The Greater Cincinnati high school football postseason has entered Week 13 with 19 games on both sides of the river.
While the Ohio football playoffs shift to neutral sites for the regional semifinals, games in Kentucky will be played at the higher district seed’s home field, while East Central plays on the road in the Indiana playoffs due to tournament rules.
Here are The Enquirer’s previews and predictions for the Queen City’s Week 13 high school football games.
The death of Gerry Faust this week will be on everyone’s minds as one of the city’s most historic rivalries renews at Mason. The No. 1 seed Crusaders (11-1) will face the fourth-seeded Vikings (10-2) for the first time in the playoffs since 2021, when Moeller won, 28-21. Princeton will hope for a reversal of its 38-21 loss to Moeller to open the 2024 season. Princeton already has shown the ability to adjust to a regular-season loss, routing Hamilton 37-7 last week in the second round after losing 34-0 to the Big Blue Sept. 27. Princeton has won six straight overall since that defeat, outscoring foes by an average of 37-11. Moeller QB Matt Ponatoski threw for 415 yards and four touchdowns in that game and has not slowed down all season. Moeller has averaged 57 points per game in its last three wins. Princeton has allowed 157 passing yards per game overall. The Vikings’ offense has played well in its winning streak and will need to do so again.
Prediction – Moeller 34, Princeton 17.
More:‘Honored to be a part of it.’ Moeller, Princeton renew ‘King of the Block’ rivalry
More:‘He is Moeller High School.’ Gerry Faust dead at age 89
Like the other regional semifinal, this will also be a rematch of game one of the season. These teams will meet for the seventh time in the last five seasons as the No. 2 seed Firebirds (11-1) take on the No. 6 Bombers (9-3) at Princeton. Each team has won three of the previous six, including a 17-13 win by Lakota West on opening night. That game was a defensive struggle, with both teams struggling to gain 200 yards, but both offenses have been on a roll down the stretch.
Sam Wiles and the West offense have won nine straight. The Firebirds scored 40 or more points in eight of those, including 49 or more in six, before pulling out a 20-14 win over GCL-South foe Elder last week. St. X has won five straight since a 7-3 loss to Louisville Trinity, outscoring foes by an average of 33-6. The Bombers grinded out a 22-10 win over Winton Woods and its star-powered defense last week, and have a 9-0 win over GCL-South foe La Salle. West has had the defensive edge during the season, but this game could come down to having the best game between Wiles and St. X veteran QB Chase Herbstreit.
Prediction – Lakota West 21, St. Xavier 17.
The No. 1 seed Raptors (12-0) will face the No. 5 seed Fighting Owls (10-2) for the first time since the opening game in 2018, when Anderson won, 34-25. This regional semifinal, at Lakota East, matches two of the city’s top quarterbacks, in Anderson senior Justice Burnam (3,404 passing yards, 40 TDs) and Mt. Healthy’s Jahmeir Spain (3.577 yards, 40 TDs). Anderson has averaged 51 points per game on offense and has scored 40 or more in all but one game. Mt. Healthy has averaged 38 points per game but has struggled at times against some of the top defenses on its schedule. That includes a 20-18 loss to West Clermont, whom Anderson defeated 52-7. The Anderson secondary will get one of its biggest tests of the season against the Fighting Owls’ talented receiving corps, led by Ace Cooper and Jai’mier Scott.
Prediction – Anderson 44, Mt. Healthy 20.
These teams last met in the 2021 playoffs, with La Salle winning, 42-14. This will be a matchup of 10-2 teams at Ross High School, with the second-seeded Lancers taking on the sixth-seeded Wildcats.
Harrison averages 40 points per game on offense, and has scored 42 or more in its last eight wins, including road playoff wins with long trips to Troy (43-7) and Xenia (45-28). Harrison started fast last week against Xenia, scoring 28 points in the first quarter as Cole Koops rushed for 205 yards in the game, and Dickie Engel threw for 167. Engel has 2,024 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes. Koops has 1,858 yards on the ground and 19 TD rushes. Josh Adelsperger has been one of the area’s most productive receivers with 49 catches, 956 yards and 13 TDs.
La Salle is one of the most talented defenses Harrison has faced this year. La Salle has allowed 21 points or more in its last three wins, including playoff wins over Monroe (69-21) and Kings (35-27). Pat McLaughlin Jr. has the Lancers offense on a roll as they face Engel and the Wildcats in what should be a great clash of hot teams.
Prediction – La Salle 24, Harrison 21.
Region 16 was turned on its head last week, with the top three seeds all being eliminated. That included No. 2 seed Wyoming, who was undefeated before Alter came to town and shocked the Cowboys, 42-0. Now Alter, the No. 10 seed and 7-5 overall, will face another Cincinnati Hills League foe in No. 6 Taylor (10-2). The game is at Fairfield High School.
Alter is the defending regional champion, rolling through four Cincinnati teams on its way to the Division IV state semifinals. After an up-and-down season against a tough schedule, this year’s Knights displayed that same championship form last week against the CHL champs. Alter limited Wyoming to 170 yards on offense and rushed for 325 on offense against Wyoming’s tough defense.
Alter’s defense has been strong all season, allowing 11 points per game overall, and one touchdown or zero in six of its last seven games. They will be a challenge for the high-flying Yellowjackets offense, which lost 35-26 to Wyoming Sept. 20. Taylor has won seven straight since then. After a 7-0 win over Mariemont Sept. 27, Taylor has scored 40 or more points four times and allowed 11 points per game on defense.
Taylor’s passing attack led by Charlie Kantz (2,149 passing yards, 26 TDs) and Aaron McFarland (70 catches, 975 yards, 14 TDs) will have to be efficient against Alter as its defense looks to hold down the Knights. The good news for Taylor’s defense is that Alter has only scored 17 points per game including its outburst against Wyoming.
Prediction – Alter 21, Taylor 20.
The No. 5 seed Senators (10-2) are the highest-seeded team left in Region 16 after last week’s upsets. They take on the No. 9 seed Braves (9-3) at Milford High School. Indian Hill is in the regional semis after knocking off top seed Clinton-Massie in overtime last week while Taft rolled over No. 13 seed Brookville, 44-0. The teams last met during the 2021 season, with Taft winning 41-0. They also met in 2020, with the Senators winning, 30-15.
The key this time will be if Taft’s talented defense can stop Indian Hill star running back Devlan Daniel, who has rushed for 2,179 yards and 32 touchdowns. Taft has allowed one or zero touchdowns in nine of 12 games, including the last five, in which the Senators have pitched four shutouts. Taft has six clean sheets for the season.
Daniel has rushed for 100 or more yards against every opponent except Wyoming (58) and he has five 200-yard outputs. Taft has not allowed a 100-yard rusher all year, but Daniel will be the Senators’ biggest test of the season.
Prediction – Taft 21, Indian Hill 14.
Waynesville is a game away from its second-straight regional final, but the No. 3 Spartans will need to get by No. 2 West Liberty-Salem first. West Liberty-Salem just edged Waynesville for the No. 2 ranking in the region despite having two more regular season wins than Waynesville. Waynesville is coming off a 55-6 blowout of Madeira and has outscored its playoff opponents by a combined 97-15. Both touchdowns allowed by the Spartans in the postseason have come in the fourth quarter when the game had already been decided. Waynesville’s two-headed attack from Alex Amburgy and Garrett Lundy is running well and should send Waynesville to another week.
Prediction – Waynesville 38, West Liberty-Salem 13
This season has been a historic one for St. Bernard-Elmwood Place as the Titans won the first two playoff games in program history. Getting one more win would require a major upset of top-seeded Coldwater. The Coldwater Cavaliers enter the week with an 11-1 record, having only lost in Week 10 to fellow small-school powerhouse Marion Local. Coldwater has won its postseason games by scores of 58-0 and 56-7 and is more than capable of putting a similar score against 10-win St. Bernard-Elmwood Place.
Prediction – Coldwater 49, St. Bernard-Elmwood Place 7
Cincinnati Country Day meets Anna in a spot similar to what the Nighthawks had to face in the third round of last year’s postseason. Last year, Cincinnati Country Day was 12-0 heading into the regional semifinals against Versailles, falling 55-13 to the eventual state runner-up. This year, Cincinnati Country Day is 11-1, but will see 9-3 Anna that has lost only to Marion Local, Coldwater and Minster.
Prediction – Anna 45, Cincinnati Country Day 14
No. 3 Cincinnati College Prep shrugged off a potential upset by No. 11 Fort Loramie last week with an 18-7 victory and will need a similar effort to handle No. 2 Minster. Minster (10-2) only lost to Coldwater (11-1) and Marion Local (12-0) from the stacked Midwest Athletic Conference. Minster played Fort Loramie in the season opener, playing to a 49-21 victory. The Wildcats have allowed 14 points in each of its postseason games while scoring 117 points, including 75 against Manchester.
Prediction – Minster 42, Cincinnati College Prep 18
This will be one of the best games in the state this weekend, as well as a regular-season rematch. In Week 7, St. Xavier (7-4) led by as many as 21 points before Ryle’s (9-2) second-half comeback fell just short. The Raiders will have to stop a balanced Tigers attack. St. X averages 201.5 passing yards and 137.8 rushing yards per game. However, the Tigers have allowed over 100 rushing yards in each of their four losses. For Ryle, Jacob Savage is one of the best two-way players in the state, leading the team with 108 tackles and 851 rushing yards. In his first season at quarterback, Nathan Verax has thrown 10 interceptions this year but has thrown just two in the last five games.
Prediction – Ryle 28, St. Xavier 24
Highlands hits the road to Woodford County to face the one-loss Yellow Jackets. Woodford last week beat Dixie Heights 49-14, a similar result to the 49-0 win Highlands had against Dixie Heights on Oct. 4. The teams also have a shared opponent in Collins, which Highlands beat 45-0 last week. Woodford County beat Collins 45-8 on Oct. 11. The Yellow Jackets run through quarterback Justus Wertzler who has passed for 2,457 yards and 28 touchdowns to six interceptions. Both teams have similar offensive output, but Highlands has dominated on offense in the second half of the season, allowing just 27 total points in the last five games.
Prediction – Highlands 35, Woodford County 24
Cooper and Scott County will meet in the 5A playoffs for the third-straight season after Scott County started the series with a 56-20 win before Cooper returned the favor to the Cardinals 49-21 last season. Cooper is undefeated and the top team in the class and should get by the six-win Cardinals. Scott County beat Conner 47-40 in the postseason opener, narrowly getting by a team that Cooper beat 42-17. The teams have two other common opponents in South Oldham and Great Crossing. Both beat South Oldham (Cooper last week 56-28 and Scott County 28-7), but Great Crossing fell 62-36 to Cooper three weeks after beating Scott County 46-15.
Prediction – Cooper 49, Scott County 20
It’s not a stretch to say that the team that runs the ball the best will win this game. Johnson Central (8-3) running back Zack McCoart is third in the state with 2,221 rushing yards. The Golden Eagles lead the state with 433 rushing yards per game. Covington Catholic (9-2) counters with Dylan Gaiser and Cash Harney, who have combined for 2,231 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns.
The Colonels have also been scoring in bunches. After putting up 14 points and 22 points in two losses to open the season, they’ve scored at least 40 points in nine straight wins. Johnson Central is fifth in the state in scoring, putting up 44.5 points per game. CovCath won this contest, 31-0, in 2023. Don’t expect a rout this Friday.
Prediction – CovCath 31, Johnson Central 28
This is the third straight year the Juggernauts (9-2) have gone on the road in the second round of the playoffs. For the second year in a row, it’s a 2.5-hour drive to eastern Kentucky. Kaleb Evans’ first season at quarterback has resulted in 1,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Isaiah Sebastian has 841 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. The defense has four touchdowns on interception and fumble returns. Russell (8-3) is led by Elijah Hankins (1,322 passing yards and 19 touchdowns), Zach Brown (44 tackles and 3.5 sacks), and Cayden and Jayden Pennington (744 total receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, 55 total tackles and four interceptions).
Prediction – Lloyd Memorial 34, Russell 17
The Tigers (10-1) and Bobcats (6-5) both won big in the first round of the playoffs. Beechwood’s defense dominated once again; the Tigers have only allowed seven points during their six-game winning streak. Breathitt County is on its own four-game winning streak. The Bobcats scored 50 points in three of those four games thanks to instant offense from Miles Hollon and Eli Thomas, and shutdown defense from Austin Barker and Adam Spencer. Beechwood won this matchup, 42-12, last season. It could be another blowout this Friday.
Prediction – Beechwood 56, Breathitt County 10
Brossart (9-2) and NewCath (8-3) are meeting for the first time in 10 years. The Mustangs are having their best season since going 12-1 and making the state quarterfinals in 2021. Thanks to Nicholas Cozzi, Keagan Gulley, Cameron Mandel and Shane Willike, they have held eight opponents to 14 points or less.
New Cath has been at the forefront of Class 1A in Northern Kentucky for the past decade. The Thoroughbreds have been to five straight state quarterfinals. They also haven’t allowed a single point in four matchups with Brossart since 2011. In their current five-game winning streak, they have allowed 21 total points.
This game will be played at Dixie Heights.
Prediction – NewCath 38, Brossart 20
Newport (8-2) beat Ludlow (8-3) back on Sept. 20 by stopping a two-point attempt at the end of regulation. This game should be another nail-biter. Kyle Lee has a wealth of offensive options in Rodzion Thompson, Kendall Buck-Barber, Kayveion Sharp and Adonaje Lowe. Buck-Barber once again leads the defense with three interceptions, but Lee has returned both of his for touchdowns.
Ludlow won last season’s postseason showdown after losing a close regular season game. Newport scored just seven points in both of its losses this season. If Spencer Brandenburg, Aiden Smith-Baxley, Matt Brock and Dameyn Anness can keep the Wildcats out of the end zone, the Panthers will have enough offense to emerge victorious. They are only allowing 154 yards of total offense per game.
Prediction – Ludlow 26, Newport 23
The Trojans (8-3), who won the last two Class 4A state championships, get their biggest test yet as a Class 5A program.
East Central, ranked ninth in Class 5A by the Indiana Football Coaches Association, travels to Indianapolis to take on the fourth-ranked Hawks (8-2), who were 5A state runner-up last year. The Trojans are led by Ryan Minges, who has rushed for 1,366 yards and 24 touchdowns. They face a talented Decatur Central squad that has won seven straight and has multiple Division I prospects. Decatur has outscored foes by an average of 37-21.
Bo Polston, a 6-3, 205-pound junior, is one of Indiana’s top quarterback prospects. He committed to Toledo this year but has been offered by several power-conference schools. He has thrown for 1,538 yards and 17 touchdowns, leading a balanced offense. Juniors Kasmir Hicks and Mykul Campbell have offers from several Division I programs, including Cincinnati. Hicks has totaled 18 touchdowns on the season ‒ 10 rushing, four receiving, two on interception returns, and two on kickoff returns, and has amassed nearly 1,500 all-purpose yards. Campbell, a linebacker, has 11.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss and is a disruptive force to opposing offenses.
Prediction – Decatur Central 24, East Central 17.
