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Elder wins fourth straight

CINCINNATI, oh – Six days after knocking off two-time defending Division I state champion St Edward, and one week before hosting GCL South rival St Xavier, the last thing that the head coach Doug Ramsey and his Elder Panthers wanted was any sort of distraction when they hosted University Prep on Friday.

The visitors from Pittsburgh ran into travel difficulties in route to Cincinnati, however, and didn’t get to the west side until 7:30. That delayed the start of the interstate matchup by nearly an hour in front of the typical packed house at The Pit.

Elder Head Coach Doug Ramsey (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

Elder Head Coach Doug Ramsey (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

But, the Panthers (4-1) took care of business, cruising to a 42-0 win over the out-manned Wildcats (0-4) behind a strong running game and dominating defense.

Sophomore quarterback Michael Biitner and senior running back TiAriq Dailey each scored two touchdowns to lead the Panthers’ ground game, while the defense held the Wildcats to just 49 total offense yards and two first downs on the night.

Biitner, spelling starter Danny Nieman in a two-headed quarterback attack, led Elder with 107 yards on 12 carries on the ground. Dailey, coming in for injured starting junior running back Jack Mazza, ran for 47 punishing yards on seven carries.

“We complement each other well, we’re good friends, and we compete in practice, I push him, he pushes me,” said Biitner of the quarterbacking tandem with Nieman. “With his throwing ability and my running ability, we can move the ball pretty well.”

Mazza got the scoring started with a 1-yard plunge in the first quarter. However, the junior was injured late in the first quarter after gaining 42 yards on nine carries.

Biitner scored late in the first quarter to make it 14-0 with 2:52 left in the first, and then scored from the 7 on the first play of the second quarter to make it 21-0 and the rout was on.

Dailey dented the scoring column midway through the second quarter, and then activated the running clock just four minutes into the second half with a one-yard plunge to make it 35-0 with 8:08 left in the third.

The Wildcats did not have a first down until midway through the second quarter, and were only able to get one first down in the second half after the running clock was in effect.

Twenty players registered tackles for the Panthers, led by defensive end Spencer Bono, defensive back Zach Lyons, and linebackers Jared Tepe and Nick Niehaus with three tackles each. Tepe, Lyons, and Bono also recorded sacks. Defensive back Aaron Bishop also added an interception in the second quarter.

Nieman completed 7-of-11 passes for 91 yards and one interception. Sophomore wide receiver Kyle Trischler grabbed four of those passes for 50 yards.

“We’ve prepared hard, we’ve started 4-1, but that’s in the past,” said Biitner. “We’ve got to prep now for GCL and St X, all of our focus has to be on that game.”

The Bombers will visit the Pit next Friday to open GCL South play for Elder. St Xavier (3-2, 1-0 GCL) knocked off visiting Moeller on Friday, 21-14, to open conference play.

Scoring Summary
University Prep 0 0 0 0- 0
Elder 14 14 7 7- 42
E- Jack Mazza 1 YD RUN (Sam Harmeyer KICK)
E- Michael Bittner 7 YD RUN (Harmeyer KICK)
E- Bittner 11 YD RUN (Harmeyer KICK)
E- TiAriq Dailey 2 YD RUN (Harmeyer KICK)
E- Dailey 1 YD RUN (Harmeyer KICK)
E- Chucky Lipps 1 YD RUN (Vince Sabato KICK)

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