Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky high school football takeaways for Week 8 – The Cincinnati Enquirer

The high school football regular season is quickly coming to a close.
As conference races come down to the wire, the playoff race in Ohio and Kentucky is starting to take shape.
Here are the biggest storylines and performances from Week 8.
In Division I, Moeller and Winton Woods have clinched a top-eight seed in Region 4, guaranteeing themselves at least one home playoff game. The Crusaders advanced to their third straight state semifinal last year despite receiving the No. 4 seed. The Warriors moved up to DI after claiming the No. 6 seed in DII in 2023.
Anderson, which made the 2023 DII state semifinals, has also secured a top-eight seed. The Raptors are looking for their second straight No. 1 seed in Region 8.
A total of 32 games involving teams from Southwest Ohio, including each game in the Greater Miami Conference and Southern Buckeye Conference, was decided by 20 points or more. Thirteen more games across Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana ended with the same margin.
More:High school football scores: Who won Cincinnati’s Week 8 games?
More:Northern Kentucky high school football scores Week 8 2024 | Live updates
Amidst a season of high-scoring affairs and blowouts in the Greater Catholic League-South, the Bombers’ squeaked by the La Salle, 9-0. Owen Davidson kicked a 28-yard field goal in the second quarter for 3-0 lead before a 12-yard touchdown pass from Chase Herbstreit to Cameron Taylor sealed the deal.
The Warriors had their lowest offensive output of the season, but were able to get past a pesky West Clermont team thanks to their dominant defense. The offense built a 12-0 lead before the Wolves scored early in the fourth quarter for the 12-7 final.
The Bulldogs kept rolling with a 38-0 win at New Richmond that improved Batavia to 7-1 on the season. Batavia is now 3-0 in the Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference-American Division, tied with Clinton-Massie. The teams will face each other next week in Clarksville.
The Lions improved to 6-2 and got a key win in their league opener in the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference-Blue with a 6-0 slugfest win over Shroder.
Behind more big games from Griffin Ridner Richard and Brayden Mitchum, the Eagles racked up 428 yards offense and beat Roger Bacon 35-14 in a showdown for first place in the Miami Valley Conference-Scarlet Division. CHCA is 7-1 and 3-0 in league play.
The Cougars snapped a three-game losing streak to Dixie Heights and improved to 6-2 with a 35-31 win.
The Knights staked a big claim to third place in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference and improved to 6-2 overall with an emphatic 45-0 win at Milford.
His first 100-yard rushing game was almost his first 200-yard game. The Mason senior ran 12 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-0 victory over Colerain. Those scores came from 91 and 45 yards out in the second quarter and were only 59 seconds apart.
One week after recording a career-high 244 yards and five touchdowns, he rumbled for 203 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-7 win over Middletown.
The senior made a 57-yard field goal in a 35-31 win over Dixie Heights. It is believed to be tied for the longest field goal in Northern Kentucky history and the fourth longest in state history.
Mandel led the Mustangs offense with 141 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in a dominant 35-0 win over Holy Cross.
The senior had the first 100-yard receiving game of his career, catching three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in a 46-7 victory over Walnut Hills. His catches went for 12, 40 and 49 yards.
He ran the ball 42 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Roger Bacon.
Weimer is the leading tackler in the Greater Western Ohio Conference by 30 tackles. The senior linebacker had a season-high 17 tackles, including 11 solo stops. He’s had double-digit tackles in seven of his eight games and sits at 97 for the season. Nevertheless, Springboro fell to Fairmont 24-7.

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