OHSAA Playoff Recap: Regional Semifinals

There were just 16 teams left standing in each division across the Buckeye State when Friday kicked off, but by evening’s end that number was cut in half. Here’s a quick recap of what unfolded in Week 13 action across Southwest Ohio.

DIVISION I, REGION 4

NO. 1 ELDER 32, NO. 4 PRINCETON 30
Elder pulled off an unbelievable comeback at The Pit, rallying from a 23–0 third-quarter deficit to stun Princeton and advance to the Region 4 championship. Kaden Estep sparked the surge with three straight touchdowns—runs of 35 and 9 yards and a strike to Jackson Ruth—while Tommy Becker added two key two-point conversions to tie the game at 23. The chaos escalated late: Princeton blocked a field goal and returned it 72 yards for a 30–23 lead, but Elder answered with a 75-yard Estep-to-Ruth touchdown before the two-point try was stopped. After recovering an onside kick, Elder drove inside the 5, and Adam Re drilled the go-ahead field goal with 12 seconds left to seal a 32–30 classic. Estep finished with 315 yards passing and 113 yards on the ground. (FULL RECAP)

More Finals:
No. 3 St. Xavier 17, No. 2 Moeller 13 (FULL RECAP)

DIVISION I, REGION 2

NO. 1 MIDDLETOWN 14, NO. 5 SPRINGFIELD 0
Middletown is headed to its first regional final since 1990 after shutting out Springfield 14–0 in the Division I, Region 2 semifinals. The Middies broke a scoreless tie with 6:28 left in the third quarter when Julius Reed hit Jojo Ward on a clever trick play, with the quarterback hauling in a 5-yard touchdown. Reed later found Zymir Reed for a score with 6:35 remaining to make it a two-possession game. Middletown’s defense delivered its second straight shutout and has allowed more than 10 points just twice all season.

Middletown is heading to the regional finals for the first time in program history.

The Middies pitch their second straight shutout and put up 14 in the second to top Springfield.@WLWT | @midtownmiddies @Jordan_Vann_ @CoachKRJones @JuliusReed9_ pic.twitter.com/EyJwRK8lnM

— Jaron May (@jaron_may) November 15, 2025

More Finals:
No. 6 Wayne 20, No. 2 Troy 14 (FULL RECAP)

DIVISION II, REGION 8

NO. 3 TROTWOOD MADISON 49, NO. 7 HARRISON 0
Trotwood-Madison set the tone early as Terry Harrell broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown, and Dallas Shehee later found Armani Rogers on a fourth-down strike that turned into a 30-yard score. Shehee kept the momentum rolling with a 40-yard TD to Tristin Bozeman, giving the Rams a commanding 35-0 halftime lead. Rogers opened the second half with a 90-yard kickoff return, ensuring the running clock never stopped. Trotwood-Madison tacked on one more touchdown and cruised to a dominant win, advancing to face Anderson in next week’s Region 8 finals.

More Finals:
No. 1 Anderson 35, No. 5 La Salle 28 (FULL RECAP)

DIVISION III, REGION 12

NO. 2 TIPPECANOE 23, NO. 3 BADIN 16
Defense dominated early until Tippecanoe finally broke through late in the half, as Larkin Thomas hit Will Strong on a 24-yard touchdown to take a 10–3 lead with 2:06 left. The Red Devils capitalized on a botched punt snap in the third quarter, turning it into a 7-yard Xavier Melton touchdown to go up 14. The Rams’ James Brinks answered immediately with a 93-yard kickoff return to trim the deficit. Both teams added touchdowns but missed the extra points. Tipp held strong to improve to 12–0 and advance to the Region 12 title game against London.

More Finals:
No. 1 London 28, No. 4 Jackson 24

DIVISION IV, REGION 16

NO. 1 INDIAN HILL 25, NO. 4 TAFT 19
Indian Hill capitalized on a sloppy first half to hand Taft its first loss of the season. After a wild sequence that saw two fumbles on the same play, Monsana Torbert’s 98-yard TD run gave Taft a 6–3 lead, but an intentional-grounding safety made it 6–5. The Braves surged ahead with an Evan Riggs 1-yard score, then turned another Taft fumble into a Devlan Daniel touchdown for an 18–6 halftime lead. Dylan Hartman’s pick-six stretched it to 25–6. Taft rallied late but was stopped inside the 5 on the final play and came up just short in their effort to advance. Indian Hill advances to face Valley View in the Region 16 final.