The Greater Catholic League South division finished off an outstanding Labor Day weekend with a special game on Sunday at Cincinnati Elder.
The GCL-South remained undefeated through two weeks as Elder defeated visiting Cincinnati Colerain 20-7 on ESPN Sunday afternoon.
Elder, rated No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings, is quickly proving worthy of such high national distinction early in the season. The Panthers were Division I state runners-up in 2008 and return several key players from that squad.
Senior quarterback Mark Miller and senior wide receiver Tim O’Conner were among the standouts Sunday. Miller, a Division I state player of the year in 2008, threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’ve got four or five options with the pass, and it’s up to Mark to get someone the ball,” Elder coach Doug Ramsey told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He did a good job with that.”
O’Conner, who has verbally committed to Indiana, had six receptions for 83 yards. His 29-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter helped propel Elder to a win.
Elder (2-0) has a short week as it plays Louisville Trinity on Friday night.
The division also had wins from Moeller, St. Xavier and La Salle over the weekend. St. Xavier, which defeated Colerain 16-0 in Week One, went to Indianapolis and defeated Cathedral 19-10 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Bombers, rated No. 24 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings, have allowed just 10 points over the first two games.
Moeller defeated Hamilton 47-20 on the road, while La Salle defeated Covington Catholic (Ky.) 44-35 also on the road.
Photo by Wayne Litmer
Elder knocked off Colerain in front of an ESPN audience and a packed house at The Pit.
Here are some more top stories that developed around central and southern Ohio within the past week.
2. Warriors on the road: Huber Heights Wayne improved to 2-0 with a 27-14 win over host Canton McKinley on Saturday night. Wayne faces a formidable challenge on Friday night as it plays host to Cleveland Glenville at 7 p.m. Both teams are loaded with Division I college prospects. If Wayne wins, it will go a long way in making an argument that it’s the premier team in Dayton this year. Glenville is viewed as a Division I state title contender in northeast Ohio. Wayne defeated Cincinnati Princeton 21-4 in Week One. The Warriors are led by junior quarterback Braxton Miller, who is one of the state’s top players in the 2011 class. Miller threw for two touchdowns and had a rushing touchdown, according to the Dayton Daily News.
3. Thunderbolts fall short: Clayton Northmont lost to host Cleveland St. Ignatius on Saturday. This was a heavily anticipated showdown as Northmont (1-1) was regarded as one of southern Ohio’s top teams in the preseason. Northmont led the Wildcats 20-7 at halftime, but St. Ignatius scored 20 unanswered points in the second half. Northmont quarterback Robert Sakosky was 6 of 12 passing for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Josh McClain caught five passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Northmont plays at Westerville South on Friday night.
4. Ware still out: Cincinnati Princeton senior QB Spencer Ware missed his second consecutive game due to injury last Friday. Ware suffered a leg injury on Aug. 24 in practice and did not play against George Washington (Ind.) Friday night. He also missed the season opener against Huber Heights Wayne at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. Ware is one of the state’s top quarterbacks and has verbally committed to play football at LSU. Princeton, which defeated George Washington on Friday night, was forced to play a sophomore junior varsity quarterback. It was not known late last week whether Ware would be ready for the Vikings next game Thursday night against Glen Este.
5. McKenzie announces college choice: Archbishop Moeller senior power forward Griffin McKenzie announced Sept. 2 at a news conference that he has verbally committed to Xavier University. McKenzie, who is 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, also considered Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Wake Forest. McKenzie’s recruiting stock soared this summer when he played in AAU competition. Ohio State, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Providence were among other schools that offered. McKenzie saw limited action for Moeller last season with a back injury, but he is healthy and should be one of Ohio’s top players this upcoming season. “He has been recruited as hard as any kid I’ve ever had,” Moeller coach Carl Kremer told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Among the outstanding efforts this week:
- Centerville senior quarterback Zak Bertram was 9-of-10 passing for 202 yards in a 34-14 win over host Mason on Friday night. He also had 22 carries for 179 yards and three touchdowns for the Elks (2-0) who play host to Moeller (2-0) on Friday night.
- Beavercreek senior running back Gabe Henry had 23 rushes for 108 yards and a touchdown in a 42-13 win over host Dayton Carroll on Friday night. Henry had 12 rushes for 113 yards and five touchdowns in Week One against Dayton Stebbins. Beavercreek (2-0) plays at Sidney on Friday night.
- Huber Heights Wayne golfer Michael Bernard had a 33.70 scoring average as of the end of last week. He helped lead the Warriors to an 8-0 start and a 2-0 league record in the Greater Western Ohio Conference.
-Cincinnati Oak Hills soccer player Taylor Feist scored three goals in a 4-1 win over Glen Este in a girls’ soccer game. Feist led the Greater Miami Conference with 12 points as of Friday. She had a league-high six goals.
Looking ahead
-The Mason Invitational cross country meet will feature 25 schools from around the Cincinnati area on Saturday morning at a park behind the high school. Look for Mason junior Zach Wills, the defending Ohio Division I state champion, to make a significant impact again.
- The Dublin Coffman girls volleyball team plays at Thomas Worthington on Tuesday, followed by a home match against Hilliard Darby on Thursday night. The Shamrocks, who are rated No. 14 nationally in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25, defeated Reynoldsburg and Groveport last week.
Photo by Jim Redman
Jordan Hicks, Lakota West
Recruiting news
West Chester Lakota West senior linebacker Jordan Hicks will hold his second weekly media teleconference this morning. The teleconference will usually be held on Mondays, but was pushed back a day due to Labor Day. The 6-foot-2, 222-pound Hicks has narrowed his choices to Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Florida or USC. …Trotwood Madison senior offensive lineman/defensive end Darion Delaney has made a verbal commitment to play at Bowling Green, according to ScoutingOhio.com. … Springfield junior linebacker Trey DePriest has picked up scholarship offers from Duke, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Pittsburgh. Springfield junior WR Byron Thompson picked up an offer from West Virginia. …Columbus DeSales junior DL Chris Rock received offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Duke and Akron.
Random thoughts
The Princeton at Glen Este football game will be televised live on FSN Ohio at 7:05 p.m. Thursday. It is one of eight Ohio games on the network this fall. … Tickets for the state football championship games are on sale through the state association. Check ohsaa.org for more details. …The Ohio High School Athletic Association still hasn’t decided upon a location for the state bowling tournament this upcoming winter; it should make a decision shortly. The annual tournament will be in March.