It's hard for matchups between elite teams to live up to the hype. Week 5 of high school football in Cincinnati was a highly entertaining exception with several thrilling outcomes across the city.
The balance of power shifted in Kentucky with a seismic showdown in Covington between Beechwood and Covington Catholic. The Greater Miami Conference saw titans collide as title favorites Princeton and Lakota West squared off. Elder continued its run of dominance with a rare accomplishment, and many other teams reached the midway point of the season still undefeated.
Here were the biggest storylines from Cincinnati football in Week 5.
Beechwood shows poise in first win over Covington Catholic since 2021
A perfect night for football delivered the new frontrunner for game of the year in Northern Kentucky.
The Beechwood Tigers
made the two-mile trek down Dixie Highway and knocked off their neighborhood rivals, 42-35.
From the jump, it looked like Beechwood's game plan was to make CovCath beat Nate Pabst and Tyler Fryman, the Tigers' two main weapons. Spoiler alert: the Colonels couldn't as the two combined for 188 rushing yards, 167 receiving yards and all six of Beechwood's touchdowns.
"Great players. They play hard. I give credit to those two kids. They're both ready to make plays and they did," CovCath head coach Eddie Eviston said.
After Beechwood took a 14-0 lead, the Colonels responded with a three-play drive that saw Owen Pitzer score on a 66-yard catch-and-run. CovCath never took the lead but, true to the school motto, the spirit did not die.
While CovCath had fewer third down opportunities, it converted when it had to in multiple crucial spots, including Pitzer's 66-yard score. Both of the Colonels' fourth-down conversions were touchdown passes to Jamir Kirtley, the second a 30-yarder with just over four minutes left that helped CCH tie the game at 35.
"He's really come along. He's getting a little bit more comfortable, he's seeing things. We'll break it down and there's probably a couple things he missed, but he really made plays, even in crunch time," Eviston said of quarterback Dylan Courtney.
The Colonels were powered by running back Kiyan Miller, who ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, and Kirtley, who had four catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
But for every punch CovCath threw, Beechwood answered. The major factor in their success was the offensive line, which didn't allow any sacks and gave up just one negative-yardage play.
"My O-line, we've been talking all week. This is the game. That's what happens," Pabst said.
What made this game so aesthetically pleasing was that there were no live-ball turnovers (and just one turnover on downs) and only four combined penalties. Of course, both coaching staffs and fan bases might argue that there should have been more flags, but overall, it was a clean game.
While Beechwood scheduled just four home games during the regular season, it may match that total in the postseason. Even with the RPI taking a hit thanks to an out-of-state win, the Tigers should cruise through the rest of the regular season and may not have to leave Fort Mitchell until they reach Kroger Field.
"This is a playoff atmosphere in week 5 of the season. To be able to do that is incredible," Beechwood head coach Noel Rash said. "I don't care who's on the other side of the field, we gotta go out and play Beechwood football and we gotta go in and grind. We're gonna get back in the weight room tomorrow, and we gotta go do our thing."
Moeller gets payback on St. Xavier in GCL-South opener
Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany called last year’s playoff loss to St. Xavier “the most gut-wrenching game of my entire life.”
Moeller senior Reggie Watson has been thinking about that game, and he has had a double dose of heartbreak with the Bombers as they beat Moeller in the OHSAA Division I state baseball semifinals in June on their way to winning the state title.
Bathiany, Watson and the rest of the Crusaders got a measure of revenge on the Bombers, defeating them 30-15 in the Greater Catholic League-South opener for both teams. Moeller is 3-2 overall and tied with Elder for first at 1-0 in the league. St. Xavier is 2-3.
Both teams have had brutal schedules and had to replace a lot of key starters from 2025.
“We’re a work in progress,” Bathiany said. “We don’t have spring ball. We got a ton of multi-sport athletes, we don’t have everyone throughout the summer. The process takes a little bit longer. Steve does the same thing with his team. We know we’re going to improve like crazy throughout the year. They’re a heck of a football team. They’re going to be way better 10 weeks from now.”
Watson sparked the Crusaders to victory in the second half after the teams were tied 7-7 at halftime. He had two long touchdown catches from sophomore quarterback Hunter McLaughlin. The first was a long pass that he caught in the end zone after beating his defender. The second was a short pass to the outside, and Watson used his speed to find a seam and outrun everyone down the sideline.
“I just kept my head down, made sure I got the best out of all of my teammates, letting them know we can do this,” Watson said. “I know I’m doing something good for my school and it feels so good to get this win for our school.”
Bathiany said that he moves Watson around the formation to keep the defense off-balance, which is extra work for his receiver in practice, but he loves the challenge.
“He’s one of the most competitive kids I’ve ever met,” Bathiany said.
Moeller backed up St. Xavier’s offense after that and got a safety to lead 23-7. St. X got a touchdown to pull within eight at 23-15 and got the ball back in the fourth quarter. Moeller hit St. X QB Aidan Newdigate as he was throwing, and the ball wobbled to Makaio Butler, who returned the interception about 40 yards for a score to clinch the game.
“We want to start with defense and win with defense, and that’s the mindset of how we play,” said Bathiany, who credited his defensive coordinator, Nick Sharpe.
Princeton takes control of GMC with ‘ugly’ win over Lakota West
There is only one remaining undefeated team in the Greater Miami Conference.
Princeton sits alone atop the GMC after a 27-24 win over Lakota West in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown at Lockland’s Roettger Stadium Sept. 18. As they chase a third outright GMC title over the last four seasons, the Vikings’ record will say 5-0, no matter how it happened.
On Friday, Princeton had to overcome six turnovers (including five in the first half) to hold off the Firebirds.
“Good teams win ugly and we won ugly tonight,” Princeton head coach Andre Parker said. “I’m really proud of the team. I thought they fought hard. We made a lot of mental mistakes. We had six turnovers and usually when you have six turnovers, you don’t win the game, so I’m really proud of how we fought through that adversity.”
Lakota West intercepted three passes and recovered three fumbles, but Princeton had an answer late. In the second half, Princeton took the lead on back-to-back possessions with touchdown drives. Quarterback Monsanna Torbert ran for over 100 yards and running back Jordan Hall ran for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead the Vikings to their fourth-straight regular season win over Lakota West.
“At halftime, you could see me begging my coaches to get the ball. I’m a playmaker and I knew I could make it happen,” Hall said. “I made two mistakes at the beginning of the game and I knew I could overcome those.”
Hall’s final touchdown made it 27-24 with just over three minutes remaining. Needing a stop to seal it, Princeton’s defense forced a turnover on downs and the celebration was on.
“It was every phase of the game. When you have six turnovers, you have to be really good in the other phases,” Parker said. “Our defense, we took a lot of snaps in the first half. I thought they fought through it and dug themselves out of that and continued to play. I’m really proud of them.”
Undefeated teams
Thirteen Greater Cincinnati teams improved to 5-0. Three are in Northern Kentucky, Beechwood, Dayton and Lloyd. East Central is 5-0 in Southeast Indiana. Ohio teams include Deer Park, Elder, Gamble Montessori, Goshen, Harrison, Hughes, Princeton, St. Bernard-Elmwood Place and Wyoming. Cincinnati College Prep, Holy Cross and North College Hill are 4-0 with open weeks, and Northwest can improve to 5-0 with a win over Woodward Sept. 19.
Who are the top performers from week 5 of Greater Cincinnati high school football?
Caleb Abshire, West Clermont: In a wild 43-41 win over Milford, Abshire ran 33 times for 204 yards and a touchdown.
Brayden Ackerman, Elder: He had a pair of interceptions as Elder beat Louisville St. Xavier 31-0, shutting out consecutive opponents for the first time since 1995.
Cade Anthrop, Campbell County: The junior receiver hauled in three catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-20 loss to Lloyd Memorial.
Morgan Brown, Deer Park: Brown had just four rushes in Deer Park's 54-0 win over Finneytown, but he finished with 100 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown.
Jordan Hall, Princeton: Hall ran for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to help Princeton defeat Lakota West, 27-24.
Jordan Davis, Anderson: He rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-33 win over Kings.
Chase Even, Badin: He had 148 rushing yards on 26 attempts with a 30-yard touchdown as Badin fell to La Salle 31-7.
Garrett Fraley, La Salle: The junior quarterback led La Salle to a 27-14 win at Badin, throwing for 172 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 142 yards.
Antwoine Higgins, Anderson: Higgins had 15 tackles (eight solo), 4.5 tackles for a loss and a sack in Anderson's 49-33 win over Kings.
Mouhamad Mangure, Gamble Montessori: The Gators beat East Clinton 43-6 with Mangure having 108 total yards and two scores.
Ben Markarian, Harrison: He intercepted his fifth pass of the year and 16th of his career in Harrison's 28-7 win at Ross.
Hunter McLaughlin, Moeller: The sophomore quarterback made a splash in his first start, throwing for 321 yards and three scores in a 30-15 win over St. Xavier.
Ryan Minges, East Central: The senior running back put up 179 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-6 win over Batesville.
Nate Pabst, Beechwood: The senior running back opened the game against Covington Catholic with a 40-yard run, setting the tone for a night where he had 27 carries for 161 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner with 24 seconds left. He also had 40 receiving yards and a touchdown, including a crucial third-down catch in the first half of the Tigers' 42-35 victroy.
Callan Poland, Turpin: The junior receiver had four receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns in Turpin's 42-21 win at Loveland.
Zayne Walker, Williamsburg: He rushed for 151 yards and three scores in a 49-14 win over Hillsboro.
Tyler Watkins, Clermont Northeastern: In a 50-19 win at Cincinnati Country Day, he had 125 yards on 13 rushes with a pair of touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top storylines from wild Week 5 of Cincinnati High School Football
