The action in week 3 of the Greater Cincinnati high school football season was as hot as the weather.
With the regular season about one-third of the way done, conference races in Ohio are starting to take shape. In Kentucky, district contenders are starting to emerge as well.
Here's a recap of some of the top action in the Tri-state, as well as what we learned as the season moves forward.
Newport Central Catholic, Walton-Verona spoil chances at history for Boone County, Ludlow
When Asa LaGrand's 45-yard touchdown to Amare Newberry gave Boone County a 21-7 lead with less than one minute left in the first half, it looked like the Rebels were headed for their first 3-0 start since 2011.
They had taken advantage of several Thoroughbred miscues and were moving the ball well thanks to LeGrand and Malik Johnson.
But NewCath struck right back.
A 19-yard pass from Parker Hurtt to Van Hundemer cut the halftime deficit to 21-14. Then Thomas Tweheus returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown to get within a point.
To the delight of NewCath fans and the dismay or Rebel supporters, the 'Breds flipped the score to 34-21 by the end of the third quarter, punctuated by Will Stevie's 20-yard scoop-and-score.
"It started off a little slow. We didn't help ourselves too much with turnovers, kind of put ourselves in a hole. Coach (Dan) Court does a great job. Boone County came out and they were on fire. They did a great job in the first half, but we settled the ship a little bit, calmed our nerves and were able to control the offensive line," NewCath head coach Terry Brown said.
While the 'Breds couldn't take care of the ball in the first half, it was those same miscues that doomed the Rebels. Four lost fumbles led to 21 NewCath points, including touchdown runs of 2 yards and 70 yards from freshman Garry Rowland.
"I know the program's gonna be great moving forward, no matter what happens to it. We got a lot of great young guys that are pouring their heart into it. If they start early, they're gonna be amazing when they're upperclassmen," Stevie said.
The win was also Brown's first in his return to his alma mater. After scoring 10 total points in its first two games, NewCath nearly doubled up Boone County in the 55-28 win.
"It's a lot of weight off the shoulders and off the chest. I knew it eventually was going to come and like I tell the kids all the time, the wins will if you take care of the small things," Brown said.
Boone County will look to rebound against Walton-Verona while NewCath will look to start a winning streak when it hosts Conner.
Speaking of Walton-Verona, the Bearcats hosted Ludlow, which was looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2018. It wasn't to be, though, as the Bearcats shut out the Panthers, 33-0, for their first win of the season.
Ludlow must rebound quickly before it hosts Dayton in week 4. The Greendevils are averaging 46 points per game and have allowed one touchdown in three games.
Lakota East holds off Oak Hills after tough week
Facing a second-and-25 after a bad exchange on a handoff, and the prospect of blowing a 24-point lead, Jon Kitna could have gone conservative with his play-calling.
Instead, the Lakota East head coach dialed up two pass plays for his junior quarterback Nile Knutson. He delivered with 15-yard passes to Jayden Williams and Braxton Thurman for a first down, helping the Thunderhawks run down the clock and keep the lead against Oak Hills for a 31-28 win.
Knutson threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
“Our quarterback is good,” Kitna said. “And it's unfortunate with the weather and the balls were slick and all that stuff, but he just hangs in there. We trust that kid. I mean, he's the best quarterback in the GMC.”
Both teams are 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the Greater Miami Conference. The Highlanders missed a chance to start 3-0 for the first time since 2003. They haven’t had a winning season since 2006.
Lakota East had a challenging week coming off a disheartening 30-point loss to district rival Lakota West. Kitna’s team wasn’t able to practice this week due to the oppressive heat. Oak Hills was able to practice indoors.
“That's a good football team that we played tonight,” Kitna said. “They’re 2-0 for a reason. We’ve got a bunch of young guys that haven't played that are learning to play. And I'm proud of those guys, man. We got to get better. Everybody does this time of year.”
East led 31-7 at halftime on the strength of a hot offensive start and the defense forcing four turnovers. Williams had two TD catches, one from 43 yards. Carter Jones had a 59-yard TD catch and also rushed for 50 yards in the game. Braylen Taylor had five catches for 63 yards and a TD in the game.
Braxton Thurman, a 5-foot-5 senior, had three catches for 26 yards including that last first down grab, and an interception.
Kitna praised A.J. Fitzstephens, who made three extra points and a 35-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer that turned out to be the winning points. He averaged 30.5 yards on six punts. Bailey Bacher also made a PAT.
Oak Hills made a spirited comeback. Lincoln Schreiber threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns. The bulk of that went to Derion Kidd and Cordell Ball. Ball had 149 yards and two TDs, 32 on a highlight-reel TD grab on a jump ball in the fourth quarter.
Oak Hills got a snap at midfield on the last play, but East pressured Schreiber and didn’t let him get off a Hail Mary.
“We had guys dropping like flies and we hung in there,” Kitna said. “That's a heck of a win. We’re trying to get these guys to understand how to live life. You live life by letting go of what's gone, and not worrying about what's coming, just be here today.”
Goshen improves to 3-0
While a few teams failed to hit the rare 3-0 milestone, the Goshen Warriors got there for the first time since 2017 with a 34-12 win over Aiken. Goshen has outscored its three foes by a total of 123-19. They start league play at Bethel-Tate next week.
Among others still unbeaten, Lebanon started 3-0 for the second straight year with a 34-20 win over West Clermont. They have outscored their opponents 114-44. Logan Schmenk has 644 rushing yards (214.7 per game) and nine TDs.
Harrison is 3-0 for the second time in three seasons after a tough 33-28 win at Beavercreek.
Waynesville is 3-0 for the first time since 2021 after a 52-13 win over Hillsboro.
Badin remains unbeaten with new talent
Badin football has been one of the most reliable forces in Greater Cincinnati over the past six seasons. The Rams won six consecutive Greater Catholic League-Coed championships from 2020-2025, turning in a cumulative record of 67-9 in those seasons. Surely after graduating the conference's player of the year on both offense and defense, regional opponents could expect to see some regression. To their dismay, no such luck.
Edgewood is the latest foe to be disappointed by Badin's reloaded roster. Though the Cougars kept things even in the first half, Rams junior running back Chase Even had his breakout performance to secure a 31-7 win. Even ran for 218 yards, scoring two touchdowns to pull away from Edgewood.
"I wasn't happy with how my first two performances went," Even said. "(Tonight) felt great for me. The run game was wide open and we just took it."
Of course, it was more than just a one-man show for Badin. The defense came away with three turnovers, shutting down several promising Edgewood drives as they neared the red zone.
"(Their effort was) pretty good, coach Schlager always gets those guys playing hard," Badin head coach Nick Yordy said.
Against the same three opponents from last season (Hamilton, Dixie Heights, and Edgewood), Badin has actually posted a better scoring differential than they did in 2025. That this Rams team could lose so much in the offseason and potentially be better regardless? A thought that should send shivers through the GCLC.
Who were the top performers in week 3 of Greater Cincinnati high school football?
Van Hundemer, Newport Central Catholic: The senior had two touchdowns on the ground and one receiving touchdown. He also forced a fumble that led directly to a touchdown, proving to be a valuable part of the Thoroughbreds' comeback victory against Boone County.
Jason Fedor, Covington Catholic: His lone reception was a 51-yard touchdown and he made two tackles in a in victory over Simon Kenton.
Nile Knutson, Lakota East: He threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-28 win over Oak Hills. All four TD passes came in the first half.
Braxton Thurman, Lakota East: In a 31-28 win over Oak Hills, he had three catches for 26 yards, including a first down catch late in the game to help the team run the clock out. He forced a fumble and intercepted a pass on defense.
Cordell Ball, Oak Hills: He had seven catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns against Lakota East.
Kenyon Norman, Lakota West: He rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-10 win over Mason.
Logan Schmenk, Lebanon: He rushed for 224 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-20 win over West Clermont.
Brayden Tepe, Elder: He led the defense with 12 tackles (six solo) and an interception in a 42-7 win over East Central.
Ben Markarian, Harrison: He collected another interception to give him four for the season and led the team with nine tackles in a 33-28 win over Beavercreek.
Chase Even, Badin: He more than doubled his season totals with 218 yards rushing and two running touchdowns in a 31-7 win over Edgewood.
Jordan Hall, Princeton: Hall took the ball 10 times in the 49-6 win over Colerain, gaining 100 yards and scoring four touchdowns.
Terrance Jones Jr., Princeton: Princeton sacked Colerain quarterback Roman Garr six times, including 3.5 sacks from Jones Jr. He finished with 4.5 tackles for a loss as the Cardinals were held to just five rushing yards.
Jacob Alexander, Indian Hill: The junior running back ran 13 times for 132 yards and four touchdowns as Indian Hill beat New Richmond 56-14.
Joey Dahmer, Milford: The senior receiver caught six passes for 120 yards and a touchdown against Winton Woods.
Joshua Thornton, Walnut Hills: Thornton was 14-of-20 through the air for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 143 yards on 22 attempts with two more scores.
Jasiah Feliciano, West Clermont: He caught seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top headlines from week 3 of Greater Cincinnati high school football
