Beautiful weather and a full moon gave Greater Cincinnati the perfect backdrop for Week 2 of high school football.
The season in full swing across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana with first-game jitters out of the way. Top teams are starting to separate from the pack, and standout players are already making their case for awards and accolades.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Cincinnati football in Week 2:
Elder's athleticism on full display against CovCath
Elder didn't wait long to draw first blood in a cross-river showdown of Catholic school powers.
On the Panthers' first offensive play of the game, quarterback Kaden Estep launched a go ball to Andrew Lyman streaking downfield for a 75-yard touchdown. After a 53 yard kickoff return from Kam Bedel put Elder in Colonel territory, Estep scored again
on Elder's second play with a 41-yard dash.
Elder ultimately raced past Covington Catholic, winning 56-20. Though Covington Catholic battled in the first half to stay within striking distance, the Colonels just couldn't keep up with Elder's speed.
"This my 30th year, and I don't think we've ever, on the first play of the game, said 'let's throw the ball deep'," Elder head coach Doug Ramsey said. "Not to say we haven't had good receivers, but he (Lyman) is legit fast."
The advantage for Elder's receiving corps was evident all night on the outside. Lyman finished with 123 yards and two scores on six catches, and fellow senior receiver Chase Walpole was another major weapon with 109 yards on four catches.
With a star quarterback in Estep who can also run the ball, it makes Elder's offense a challenge to slow down. While he was able to throw for 357 yards, Estep was also able to scramble for 106 yards and a score when plays broke down.
"It helps having a two-dimensional team," Walpole said. "It helps being able to spread the offense out with a lot of weapons."
While CovCath came out on the losing end, there was still a lot to be excited about offensively. Junior quarterback Dylan Courtney put up big numbers to keep the Colonels' alive into halftime; he threw for 314 yards and two scores. Senior Jason Fedor was his top target, recording 146 yards. That included a 74-yard touchdown after Courtney escaped pressure.
Though Elder's picked up some lopsided wins, it hasn't been against an easy schedule. They bested 2025 state semifinalist Middletown and perennial Northern Kentucky power CovCath. In week three, they host Indiana state title contender East Central (2-0).
Covington Catholic will look to rebound in Week 3 as it hosts Simon Kenton (2-0).
New year, same Beechwood offense and better defense
In what was billed as one of the premier matchups in week 2, the Tigers made quick work of Indian Hill.
With a 21-0 lead after 12 minutes, a 35-0 lead at halftime and an eventual 42-0 win, Beechwood didn't just make a statement, it put the rest of Kentucky's Class 2A teams on notice.
The onslaught started from the jump as Nathan Pabst returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. On the next drive, Tyler Fryman accounted for all 63 positive yards, including a 47-yard touchdown run.
The defense, meanwhile, has grown leaps and bounds from the preseason, and from when Noel Rash returned in mid-May. It allowed Indian Hill to cross the 50-yard line just three times, forced four turnovers on downs and thoroughly contained Devlan Daniel and Jacob Alexander, who combined for 235 rushing yards in the Braves' week 1 win.
"We've got a long way to go and we've got mountains to climb, and we will. The film will show the things we've got to fix. I know the scoreboard shows a dominating performance, and it was for the most part, but we've got things to fix," Rash said.
Rash called himself the "worst bye week coach in America," but having week 1 off clearly benefitted the Tigers. They'll now face a Dixie Heights team that has lost its first two games by a combined 58 points, then a dangerous Simon Kenton team, followed by the annual rivalry with Covington Catholic.
Indian Hill faces New Richmond in week 3 before getting into Cincinnati Hills League play and will have to focus on getting more multifaceted on offense.
Lakota West gets revenge in a big way over Lakota East
Last season, Lakota East pulled out its first win over Lakota West since 2018. A team that has been turned around under Jon Kitna (16-8 over the last two seasons), took the short drive to West Chester Friday for a sold-out district rivalry tilt to begin GMC play.
Lakota West not only got its revenge but did it in running-clock fashion as the Firebirds used a big third quarter to pull away from the Thunderhawks, 48-18.
"It feels good. We had a chip on our shoulder last year. This is a different team this year," quarterback Jackson Smith said. "I think our coaches would attest to that and we're all playing for each other."
Running back Kenyon Norman, a Northwestern commit, led an explosive Lakota West offense with career highs in rushing yards (262) and touchdowns (4). After a 72-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Norman opened the second-half scoring with a 75-yard touchdown. He later ran for a 28-yard score late in the third quarter, shedding multiple tacklers on his way to the endzone.
“He’s that guy. He’s a special young man,” Lakota West head coach Tom Bolden said of Norman. “A lot of great running backs. That kid is different. He’s the best I’ve seen.”
Lakota West’s offense was able to score through the air, too. Quarterback Jackson Smith connected on a pair of 35-yard touchdown passes to speedy senior wide receiver Karmelo Jordan on consecutive possessions to break the game wide open in the third quarter.
“We’ve been grinding together in the summer for four years straight,” Jordan said of his chemistry with Smith. “We didn’t even have practice. We would come out on Saturdays and Sundays in the offseason and just throw the ball. Not a lot of quarterback-receiver duos are gonna do that in Cincinnati. I’m just glad that we worked on it.”
Harrison posts second straight shutout
Harrison improved to 2-0 with an impressive 28-0 win over McNicholas. The Wildcats rolled up 442 yards offense to 154 for the Rockets. Harrison has yet to allow a point after beating Milford, 35-0, last week.
Brady Lawhon threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 92 yards and a score.
The Wildcats intercepted four passes, one by Ben Markarian, his third of the season.
East Central knocks off top-ranked New Palestine in playoff rematch
East Central won at New Palestine, 14-6, in a rematch of New Pal’s 5A playoff win last year on its way to a state title. East Central is 4A this year, and both teams were top-ranked in the Indiana coaches poll in their classes.
East Central had a 21-play TD drive before halftime to take a 7-6 lead. Chase McCracken got a key interception, the Trojans got a goal-line stand, and blocked a field goal to keep the lead. Colton Bellman scored on a 35-yard run to make it 14-6. Anderson Deters intercepted a short pass in the endzone on the final play to preserve the win.
East Central, 2-0, visits The Pit next week to play 2-0 Elder.
Anderson gives Evan Dreyer 100th career win
Anderson rolled over West Clermont 70-19, giving head coach Evan Dreyer his 100th career win. The Raptors sprinted to a 42-0 lead after one quarter and 56-6 at halftime, racking up 556 yards to 203 for the Wolves. Individual stats weren’t immediately available as the Raptors let out some frustration from last week’s lopsided loss to Louisville Trinity.
Dreyer is 100-29 with Anderson.
Colerain scores most points since 2021
Colerain defeated Hamilton 41-7 for the first win of the season, putting out offense at that pace for the first time in five years.
Colerain, which had 41 points at halftime, has not scored that many points in a game since a 55-48 overtime loss at Elder in the opening round of the postseason in 2021.
Top performers from Week 2 in Greater Cincinnati
Kaden Estep, Elder: The Mr. Football hopeful continued his campaign with 24-of-30 passing for 357 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for a game-high 106 yards, adding another score with his legs.
Andrew Lyman, Elder: Elder's leading receiver scored a 75-yard touchdown on the Panthers' first offensive play. He finished with six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Jason Fedor, Covington Catholic: The senior receiver made himself wide open for a 74-yard touchdown. In a loss, he finished with three catches for 146 yards and a score.
Nate Pabst, Beechwood: He set the tone for the Tigers' 42-0 win over Beechwood, returning the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, then adding rushing touchdowns of 23 yards and 14 yards.
Alex Nagel, Mason: He rushed for 189 yards and four touchdowns in Mason’s 43-24 win over Sycamore in the Battle of the Skies GMC rivalry.
JJ Shelton, Winton Woods: Shelton opened Winton Woods' dominant 35-0 victory over Kings with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Zachary Branam, Sycamore: He completed 26-of-35 passes for 346 yards and four touchdowns in Sycamore’s 43-24 loss to Mason.
Gianni Simpson, Princeton: He intercepted two passes in Princeton’s 27-7 win over Middletown in the GMC opener.
Logan Schmenk, Lebanon: He rushed for 238 yards and two touchdowns in the Warriors’ 42-7 win over Loveland.
Brady Lawhon, Harrison: Lawhon was 13-of-18 in the air for 220 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, he ran 20 times for 92 yards and another touchdown.
Kenyon Norman, Lakota West: The Northwestern commit ran 13 times for 262 yards and four touchdowns, including scoring runs from 72 and 75 yards out, as Lakota West beat Lakota East 48-18.
Roman Combs, Lakota West: Combs snagged an interception and returned it 38 yards to set up a Firebirds score. He also forced and recovered a fumble that he returned for a touchdown.
Morgan Brown, Deer Park: In a Thursday contest, Brown scored three times to lead Deer Park to a 50-8 win over Shroder. Brown ran once for a 48-yard score and intercepted two passes that he also ran back for touchdowns.
Aiden Wehrum, Milford: In his first career start, Wehrum was 17-for-22 for 340 yards and six touchdowns. He tacked on 34 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
Aidan Newdigate, St. Xavier: Against Wayne, Newdigate was 6-for-9 passing for 148 yards and two touchdowns. He also did damage on the ground, rushing 15 times for 128 yards and three more scores.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What we learned in Week 2 of Greater Cincinnati high school football
