By Ed Letsinger
MaxPreps.com
The top ranking in Cincinnati was on the line Friday night when Colerain and St. Xavier hooked up for their much-anticipated season opener at the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown presented by Meijer/Dr. Pepper.
Playing before an estimated 15,000 fans on a hot, muggy night at University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium, the preseason No. 2-ranked Cardinals upset No. 1 and defending Ohio Division I state champion St. Xavier 13-8 in a defensive struggle.
The Bombers had defeated the Cardinals three of the past four times they had met dating back to 2005, including 29-14 in the Division I, Region 4 final last year. But it was a different story this time around.
Colerain bolted out to a quick 13-0 lead in the first nine minutes of the opening quarter on touchdown runs of 5 and 48 yards by sophomore running back Tyler Williams. It was all the scoring that was needed as the Colerain defense kept the Bombers out of the end zone all evening.
St. Xavier managed a pair of field goals of 20 and 28 yards by Danny Freudiger, the latter coming with 5:27 left in the game cutting the lead to 13-6. After recovering a Colerain fumble late in the fourth quarter, the Bombers drove to the Cardinals’ 15-yard line but were stopped on fourth down with 1:34 left in the game. Colerain took over and ran out the clock, electing to take an intentional safety to close out the game and scoring.
The Bombers played without starting quarterback Luke Massa (foot injury) and standout lineman Mathew James, which left them with 11 new starters on offense. Senior QBs Joe O’Toole and Sam Male split time, combining for 103 yards on 12-of-26 passing. Williams rushed for 66 yards on seven carries to lead Colerain, tying St. X’s Connor Earley (66 yards on 12 carries) for game-high honors. Junior quarterback Greg Taber added 65 yards on 14 carries. St. Xavier out-gained Colerain 219-162 and had 15 first downs to Colerain’s 8.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Bombers or Cardinals this weekend with big national games looming against Prattville (Ala.) and Mckeesport (Pa.), respectively, in the Burger King Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Paul Brown Stadium.
Dayton-Area Schools Win Trifecta
It was a good showing for the three Dayton-area schools that participated in the Crosstown Showdown. Centerville thumped Lakota East 42-14 while Huber Heights Wayne defeated Lakota West 20-17 in an opening-night doubleheader on Thursday at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium.
The Elks passed for close to 300 yards with starter Logan Hanes accounting for 179 and two touchdowns and were never threatened after trailing early 7-0. In the nightcap, Garrett Clink drilled two field goals in the final 2:22 including the game-winner of 30 yards with four second left in the game to lead Wayne.
Clayton Northmont capped things off with a 28-17 win over Mason Saturday at Nippert Stadium. The Thunderbolts trailed 17-7 entering the fourth quarter but rallied with three touchdowns to pull out the win.
Small Schools, Big Wins
Winton Woods proved why it is considered one of the top small-school teams in Cincinnati by handing La Salle a 26-20 loss. The Division II Warriors jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead against the Division I Lancers and then held on. Winton Woods racked up 190 yards rushing led by junior running back Jeremiah Goins (101) and junior quarterback Dominique Brown (72).
Defending Division II state champion Anderson started off its season with a dominating 56-6 win over Taft. The Redskins opened the game with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kyle Slater and never looked back, eventually building their lead to 49-0 by halftime. Quarterback Daniel Rod was one of many stars on the day, going 5-for-5 passing for 138 yards and one touchdown
Greater Catholic League South Division Rebounds On Saturday
Greater Catholic League South Division schools St. Xavier and La Salle took it on the chin on Friday, but fellow GCL members Elder and Moeller gave the league a 2-2 record in the Crosstown Showdown with victories on Saturday over Greater Miami Conference schools.
Elder defeated Middletown 38-19 while Moeller dropped Princeton 27-17. The Panthers racked up close to 400 yards of offense behind quarterback Mark Miller (200 yards passing) and running back Nick Grampke (94 yards, 17 carries, three TDs). Elder jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead and was never threatened.
Moeller won an entertaining contest against the Vikings in a game between two highly ranked teams that featured close to 700 yards of total offense. Senior running back Patrick Blanks carried the ball 30 times for 99 yards and three touchdowns to lead Moeller. The potent Princeton attacked was led by junior quarterback Spencer Ware, who passed for 275 yards (14-for-39) and rushed for another 123 on 24 carries. Wide receivers Jeff Duckworth (178) and Jordan Hopgood (106) caught seven passes each.
Ed Letsinger is a freelance writer who covers high school sports in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky
