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Cincinnati Round-Up: Moeller, Kings both fall

Neither of Cincinnati’s two teams playing in Friday night state semi-final action were able to move on to Canton next week as both Moeller and Kings fell in close affairs.

DIVISION I

SPRINGFIELD 28, MOELLER 24

Moeller’s bid for a trip to Canton and the DI state championship game next week came up one win short as they dropped a tough one versus Springfield, 28-24.

The Crusaders built an early lead in the game and appeared to have the upper hand when they took a 14-7 lead to the locker room at the half. However, Moeller managed just one touchdown after that and were outscored 21-10 the rest of the way.

Jordan Marshall didn’t disappoint as he picked up 165 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. The Crusaders just struggled to finish drives as the game progressed and made a few costly mistakes they simply couldn’t overcome.

Wildcats’ quarterback Bryce Schondelm completed 17 of 29 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns to lift Springfield to victory. He added 42 yards rushing on five carries. Wide receivers Shawn Thigpen and Anthony Brown each caught four balls for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Moeller signal caller Matt Ponatoski finished with 27 yards and completed just three of his 16 passes with one interception. He was under constant pressure all night from the Wildcats’ fierce passing rush. Those passing struggles proved costly when the Crusaders got forced into must-pass situations late in the game.

The loss ends a remarkable run for Moeller though as they finished the year 13-2 after playing one of the toughest schedules in the state. Head coach Mark Elder has a nice foundation here and that should carry over into 2023 and beyond.

Springfield now advances to next Friday’s Ohio Division I state championship game vs. St. Edward.

DIVISION II

TOLEDO CATHOLIC 52, KINGS 49

Kings’ magical run came to an end on Friday night as the Knights fell in a thriller to Toledo Central Catholic, 45-42.

The two offenses traded punches like heavyweight fighters right out of the gate, but it would prove to be key defensive plays and special teams that would ultimately decide the contest. Kings definitely left nothing on the field in this one.

Will Kocher hit Nate Lyman on a 50-yard TD strike to give the Knights a 49-45 lead with 4:27 to go, but the Fighting Irish found an answer as Chris Edmonds scored on a 5-yard TD run with 28 seconds left to go up three. 

Kings miraculously drove back down the field in the short time frame to get a crack at tying the game, but their 34-yard field goal attempt at the buzzer fell just short as time expired.

In his final high school game, Kocher was 27-of-49 for 567 yards with seven total touchdowns (five passing, two rushing). He finished the season with 52 passing touchdowns and 15 more rushing scores.

The Knights were hoping to make it to the school’s first-ever state championship game, but instead it will be Toledo Central Catholic that will face Archbishop Hoban next week in Canton for the Ohio DII title.

Get the complete scores from all of tonight’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.

*Stay updated on high school football updates by following @TSFootball on Twitter.

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