and caught another from quarterback Emmett Queen. Beechwood, the top-ranked Class 2A team, visits Owen County in Week 6.
Week 6: Beechwood (4-0) at Owen County (2-2)
4. Highlands
Previous ranking: No. 4
Week 5: Win over Ryle (28-0)
Highlands should be well rested heading into the second half of the season after its win over Ryle was called at halftime due to weather. The Bluebirds’ defense notched a shutout while Bryce Armstrong had a long touchdown run and threw another to Cale Harris. Tayden Lorenzen also scored on the ground to help Highlands win its fourth straight game. Highlands will now host winless Harrison County before facing Covington Catholic and Elder in back-to-back weeks.
Week 6: Harrison County (0-5) at Highlands (4-1)
3. Anderson
Previous ranking: No. 3
Week 5: Win over Kings (49-33)
It wasn’t as lopsided as its previous league affairs, but Anderson got out to a 31-7 second quarter lead and won a high-scoring affair over Kings for its fourth straight victory. Another big night for the Anderson offense was spoiled by four turnovers and 91 yards in penalties. Still, the Raptors got 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Jordan Davis. Quarterback Owen Scalf threw for 230 yards, ran for 32 more and combined for three scores. Anderson and Winton Woods are the only unbeaten teams remaining in ECC play (4-0). They won’t meet until Oct. 16. Anderson is on the road at Milford next.
Week 6: Anderson (4-1) at Milford (1-4)
2. Princeton
Previous ranking: No. 2
Week 5: Win over Lakota West (27-24)
Princeton stands alone atop the Greater Miami Conference after winning a three-point thriller over Lakota West. The Vikings were able to pull out a close win despite being penalized 11 times for 106 yards and turning the ball over six times. They did not record a takeaway, but did turn Lakota West over on downs three times. When in doubt, Princeton turned to its ground game as quarterback Monsanna Torbert ran for 188 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Hall ran 13 times for 83 yards and two fourth-quarter scores to help Princeton prevail. Princeton can’t afford a let-down spot after taking control of the conference. The Vikings visit Lakota East in Week 6. The Thunderhawks have won three straight after falling on the road to Lakota West in Week 2.
Week 6: Princeton (5-0) at Lakota East (4-1)
1. Elder
Previous ranking: No. 1
Week 5: Win over Louisville St. Xavier (31-0)
No surprise here whatsoever. Elder continues to pass every test thrown at them with flying colors as it moves to 5-0. There’s a lot of well-deserved praise for the high-scoring Elder offense behind quarterback Kaden Estep, who threw two touchdowns in Week 5 to Andrew Lyman while Andrew Tallen ran for two scores. But how about the Elder defense? The Panthers have shut out back-to-back opponents and have held four of five opponents overall to seven points or fewer. Elder has four players with at least 2.5 sacks this season, including junior linebacker Brayden Tepe, who ranks third in the GCL-South in total tackles (44) and second in tackles for loss (6.5). Elder remains at The Pit in Week 6, looking to avenge last year’s heartbreaking playoff loss to the St. Xavier Bombers.
Week 6: St. Xavier (2-3) at Elder (5-0)
Missed the cut: East Central (4-1), Covington Catholic (3-2), Indian Hill (3-2), North College Hill (4-0), Lloyd (5-0), Harrison (5-0), La Salle (3-2), Deer Park (5-0), St. Bernard (5-0), Hughes (5-0), Lawrenceburg (4-1), Holy Cross (4-0)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Moeller enters the fray in Week 6 Cincinnati football power rankings
