Colerain routs Elder in battle of top Ohio football teams

With a spirit of redemption in the backs of their minds, the Cardinals football team not only took care of business Friday night at home — Colerain set a tone for remainder of the season.

Colerain (Cincinnati), rated No. 17 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard, surprised some people with the margin of victory Friday night over Elder (Cincinnati) (44-12), but was also able to start anew after last season's loss to Elder on national cable television.

Friday night was the 54th consecutive home win for Colerain since Week 10 of the 1999 season. The Cardinals showed why they are so dominant at home.

Senior Tyler Williams — in just his second start at quarterback — rushed 12 times for 160 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cardinals. Senior fullback Trayion Durham rushed 18 times for 143 yards and a touchdown.

"There was a lot of revenge on our minds," Williams told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Colerain, ranked No. 1 in the Enquirer coaches' poll, led 20-6 after the first quarter and 30-12 at halftime. Elder, ranked No. 2 in the Enquirer poll, never got on track offensively.

"They were ready to play," Elder coach Doug Ramsey told the Enquirer. "They had a lot guys back with that motivation to beat us. I don't know if they're 44-12 better than us, but they're good. Hopefully our kids understand it's not the end of the world. We've got a lot of games left."

Both teams travel to Kentucky this week for non-league opponents. Colerain (2-0) plays at DuPont Manual (Louisville, Ky.) Friday night, while Elder (1-1) plays at Trinity (Louisville, Ky.).

2. Moeller defeats Hamilton: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) senior running back Tucker Skove rushed 25 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns as the Crusaders won their second consecutive game with a 29-7 win over Hamilton on Saturday night. Skove, who scored five touchdowns in the season opener against Wayne, has 289 rushing yards and six touchdowns through two games this season. Moeller had 420 total yards — the second week in which it has had more than 400 yards (461 against Wayne). Hamilton was led by senior running back Devin Jarrett, who had 23 carries for 187 yards.

3. Elder could be in Herbstreit next year: The Enquirer reported last week that Elder could be playing in the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series during Labor Day weekend 2011. The game could be in Columbus and played on a Saturday or Sunday. The Enquirer reported that Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) has been mentioned as a possible opponent. Elder has participated in the Herbstreit event before, but the event has not been in Cincinnati since 2008.

4. MND names new coach: Kelly Main has been named the new girls' basketball coach at Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) — one of the nation's most storied programs over the past decade. Main was an assistant boys' basketball coach at Indian Hill most recently. He has also coached at Norwood and Milford. Main succeeds Dante Harlan, who resigned in July. Harlan guided the Cougars to three consecutive Division I state titles from 2007-09. "I look forward to breathing new energy into this program, and that will be my No. 1 objective," Main said. "What I also know is that Mount Notre Dame has a wealth of basketball talent, and I look forward to developing it further and continuing that MND tradition of excellence."

5. Seyfried out with foot injury: Wyoming (Cincinnati) senior quarterback Kyle Seyfired broke his left foot in the fourth quarter of the season opener against Edgewood (Trenton) and could be out the next couple of weeks, according to the Enquirer. Seyfried had successful surgery on Aug. 30. A first-team all-Cincinnati Hills League selection last season, Seyfried threw for 3,452 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2009 as the Cowboys reached the Division III state semifinals.

TOP STANDOUTS
Drew Kummer, La Salle (Cincinnati): The senior quarterback was 11 of 15 passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the Lancers' 50-7 win over visiting Covington Catholic (Park Hills, Ky.). The Miami University commit is second in the Greater Catholic League in passing yards this season.

Steven Daniels, St. Xavier (Cincinnati): The senior linebacker had two sacks in St. Xavier's 28-24 win over visiting Indianapolis Cathedral. Daniels, who had a game-high seven tackles in the season opener against Our Lady of Good Counsel (Md.), has four sacks this season.

Eric Martin, Turpin (Cincinnati): The senior quarterback was 10 of 15 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans 35-20 win over host Wyoming. Martin, who is a University of Tennessee baseball commit, is 23 of 34 for 345 yards this season.

THIS WEEK
Mount Notre Dame (Cincinnati) at Mother of Mercy (Cincinnati) volleyball, 6:30 p.m. Thursday: Two GGCL powers meet on the West Side of Cincinnati. Both teams were undefeated through the first week. MND sophomore outside hitter Michelle Strizak led the team with 42 kills as of this weekend. The teams will meet again Sept. 28 at Mount Notre Dame.

Moeller at Northmont (Clayton) football, 7:30 p.m. Friday: Northmont faces yet another tough Cincinnati-area opponent with the Crusaders. This is the first road game for Moeller outside of the area and it will be interesting to see if the Crusaders continue their effective running game and defense.

Mason Invitational, cross country, 9 a.m. Saturday: One of the largest cross country meets in Southwest Ohio will take place in suburban Cincinnati with up to 50 teams expected at Corwin Nixon Park behind Mason High School. There will also be teams from Kentucky and Indiana at the meet. Mason, Dublin Scioto and La Salle are among the boys' teams favored from Ohio. Mason senior Zach Wills – a two-time state cross country champion – is the runner to watch.

RECRUITING NEWS
Withrow (Cincinnati) senior forward Aaron Thomas has scheduled his five official visits, according to the Enquirer. Thomas, one of the state's top basketball players in the 2011 class, was scheduled to visit Nebraska this weekend and plans to visit Florida State on Sept. 17, Cincinnati on Sept. 24, Purdue on Oct. 15 and Clemson on Oct. 22. … Pickerington North senior tight end Darien Bryant (6-4, 215) has reportedly added an offer from Bowling Green, according to ScoutingOhio.com. He also has offers from Ohio, Toledo, Maryland, Duke, Kent State and others, according to the Web site. … Trotwood-Madison (Trotwood) junior free safety George "Bam" Bradley (6-2, 185) has added an offer from Northwestern, according to ScoutingOhio.com; he also has an offer from Kentucky.

RANDOM THOUGHTS
The Waynesville football team won its fifth consecutive season opener with a 31-16 win over host East Clinton (Lees Creek), according to the Dayton Daily News. It was the first game for new Waynesville coach Brandon Philpot. … Junior guard Raeshaun Gaffney, one of the state's top girls' basketball players in the 2012 class, has transferred to Fairfield, according to the Enquirer. Gaffney led the Girls Greater Cincinnati League with 20.4 points per game for Mount Notre Dame last season. … The Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati) girls’ volleyball team has not lost a regular-season match since Oct. 4, 2007 at Seton. The Lions won the 2009 state title and were state runners-up in '08. The Lions are 2-0 to begin this season.