The penultimate week of the high school football regular season brought a host of surprising results that continued to shuffle the playoff picture in Cincinnatiand Northern Kentucky.
Here are the top storylines from around Greater Cincinnati.
Anderson pulls away from Winton Woods for Eastern Cincinnati Conference 3-peat
For the last seven weeks, Anderson and Winton Woods have been on a collision course for a Week 9 showdown to decide which program would claim the top spot in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.
Both squads suffered season-opening losses, then ran roughshod over the rest of the ECC for nearly two months before the schools met along Forest Road Friday.
The two playoff-bound programs went blow-for-blow for nearly 30 minutes, but Anderson's high-flying offense was too much to overcome as the Raptors turned a one-possession
game at halftime (20-14) into a comfortable 47-21 victory to win its third straight ECC crown. Anderson has won the last four meetings against Winton Woods dating back to 2022 and 32 consecutive conference contests.
Anderson quarterback Owen Scalf threw six touchdowns − three each to seniors Cooper Kathman and Tysin Weaver, who crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the second consecutive year. Weaver had a career-high four receiving touchdowns, with his second coming on a trick play where running back Jordan Davis hit him for a 55-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Anderson, which has clinched at least a top 8 seed in Division II, Region 8, will try to sweep ECC opponents for a third consecutive year when it hosts Loveland (2-7) in Week 10.
La Salle playing its way back into Division II, Region 8 playoffs
The Lancers jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead over Harrison and hung on for a 24-20 win to make a late-season statement in their quest for a playoff spot.
Garrett Fraley and Naseer Salaam got La Salle out of the gates, connecting for a 50-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game. After the defense forced a turnover on downs, Fraley found Tyler Roby for a 36-yard touchdown down the sideline.
The Lancers got their largest lead of the night thanks to two athletic catches from senior Jack McLaughlin. His diving 29-yard reception put La Salle in Harrison territory, and then a 20-yard touchdown capped a dominant opening 16 minutes.
But Harrison wouldn’t go down easily. A Trey Getty 45-yard reception kicked off a drive that ended in a Brady Lawhon five-yard score. Derek Rehage went to the playbook and surprised La Salle with an onside kick. The Wildcats recovered and got within one score thanks to a 25-yard strike to Kyle Davidson.
The Wildcats got within one point at the end of the third quarter on a 40-yard pass from Lawhon to Davidson, but they would fumble the game-tying extra point.
La Salle’s defense held strong in the final quarter, even after spending extended time on the field after the onside kick and two interceptions. The Lancers held Harrison to 92 rushing yards, 12 first downs, and forced their second turnover on downs with 1:33 remaining to seal the win.
Harrison is still in good position for a first-round bye but will need to beat a resurgent Northwest team in Week 10 to seal that deal.
Indian Hill hands Deer Park its first loss to improve to 7-2
Indian Hill has been rolling since losing 48-47 to Wyoming to open Cincinnati Hills League play in Week 4.
After four lopsided wins in CHL play, the Braves held off a scrappy Deer Park team, 42-22, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season. Indian Hill improved to 7-2 and could win a share of the CHL title by beating Reading next week and having Deer Park knock off Wyoming.
“It was a good win,” senior Devlan Daniel said. “It was a hard-fought game, a little chippy, but we fought hard and got the win.”
Daniel and junior running back Jacob Alexander handled the offense, having a hand in five of the six touchdowns and posting strong games on the ground. Alexander went over 1,000 yards for the season. Daniel threw a TD pass to Sam Metz and had big runs of his own.
“He’s getting better every week,” Daniel said of Alexander. “He’s elusive, he’s being more patient with his reads, and he’s explosive. He really takes a load off me.”
The Wildcats kept giving themselves a chance behind their stars Tink Sellers, Caden Lewis, Morgan Brown and Braylon Dennis. Dennis had a kick return for a touchdown. Sellers, the QB, led sustained drives but the Braves stopped them at key moments. Lewis had two touchdown catches and kicked a field goal.
Indian Hill was ninth in the Division III, Region 12 computer ratings heading into the night. They clinched a playoff spot tonight and will look to make a run after reaching the Division IV regional final last year.
“We just have to trust the coaches, trust what they tell us, and keep working hard,” said Daniel, who had a memorable Senior Night. “It was an emotional night. It really hit me that I won’t be playing with these guys much more. They are my brothers. We’ve been playing together for a long time.”
Elder continues redemption run against top out-of-state opponents
At midseason, Elder seemed poised to cruise into the playoffs unimpeded. The Panthers were 5-0, had arguably the best resume in Cincinnati with wins against perennial powers, and, more importantly, had blasted every team they played by 31 or more.
Then the brunt of the Greater Catholic League-South season came around. With a last-second stunning loss to St. Xavier and a back-and-forth loss to Moeller, Elder was no longer invincible. How would the Panthers respond to real adversity for the first time in 2026?
So far, the plan seems to be simple. Just keep winning against the best teams around. After knocking off Highlands last week on a walk-off field goal, Elder welcomed Indianapolis Bishop Chatard to The Pit. The Trojans were the No. 9 team in Indiana, sitting at 7-1, and hadn't given up more than two touchdowns all season.
"I was very worried about this game," Elder head coach Doug Ramsey said. "That's a quality team. Their run game is really good, and they're good defensively."
Elder's offense responded well to the challenge in a 31-21 win. The Panthers ran in a touchdown on their opening drive, threw for a score on the second drive, and raced down field in under a minute to punch in another rushing score on possession No. 3. It was a highly efficient showing, with Kaden Estep once again orchestrating the performance under center. Estep was responsible for all four Elder touchdowns against Chatard, running for three and throwing to Chase Walpole for another.
Elder's defense, on the other hand, didn't get off to such a hot start. Elder had multiple opportunities to get off the field in the first half, but couldn't come up with the third-down stop on back-to-back Chatard scoring drives. After halftime, however, the Panthers' adjustments clearly made an impact as the Trojans' final four possessions yielded one score, two punts and an interception.
"First half, I wasn't happy," Ramsey said, "but I thought much better in the second. If you make plays and get off the field on third down, you give the offense another chance."
Now with back-to-back wins against top regional contenders, Elder seems fully back to juggernaut status as the team marches toward the playoffs.
Only four undefeated teams remain
Week 9 was not kind to teams looking to keep a zero in the loss column. Greater Cincinnati entered Friday night with eight unbeaten teams; it leaves with just four.
Deer Park saw its hopes of an undefeated season crumble against Indian Hill, falling into a two-score deficit early in a 42-22 loss. Goshen only mustered a touchdown in a 27-7 loss to Wilmington, and Hughes couldn't keep up with Withrow in a 35-16 defeat. Dayton fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in a 47-7 loss against Newport Central Catholic as the Thoroughbreds picked up a 10th consecutive win against the Greendevils.
Still standing are Beechwood, Princeton, North College Hill and Wyoming, all of whom put up dominant performances and were never at risk. Beechwood defeated Gallatin County 69-0, Princeton took down Oak Hills 39-7, North College Hill had an eye-popping 70-0 win against Cincinnati Country Day, and Wyoming posted a 49-0 shutout of Reading.
Update on Cincinnati's 2026 football playoff picture heading into Week 10
The playoff picture is starting to take shape heading into the final week of the regular season next weekend. Joe Eitel has updated the OHSAA computer ratings on his web site as the night has gone on.
In Division I, four teams in the Greater Miami Conference were battling it out on the playoff bubble, coming into tonight with 4-4 records.
Lakota East beat Colerain 41-23 to give itself a great shot at making the playoffs. Both teams were just outside the bubble coming in, ranking 13th and 14th in the computer rankings. East plays 1-8 Sycamore next week and Colerain plays 3-6 Mason.
Oak Hills, 12th coming in, dropped out of playoff position after losing to Princeton, 39-7. Fairfield, 11th, helped its cause with a 47-20 win over Hamilton but won't gain much from Hamilton’s 1-8 record. The Highlanders face 8-1 Lakota West next week and would clinch a spot with a win, according to Eitel. Eitel says Fairfield, Middletown and Little Miami clinch spots with wins next week, but Fairfield plays Princeton.
Little Miami edged Milford 21-13 to earn its first winning season since joining the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in 2019. The Panthers, 6-3, are in 11th place. Mason upset 5-3 Middletown to keep its hopes alive at 3-6.
In Division II, Anderson moved up to first place and solidified its hold on a first-round bye by beating 7-1 Winton Woods, 47-21. La Salle and Withrow, on the bubble going in, picked up huge wins and rose in the standings. La Salle beat 7-1 Harrison and Withrow beat 8-0 Hughes. Turpin dropped to 12th after losing to Kings, which leapfrogged them into 11th. Both play 1-8 teams next week.
In DIII, McNicholas beat Fenwick to jump to fifth, and Hughes fell out of bye position after losing to Withrow. Indian Hill clinched a spot with a win over 8-0 Deer Park. Monroe, in 12th place, put itself in a good place with a win over Ross and will clinch a spot with a win over Edgewood, according to Eitel.
In DIV, New Richmond, 12th place going in, helped its cause with a 53-26 win over Batavia and moved up to 10th. Wilmington gave itself a shot at a home game with a 27-7 upset of previously unbeaten Goshen. Wyoming, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and North College Hill stayed in bye position with big wins tonight.
In Division V, Mariemont gave itself a chance by beating Finneytown. Mariemont is in 13th and would need to beat Madeira next week to have a shot at the playoffs. Williamsburg won to keep a comfortable hold on a bye position. Waynesville, third in the region, beat 4-4 Eaton to help its cause. Fenwick climbed to fourth place in a bye position despite its loss to McNicholas. Summit Country Day, in sixth place, plays a 1-7 Miller team from Division VII, which might hurt its cause.
In Division VI, Deer Park’s loss to Indian Hill dropped them out of bye position to sixth place. They were in fourth place entering the night. Miami Valley Christian Academy, currently 14th, could really help its cause by beating 7-1 St. Bernard-Elmwood Place Saturday.
In Division VII, Cincinnati Country Day moved up a spot to seventh after a loss to 8-0 North College Hill.
Who had some top stat lines in Week 9 of Greater Cincinnati high school football?
Caleb Abshire, West Clermont: He ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries in a 40-21 win against Loveland.
Bryce Armstrong, Highlands: The sophomore was 11-of-13 for 272 yards and five touchdowns as the Bluebirds beat Mason County 61-0.
Walker Brewsaugh, Little Miami: In a 28-13 win at Milford, Brewsaugh scored all four of Little Miami’s touchdowns, running 31 times for 151 yards.
Kaden Estep, Elder: The senior quarterback threw for 202 yards and a score, also rushing for 75 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-21 win against the No. 9 team in Indiana, Bishop Chatard.
Jordan Hall, Princeton: Hall averaged nearly 20 yards per carry in the 39-7 win against Oak Hills, rushing six times for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
Mack Linich, CHCA: The Eagles beat Roger Bacon 48-13 in the Crosstown Showdown featured game, rushing 15 times for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Caden Lewis, Deer Park: In the Wildcats' first loss of the season, 42-22 to Indian Hill, he did a little bit of everything. He had seven catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns, made a field goal, and completed a 46-yard pass on a fake punt.
Ben Markarian, Harrison: He made three tackles, was a dangerous kickoff returner, and made his city-leading sixth and seventh interceptions of the season against La Salle.
Max Miller, Springboro: Playing for the first time since Week 3, the senior was 27-for-39 for 371 yards and three touchdowns with another score on the ground.
Kenyon Norman, Lakota West: Norman had 16 carries for 127 yards and five touchdowns as Lakota West cruised to a 63-13 win at Sycamore. The Northwestern commit is up to 1,490 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Charles Oglesby, Holy Cross: He ran 10 times for 129 yards and a touchdown in the 49-6 win over Trimble County.
Logan Schmenk, Lebanon: The senior ran 12 times for 193 yards and four touchdowns in Lebanon’s 49-7 win against Walnut Hills. He’s run an even 200 yards this season for 1,399 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Gianni Simpson, Princeton: The senior had two interceptions in a 39-7 win over Oak Hills, giving him six for the year.
Tysin Weaver, Anderson: The senior had a career-high four receiving touchdowns in Anderson's 47-21 win over Winton Woods.
Mason Wheeler, Fairfield: Fairfield beat Hamilton 47-20 due in part to Wheeler’s 177 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
Oliver Young, Kings: He continued his outstanding season with 165 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in the Knights' 48-7 win over Turpin.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top storylines from Week 9 of Greater Cincinnati high school football
