Colerain to face St. Xavier on Saturday night

There will be familiar opponents on the field Saturday night at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.

Colerain (Cincinnati) and St. Xavier (Cincinnati) – opponents that have played classic regular season and postseason games several times over the past decade – will meet again in a Division I regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The matchup was a bit unexpected. St. X upset La Salle 30-14 last week in the regional quarterfinal. The Lancers (9-2) shared the Greater Catholic League South division title, but lost their two final games.

"I think our players looked at this season as a failure because we went 5-4," St. X coach Steve Specht told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "But that's against the best competition that anybody can provide you. That's pretty special. That's how you get better."

St. X (6-4) held a 21-6 lead over La Salle on Nov. 6 and didn't look back. The Bombers were led by junior running back Conor Hundley, who had 32 carries for 150 yards and four touchdowns.

Colerain (11-0) continued its dominance with a 42-14 win over visiting Hamilton in the opening round on Nov. 5. It was rematch of a regular-season game which Colerain won 17-14 over the Big Blue on Oct. 8.

Colerain was led by senior quarterback Tyler Williams, who had 196 yards rushing and a touchdown this past weekend. Senior fullback Trayion Durham had 22 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns. It was Colerain's first playoff game since the 2008 season.

"It's awesome," Colerain coach Tom Bolden told the newspaper. "To be back in it is one thing, but to be back in the playoffs and win your first game against a great team like that, it's awesome."

The last time Colerain and St. X played was Aug. 28, 2009, when the Bombers defeated the Cardinals 16-0. Both teams are very familiar with each program. In fact, the schools have agreed to play a home and home series starting in the 2011 season.

Click here to view MaxPreps' Ohio football playoff brackets.

2. Wayne upsets Middletown: Wayne (Huber Heights) upset top-seed Middletown 21-0 on Saturday night. Wayne was led by senior quarterback Braxton Miller (Ohio State commit) and senior running back Anthone Taylor, who rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown. The Wayne defense was led by senior linebacker Teven Williams with nine tackles. Wayne had 282 total yards to Middletown's 120. Wayne (8-3) advances to play Centerville in a Division I regional semifinal on Saturday night at Dayton's Welcome Stadium. Wayne defeated Centerville 34-10 on Oct. 14.

3. Centerville defeats Moeller: Centerville (9-2) defeated Archbishop Moeller 27-17 to advance to the regional semifinals. The Elks were led by senior Jon Overstreet, who had 26 carries for 172 yards, and junior running back Chris Barr, who had 147 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Kyle Rose led the Elks with eight tackles and two sacks. Moeller finished the season with a 7-4 record. It was the first time since 1984 that Centerville defeated Moeller, according to the Dayton Daily News. "(Saturday) we won the line of scrimmage," Centerville coach Ron Ullery told the publication. "Hands down we won the line."

4. 2011 Herbstreit event will be in Columbus: The 2011 Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic will be at Ohio Stadium during Labor Day weekend, according to the Enquirer. A spokesman told the publication that up to three Cincinnati-area teams could be in the event. Cincinnati teams haven't been in the Herbstreit event since the 2008 season. A spokesman said the event would be held Week 2 next season. The full schedule would likely not be released until at least January.

5. Rogers to have surgery: Indian Hill (Cincinnati) girls' basketball coach Dr. Scott Rogers will reportedly have open heart surgery this month, according to the Enquirer. Rogers is expected to continue to have preseason workouts up until the surgery. The season opens Nov. 26 across the state. Rogers told the newspaper that assistant coach Sean English and others will run the program. He also told the publication he anticipates a short recovery time but didn't have a timetable on his return. Rogers, one of the most successful girls' basketball coaches in Ohio, led Mount Notre Dame to Division I state titles in 2004 and '06. MND was a state runner-up in 2005. Indian Hill was a Division II regional semifinalist in 2010 and finished No. 7 in the Associated Press state poll.

TOP STANDOUTS
* Zack Uchtman, Mariemont (Cincinnati) boys' soccer: The senior goalkeeper had six saves in a 1-0 win over Summit Country Day in a Division III regional semifinal on Tuesday.

* Rober Stein, Sycamore (Cincinnati) boys' soccer: The senior had two goals in a 3-2 win over Moeller in a Division I regional semifinal on Tuesday.

* Tricia Walsh, Archbishop McNicholas (Cincinnati) girls' soccer: The senior forward had her 21st goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Wyoming in a Division II regional semifinal on Wednesday. Walsh had 20 goals and four assists (44 points) going into the regional final.

THIS WEEK
* National signing day, Wednesday: Several basketball players across the nation will sign their national letters of intent. Withrow forward Aaron Thomas has verbally committed to Florida State and is considered Cincinnati's top senior in the 2011 class. The Cincinnati area also has a strong concentration of girls' basketball players with verbal commitments, including Middletown Madison forward Ally Malott (Dayton), Mount Notre Dame guard Kathryn Reynolds (Iowa) and Mason guard Sarah Hunter (Wright State).

* Kings vs. Mt. Healthy football, 7:30 p.m. Friday: This Division II regional semifinal should be an interesting matchup. Both are Fort Ancient Valley Conference opponents that play in different divisions. Mt. Healthy (Cincinnati) won its first playoff game in school history last week with a 26-17 win over Turpin. Kings (Kings Mill) junior running back Jamire Westbrook had 209 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a 55-30 win over Tecumseh.

* McNicholas vs. Roger Bacon football, 7 p.m. Saturday: These two Greater Catholic League Central teams play in a Division III regional semifinal at Goshen. Archbishop McNicholas (Cincinnati) (9-2) defeated Roger Bacon 21-14 on Oct. 7. Roger Bacon (Cincinnati) senior quarterback Tanner Sprong had 205 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 26-21 over Wyoming last week. Senior Mike Jackson had five receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

RECRUITING NEWS
Middletown sophomore quarterback Jalin Marshall (6 foot, 195 pounds) and junior cornerback Cody Quinn (5-10, 165) were verbally offered by the University of Cincinnati on Oct. 29. Marshall has rushed for more than 1,400 yards in his first season as the Middies' starting quarterback. … St. Xavier senior linebacker Steven Daniels took an official visit to Boston College the last week of October. Daniels, who led the GCL with 16 sacks during the regular season, is considering schools that include Kentucky , Boston College, Louisville and Texas A&M. He will take all his visits before making a decision. … Pickerington North senior tight end Darien Bryant (6-4, 220) has reportedly added offers from West Virginia and North Carolina, according to ScoutingOhio.com. Braynt also reportedly has offer from the likes of Nebraska, Maryland, Kansas and several Mid-American Conference programs.

RANDOM THOUGHTS
The Summit Country Day (Cincinnati) football team made its first playoff appearance since 2000. It was also the team's first winning season since 2001. … Bowling is the first winter sport to begin across the state this year. Boys and girls' bowling teams are allowed to open the season on Nov. 19. …The Lockland football team made its fourth consecutive playoff appearance this season. The 12 seniors had a 33-10 record going into the postseason.

Information obtained from the Cincinnati Enquirer, unless otherwise noted.