Elder’s persistent ground attack led the way for the Panthers in a close 28-20 win over Kentucky-based Covington Catholic in this top-25 based matchup.
CINCINNATI, Ohio – After an easy win over Mt. Zion Prep (MI), the Elder Panthers found themselves in a close battle with their Kentucky-based foe Covington Catholic, who were looking to rebound after a close 26-20 loss to Ryle in week one.
Elder found themselves down early 3-0 after a solid drive by senior Colonels quarterback Cash Harney and the Covington Catholic offense.
However, the Panthers found success running the ball early and often, leaning on junior quarterback Kaden Estep and senior tailback Tommy Becker’s legs.
Estep was able to find a crease in the defense throughout the first quarter, rumbling twenty yards to the house, a huge response to the Colonels, taking a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.
After the Panthers defense held strong, they were able to pound away down the field to another rushing touchdown by Estep, this time a 33-yard scamper into the endzone.
The Colonels were able to mount yet another methodical, time-consuming drive in response however; something that has become a calling card for Harney and the Covington Catholic offense in this early season.
PHOTOS: Covington Catholic at Elder
Driving down into the Panthers side of the field, the Colonels offense stalled out at the 20 yard line, and had to rely on their reliable sophomore kicker Logan Zembrodt, who notched his second field goal of the the contest to bring the score within one score, 14-6 at the end of the second quarter.
Coming out at the second half, Elder was once again able to establish consistent success running the ball, leaning on Becker to pound their way down the field, culminating in a Becker 3-yard run to extend their lead to 21-6.
Check out these great highlights from our friends at Blitz 5 / WLWT…
Elder & Cov Cath turns into a West Side slugfest.
Tommy Becker and the Panthers O-line prevail in front of a jam packed Pit. pic.twitter.com/KeZ5MchvzF
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) August 30, 2025
Harney and the Colonels offense showed resilience and no quit, once again methodically making their way down the field for another scoring drive. In contrast to the first half of the game, Covington Catholic pulled it back to within one score once again, on the back of ever-reliable senior tailback Dylan Gaiser, who scored on a 4-yard rush.
In what became a contest of who had the most potent rushing attack, the Panthers responded by utilizing Becker and Estep’s legs once again, making their way down the field and capping off a 10+ play drive with a Becker two-yard rush, his second of the game.
Covington Catholic mounted one last scoring drive, where they became the first team to score through the air all evening, as Harney found senior wideout Logan Sanning down the seam for a long 51-yard touchdown toss.
Despite the late heroics from the Colonels, Elder was able to hang on late and pull out a hard-earned 28-20 victory, moving them to 2-0 on the early season and undefeated on home turf at the Pit.
Becker was impressive for the Panthers, racking up 97 yards on 20 carries and two touchdown rushes. Estep was on point all evening, throwing for 219 yards on 16 completions out of 19 attempts, in addition to his two touchdown scampers.
While Covington Catholic dropped to 0-2 on the young season, the Colonels have a lot of talent to build on. Harney went 11 for 16 and 172 yards through the air, in addition to 84 yards on the ground. Gaiser had 55 yards on 14 carries, and Sanning complimented Harney’s solid passing performance with his 51-yard touchdown performance.
Up next for the Panthers is another home contest against Springboro (2-0) at the Pit. Covington Catholic will look for thier first win of the season as they travel to Simon Kenton (2-0)
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
Elder head coach Doug Ramsey as heard on High School Football Tonight on ESPN 1530:
SCORING BY QUARTERS
CovCath: 3-3-7-7-20
Elder: 7-7-7-7-28
SCORING PLAYS
CC: Logan Zembrodt 20 kick
E: Kaden Estep 11 rush (Adam Re kick)
E: Estep 33 rush (Re kick)
CC: Zembrodt 31 kick
E: Tommy Becker 3 Rush (Re kick)
CC: Dylan Gaiser 3 Rush (Zembrodt kick)
E: Becker 3 Rush (Re kick)
CC: Logan Sanning 51 pass from Cash Harney (Zembrodt kick)
RECORDS: Covington Catholic (0-1); Elder (1-0)
UP NEXT: East Central vs Harrison; Lawrenceburg vs. Taylor
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