High school football across Greater Cincinnati is creeping towards the postseason. With just three games remaining for most teams, Week 7 saw the playoff picture grow clearer as conference races were decided and teams made history on the field.
The Greater Catholic League-South crowned a champion in a thriller between Moeller and Elder at Dayton's Welcome Stadium. A Northern Kentucky program elevated itself as a bona fide title contender, while other programs remained undefeated for the first time in decades.
Here are the top things we learned from Week 7 high school football across Greater Cincinnati.
Moeller wins GCL-South title with impressive offense, clutch defense in 35-28 win over Elder
For most of their rivalry showdown with Elder, the only people stopping the Moeller offense was the Crusaders themselves.
The offense needed one
more drive to win a title, though, and got it as running back Juice Glover-Brown broke free up the middle for a 26-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left. That gave Moeller a 35-28 win over Elder at Welcome Stadium, and gave the Crusaders the Greater Catholic League-South title for the fourth time in five years. Both teams left Dayton with 5-2 records.
“This win means everything to me and my guys,” said senior offensive lineman Kal-El Johnson, a Georgia Tech commit. “We worked hard, man. We had this circle on our calendar since we lost to them (last year). This means so much to me. I love my brothers and we did what we had to do.”
Glover-Brown rushed for three touchdowns and had several runs of 20 or more yards, totaling 205 yards on 28 carries. Phil Bailey also had multiple big runs for the Crusaders and had 109 yards total on nine tries. Hunter McLaughlin threw TD passes to Jayden Davis and Dean Schnitzler and threw for 192 yards in the game as Moeller gained 544 yards to 406 for the Panthers.
“Juice, I'm so happy for Juice,” Johnson said. “He ran crazy. And don't forget all the other skilled players. Everybody did amazing today, especially Hunter.”
Moeller had a fast start, leading 14-0 and limiting Elder to two first downs on its first two drives. Moeller led 21-13 at the half with five drives, three for touchdowns. On one, the Crusaders had a third-and-one and couldn’t convert, and missed a short field goal. At the end of the half, Moeller had a touchdown pass waved off by a penalty, and didn’t score on the next play to end the half, up 21-13.
After a slow start, Elder senior Kaden Estep threw long TD passes to Jason Forte and Chase Walpole. A long pass to Andrew Lyman set up a Walpole TD catch. Estep led a game-tying drive with three minutes to go, directing the Panthers 81 yards for a TD run, and throwing a two-point pass to Andrew Tallen to tie the game at 28.
That put pressure on the Moeller offense to deliver.
“That situation's a little unique because you feel the urgency to go score. But at the same time, they have three timeouts,” Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany said. “If you mess around and leave time on the clock, you could go score and then give it up to them. So it was the balancing act of being efficient on offense, still being able to run the football, completing the ball, and then let that clock roll and just try to get down the field to have a chance for it. We probably scored too fast, honestly.”
Bathiany praised the running game and McLaughlin’s ability to find other receivers as the Panthers blanketed star receiver Reggie Watson, who had three catches for 43 yards.
“Juice, Phil Bailey, and then how about Tristan Jackson coming back off of injury?" Bathiany said. "Our tight end lead blocking. Jackson Meerdink battling through injuries to go block and our offensive line doing an awesome job. Our receivers, I'm really proud of them. Reggie Watson usually gets the ball a lot, but he drew a lot of attention his way.”
Moeller had a rough start with losses to Princeton and Louisville Trinity in the first three games. But the Crusaders have won four straight and are squarely in the mix for the Division I, Region 4 title in what should be a wild and competitive tournament.
“After those two losses, we just came together,” Johnson said. “We fixed what we had to fix, we're all set. We're going for state.”
Estep completed 21-of-27 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns. Moeller sacked him four times at key moments. Lyman had 10 catches for 129 yards.
“I don't think anyone does it better than Coach (Doug) Ramsey on the offensive side and just getting the ball to their good players and having explosive plays,” Bathiany said. “All their guys are really, really good. So that was the main point is like we had to establish the run and keep the ball away from them. It's a GCL game. They're good. X is good. That's how it always is, right? It doesn't matter what your records are, doesn't matter what happened last week. It's just a battle between these two teams. What’s crazy is that team has had two losses in a row and they're one of the best teams in the state. They’re gonna be a handful in the playoffs.”
Highlands makes another statement in road win over Covington Catholic
Highlands’ record might show one loss, but you can make the case the Bluebirds are one of the hottest teams in Kentucky.
Highlands’ lone blemish this fall was a season-opening loss on the road to Frederick Douglass, the No. 2 team in Class 6A behind Louisville Trinity.
Since then, Highlands, the top-ranked team in Class 4A has won six straight by an average of 36.3 points per game. In Friday’s Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown in Park Hills, Highlands dominated from the jump in a 38-20 win over Covington Catholic.
The Bluebirds grabbed momentum on the opening snap when senior Gabe Williams made a diving interception by the home sideline. It set up Bryce Armstrong’s first rushing touchdown and Highlands never looked back. Williams made another momentous play to open the second half, breaking several tackles on a 41-yard touchdown run that put Highlands up three scores.
Armstrong would unofficially complete 7 of 11 passes while running for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Elsewhere, junior Colt Kremer had a highlight-reel 21-yard touchdown run to put Highlands up 14-0. He also broke a 36-yard touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter to put Highlands up, 38-7, and was named the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown MVP.
Kremer had several defensive contributions, including a fourth-down sack. The Bluebirds forced two turnovers and turned the Colonels over on downs twice. Tayden Lorenzen, who had 51 scrimmage yards on 10 touches, had two sacks and senior Cooper Benke recovered a redzone fumble.
“It’s a statement win,” Williams said. “Beating Boyle (County), 41-21, beating the (Covington Catholic) Colonels at their stadium. This is a great feeling.”
Highlands will look to make it seven in a row when they host Elder in Week 8.
CCPA, Dayton, Deer Park historic starts headlines undefeated teams
For the first time in school history, the Dayton Greendevils are 6-0. Having previously matched their best-ever start at 5-0, last achieved in 2020, a dominant 43-12 win against Iroquois has the Greendevils in unchartered waters. Dayton entered the statewide rankings (No. 9 in 1A) for the first time this past week, and could climb even higher after the big win.
Deer Park is having a historic run as well, 7-0 for the first time since the 1981 squad went 10-0. The Wildcats started slowly against Mariemont, leading 3-0 at halftime, but relied on staunch defense for a 17-0 shutout win. The way the schedule works out, Deer Park has a good chance to pick up another win next week before its toughest tests against Indian Hill and Wyoming.
Cincinnati College Preparatory is 7-0 for the first time in school history. The Lions survived Dayton Christian 26-21, continuing an already record-setting year. CCPA had never gone 5-0 in a season before.
Goshen has its first 7-0 start since at least 2004 thanks to a 48-7 win against New Richmond. The Warriors offense has been dominant in each win, scoring no fewer than 34 points in a game. It's Goshen's best run since 2007, when the team rebounded from an opening loss to go 8-0 in conference play.
Elsewhere in Cincinnati, Princeton christened its brand-new stadium with a 47-0 shutout of Mason to improve to 7-0. Sticking in the Cincinnati Hills League, Wyoming improved to 7-0 with a 41-7 win over Madeira. North College Hill proved it's legit with a 43-3 win against Summit Country Day to remain perfect, now 6-0 for the first time since 2010. Hughes cruised past Taft, 38-6, for its first 7-0 start in five years.
Also undefeated in Kentucky is Beechwood, which is 6-0 after blowing out Walton-Verona 63-7. The Tigers only close game came in a 42-35 win against Covington Catholic; otherwise, Beechwood has outscored its opponents 250-10.
Top individual performers from week 7 of Greater Cincinnati high school football
Bryce Armstrong, Highlands: Armstrong unofficially ran for 102 yards, threw for 75 more and scored two touchdowns as Highlands rolled to a 38-20 road win over Covington Catholic.
Kaden Estep, Elder: He threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 35-28 loss to Moeller.
Anquan Evans, Oak Hills: The senior had his second-straight 150-yard rushing game, gaining 159 yards and three touchdowns on 19 attempts.
Roman Garr, Colerain: Garr was 26-of-44 passing for 352 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in a 41-23 win at Sycamore.
Juice Glover-Brown, Moeller: He rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns in the Crusaders’ 35-28 win over Elder.
Karmelo Jordan, Lakota West: In a 25-0 win at Middletown, he had five receptions for 135 yards and a 67-yard touchdown.
Nile Knutson, Lakota East: The Thunderhawks nearly mounted a 20-point comeback in a 35-31 loss at Fairfield as Knutson threw for 443 yards and three touchdowns.
Colt Kremer, Highlands: The junior was named the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown MVP after running for 71 yards and two touchdowns in Highlands' 38-20 win over Covington Catholic.
Brady Lawhon, Harrison: He led Harrison to a 49-13 win against Mount Healthy, going 12-of-16 in the air for 306 yards and four touchdowns.
Ben Markarian, Harrison: He caught just two passes in the 49-13 win against Mount Healthy, but both went for scores of 95 and 43 yards.
Lorenzo McMullen, Jr., Princeton: He hauled in 10 catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-0 win over Mason.
Ryan Minges, East Central: He set a new career-best with six rushing touchdowns in a 70-27 win over Connersville. He also eclipsed 3,000 rushing yards in his career.
Tayt Moore, Hamilton: Despite a 42-14 loss to Oak Hills, Moore had seven receptions for 186 yards and a touchdown. He also had a rushing score.
Kenyon Norman, Lakota West: Norman now has 1,181 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns this season after gaining 145 yards and four scores in a 35-0 win over Middletown.
Logan Schmenk, Lebanon: The senior had his third 200-yard rushing game in the 39-29 win over Milford. He had 30 rushes for 256 yards and two scores.
Lincoln Schreiber, Oak Hills: The senior quarterback was 21-for-22 with 330 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-14 win at Hamilton.
Oliver Young, Kings: In a 20-19 loss to Little Miami, Young ran 26 times for 234 yards and a touchdown.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Week 7 takeaways and top performers from high school football
