Week 8 saw the cream of Cincinnati high school squads begin to put some distance between themselves and their opponents, as the playoffs begin to close in.
NO. 11 LAKOTA WEST 38, OAK HILLS 6
Looking to finish their 2025 regular season strong, the 11th-ranked Lakota West Firebirds took care of business against a scrappy Oak Hills squad, as West defeated the Highlanders 38-6 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
During their current streak, Lakota West has outscored its victims by a 39.75 to 7.0 margin. It was the Firebirds 19th straight victory in October, dating all the way back to 2020.
While Oak Hills was looking to use their momentum from a close loss to GMC leader Princeton the previous week, Lakota West had no intention of entertaining another possible upset from the Highlanders.
Firebirds junior quarterback Jackson Smith had yet another impressive night, going 12-of-16 for 171 yards through the air.
While the West passing game was solid once again, it was their senior tailback Kenyon Norman who stole the show on Friday night, rushing for 162 yards on 15 attempts and 3 touchdowns. Senior wideout Tyson Davis was Smith’s favorite target throughout the contest, as he caught
seven passes for 113 yards.
Meanwhile, the Firebirds defense was once again rock-solid, as they held the Highlanders offense to just 171 yards, in comparison to the Firebirds 424 total yards of offense.
To close out their regular season, Lakota West (6-3, 6-2) will look to fend off arch-rival Lakota East (6-3, 5-3) at home, Oak Hills (4-5, 3-5) will host Fairfield (4-5, 4-4).
After a bumpy start to the season, Lakota West is rolling.
The Firebirds are up to second in the GMC standings after a 38-6 statement win over Oak Hills.@WLWT | @LakotaWestFB @CoachTomBolden @karmelojordan4 @JacksonSmith_7 @AdubofuorKofi pic.twitter.com/7cYqsbFZ6w
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) October 18, 2025
NO. 3 ANDERSON 37, NO. 7 WINTON WOODS 30
The Anderson Raptors remained undefeated and took another step toward their third straight ECC title with a dramatic 37-30 comeback win over Winton Woods on Friday night. It was the first time in 23 years that Anderson ahs won at Winton Woods (2002).
Winton Woods delivered a stunning performance early, jumping out to the largest lead Anderson has faced in the last two seasons. Quarterback Bryshawn Brown opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run, and the Warriors capitalized on a forced fumble and interception to build a 23-10 lead late in the second quarter.
But Anderson responded before the half, as Cooper Kathman found the end zone through the air to make it 23-17 at the break. After a Jordan Davis touchdown and a quick Winton Woods kickoff return score, the back-and-forth continued.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Evan Dreyer, Anderson
Ultimately, senior quarterback Owen Scalf led the Raptors to victory with a go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter, finding Davis on a swing pass and finishing the drive with a keeper.
With the win, Anderson (9-0, 8-0) will host Loveland (4-5, 4-4) next week. Winton Woods (7-2, 6-2) travels to Lebanon (7-2, 6-2) to close out the regular season.
NO. 6 KINGS 38, TURPIN 26
In a battle of two underrated squads from the ECC, it was the second-place Kings Knights who pulled out a huge road win at Turpin, 38-26 on Friday night.
Despite the final score, the Spartans put forth a valiant effort throughout the game, even while consistently finding themselves down at multiple points during the game.
It was the tale of two halves, as both the Spartans and Knights defenses stood tall, resulting in a barn-burner of a first half, with the scoring line sitting at 7-7 at the end of the first half.
Special teams proved to be a bright spot for Turpin, as they were able to both block a punt, which turned into a Spartans offense score, and also recover an onside kick.
The two special teams plays resulted in a 14-point swing in Turpin’s favor, making the dominant Knights nervous late in the contest.
While Turpin excelled in the special teams department, it was the top-10 Kings team that showcased why they are deserving of their high ranking this late into the season.
While the game was tied at half, the Kings team took over in the second half, featuring a touchdown by senior quarterback Grant Nurre on a goal-line sneak.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, Kings (8-1, 7-1) will host Walnut Hills (2-7, 1-7), while Turpin (4-5, 4-4) will look to rebound as they host Milford (1-8, 1-7).
- Here are some other scores from key Cincinnati games this week:
No 1. Elder 28, Bishop Chatard (IN) 7
No. 2 Moeller , St. Edward (SATURDAY)
No. 4 Princeton 35, No. 22 Fairfield 0 (FULL RECAP)
No. 5 St. Xavier 41, St. Ignatius 7
No. 8 Taft 45, Aiken 0
No. 10 La Salle 35, Louisville 24
No. 14 Badin 28, Alter 14 POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Nick Yordy, Badin
No. 15 Middletown 10, Hamilton 14
No. 16 Lakota East 38, Sycamore 0
No. 19 Mason 38, Colerain 21
No. 20 Lebanon 42, Walnut Hills 8
No. 21 Withrow 30, Hughes 0
No. 24 Indian Hill 41, Deer Park 6
No. 25 CHCA 36, Roger Bacon 21
Goshen 49, Wilmington 21 POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Shane Elkin, Goshen
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop
Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
*Stay updated on high school football updates by following @TSFootball on X.
