By Ed Letsinger
MaxPreps.com
Seventeen Cincinnati-area football teams qualified for the playoffs and after the dust cleared last weekend only seven remain standing heading into regional semifinal play.
In Division I, Region 4, top-seeded Colerain (10-1) survived a scare from No. 8 seed Archbishop Moeller before prevailing 17-10. The Cardinals will take on Huber Heights Wayne (8-3) in a 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon matinee contest at University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium.
No. 2-seed Elder (10-1) thumped Centerville 55-28 for its ninth straight win and will take on Clayton Northmont (10-1) at Nippert Stadium at 7 p.m.
Three Fort Ancient Valley Conference teams are still alive in Division II, Region 8 and two of them will meet in a rematch on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Princeton Mancuso Field when Winton Woods (10-1) and Kings (8-3) collide. The top-seeded Warriors crushed Dayton Dunbar 58-12 last week while the Knights upset Turpin 27-24.
Winton Woods handily defeated Kings 55-28 earlier in the year but the Knights are a different team this time around and have won six straight games. Defending state champion Anderson (9-2) began its quest for a repeat in impressive fashion by beating Edgewood 55-7 but face a strong and unbeaten New Carlisle Tecumseh (11-0) at Centerville Stadium.
Badin (8-3) will have its hands full Friday night at 7:30 p.m. when against defending state champion and Greater Catholic League North Division powerhouse Alter (9-2) in a Division IV tilt at Dayton Welcome Stadium. The Rams defeated Clinton-Massie 33-27 last week for their sixth straight win but were pounded by the Eagles 56-7 back in September.
Unbeaten and top-seeded Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (11-0) puts its perfect record on the line on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Kettering Roush Stadium against West Jefferson (9-2). The Eagles pounded East Clinton last week in their opener 43-21.
Volleyball: GGCL Showdown, Part III
Girls Greater Cincinnati League rivals Ursuline and Mount Notre Dame meet for the third time tonight at Wright State University in an Ohio Division I volleyball state semifinal match and the stakes this time around could not be any higher. The winner will earn the right to play for the state title Saturday at 1 p.m.
The undefeated and No. 1-ranked Lions (27-0) have beaten the No. 3 Cougars (23-4) twice this season, winning six out of seven games. Ursuline, making its first state Final Four appearance since 2003, has won 15 straight games and swept its first five tournament opponents. Mount Notre Dame, making its fourth straight Final Four appearance, has been equally impressive during the playoffs winning 15 straight games.
Soccer: St. Ursula Eyes Repeat
Defending state champion and unbeaten St. Ursula (19-0-3) continues to inch closer to a state title repeat in Ohio girls’ Division I soccer. The Bulldogs defeated Upper Arlington 3-0 on Wednesday night and will play Strongsville in the championship game on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Columbus Crew Stadium.
The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs have steamrolled their opponents by a 24-1 margin through their first six tournament games.
Ed Letsinger is a freelance writer who covers prep sports in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. He can be reached at eletsinger@insightbb.com
