Friday Night TSF Blitz: Week 7

Week 7 delivered statement wins, milestone performances and plenty of drama across the Tri-state. Moeller captured the GCL South outright, Highlands made an emphatic statement in Park Hills, Princeton celebrated the first game in its new stadium with a shutout, and Fenwick ended a long drought against Badin.

The individual performances were just as impressive. East Central’s Ryan Minges scored a career-high six rushing touchdowns while surpassing 3,000 career rushing yards, Lakota West’s Kenyon Norman continued his torrid season, and big nights from Key’Sean Torbert, Lincoln Schreiber, Logan Schmenk and others highlighted another action-packed Friday night.

MOELLER SWEEPS GCL SOUTH

No. 3 Moeller entered Friday night with an opportunity to take care of business and leave no doubt about the Greater Catholic League South championship.

The Crusaders did exactly that.

Moeller held off a furious comeback by No. 5 Elder and scored the decisive touchdown with 50 seconds remaining to win 35-28 at Welcome Stadium. The victory completed a 3-0 run through the GCL South for the Crusaders and gave them the outright league championship.

The Crusaders did it with a dominant rushing attack. Moeller piled up 352 yards on the ground and 544 yards of total offense while controlling the football for nearly 29 minutes.

Ju Glover-Brown led the way with a monster performance, carrying 28 times for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Phil Bailey added 109 yards on nine attempts as Moeller averaged 8.8 yards per rush.

🎧 LISTEN: Postgame Interview with Moeller Head Coach Bert Bathiany
https://go.tristatefootball.com/ComwSO

Moeller led 21-13 at halftime and stretched the advantage to 28-13 on Glover-Brown’s 15-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. Elder refused to go away. Kaden Estep connected with Chase Walpole for a 53-yard touchdown before the Panthers put together a 14-play, 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter. Andrew Tallen’s one-yard touchdown and Estep’s two-point conversion pass to Jason Forte tied it at 28 with 2:49 remaining.

Moeller answered like a champion.

The Crusaders drove 63 yards in six plays, with Glover-Brown breaking free for the game-winning 26-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left.

Estep turned in a huge effort in defeat, completing 21-of-27 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns. Andrew Lyman caught 10 passes for 129 yards, while Walpole caught two touchdown passes.

For Moeller, a three-game GCL South sweep ends with the prize it came for: an outright conference championship.

Moeller and Elder put together another classic

J-G-B chants in crunch time & the Crusaders’ dominant start to the decade in the GCL South rolls on pic.twitter.com/jrfQe3Ry6o

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) October 3, 2026

AROUND THE TRI-STATE

CINCINNATI

#2 Lakota West 35, #9 Middletown 0
Lakota West made a statement in the GMC race, going on the road and shutting out Middletown, 35-0.

Kenyon Norman was once again the driving force for the Firebirds. The senior carried 25 times for 145 yards and scored four touchdowns, finding the end zone twice in the first half and twice more in the third quarter. Norman now has 20 rushing touchdowns through seven games.

Lakota West took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter before breaking things open with 14 points in the second. Jackson Smith connected with Karmelo Jordan for a 67-yard touchdown to make it 21-0 before halftime. Jordan finished with five receptions for 135 yards.

The Firebirds defense took care of the rest. Middletown was held to 150 total yards and converted just 1-of-13 third downs. West recorded three sacks and limited Middies quarterback Gavin Nolan to 70 passing yards.

Lakota West improves to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the GMC, while Middletown falls to 4-3 and 4-2.

All is right in the world… Lakota West blows out its opponent and Kenyon Norman makes the Blitz.

Firebirds pitch their first shutout of the season against Middletown.@WLWT | @LakotaWestFB @n0rman_keny0n @JudahBlair1 pic.twitter.com/sM9l9JxGZd

— Jaron May (@jaron_may) October 3, 2026

Little Miami 20, #17 Kings 19
Little Miami built a 20-point first-half lead and survived a furious Kings comeback for a 20-19 road victory.

Brayden Brown threw two first-quarter touchdown passes, while Cade Wojnicz added two field goals as the Panthers took a 20-0 lead into halftime. Little Miami’s defense also forced two turnovers, including a Carter Hainey interception.

Kings came roaring back after the break. Jaden Hornbeck scored on a six-yard run before Jack Sills connected with Jay Arrington for a 32-yard touchdown to make it 20-13.

Oliver Young’s 24-yard touchdown run pulled the Knights within one with 3:05 remaining, but the extra point was no good and Little Miami held on.

The Panthers improve to 4-3, while Kings falls to 3-4 despite Young rushing for 234 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

Deer Park 17, Mariemont 0
Deer Park kept its perfect season rolling with a 17-0 road shutout of Mariemont, improving to 7-0 heading into Homecoming week.

After a scoreless opening quarter, Caden Lewis broke the tie with a 25-yard field goal just before halftime to give the Wildcats a 3-0 advantage.

Deer Park’s defense took over from there. Sellers delivered one of the game’s biggest plays with a pick-six in the third quarter as the Wildcats kept Mariemont off the scoreboard. Sayers added to the lead late in the fourth to put the game away.

Mariemont managed 147 yards of offense and threw three interceptions. Quarterback Davis Koehler finished 8-of-22 for 93 yards with two picks, while Carson Quaimbao threw another interception.

The shutout keeps Deer Park unbeaten at 7-0 and gives the Wildcats another impressive defensive performance as they head home for Week 8.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Bourbon County 41, #21 Lloyd 34
Lloyd Memorial suffered its first loss of the season in heartbreaking fashion, falling 41-34 at Bourbon County in a wild Class 3A, District 5 battle.

Bourbon County jumped ahead 14-0, beginning the game with Fred Carson’s 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Lloyd responded behind Colten Barger, whose 45-yard touchdown run helped the Juggernauts pull even at 14-14 early in the second quarter. Bourbon County carried a 20-14 lead into halftime.

The teams traded punches throughout the second half. Barger scored again on a 30-yard run, while Avery Conrad scored three rushing touchdowns for Lloyd, including a 13-yarder that put the Juggernauts ahead 34-33 with 3:20 remaining.

Bourbon County answered with the decisive drive. Julius Gregory scored with 53 seconds left and then connected with Madi Bell for the two-point conversion to make it 41-34.

Lloyd still had one final opportunity, driving into Bourbon County territory without any timeouts. The Juggernauts appeared to have a chance at a dramatic finish on the game’s final play, but the pass was ruled incomplete, ending the game amid controversy.

The loss drops #21 Lloyd to 6-1 and gives Bourbon County control of the District 5 race.

Campbell County 31, Newport Central Catholic 7
Campbell County turned a three-point halftime lead into a convincing 31-7 victory over Newport Central Catholic. The Camels led 10-7 at the break before scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown helped break things open, while Cade Anthrop caught two touchdown passes. NewCath’s only score came on a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

FRIDAY NIGHT STARS

Ryan Minges, East Central, RB
The headliner. Minges scored a career-high six rushing touchdowns in East Central’s 70-27 win over Connersville. He already had 137 yards and five TDs on 10 carries at halftime and added a 50-yard TD after the break. He also surpassed 3,000 career rushing yards.

Key’Sean Torbert, Princeton, QB
Torbert followed his breakout performance against Lakota East with another big night. He completed 16-of-20 for 258 yards and four touchdowns and added 24 yards and a rushing TD as #1 Princeton christened its new stadium with a 47-0 rout of Mason.

Lorenzo McMullen Jr., Princeton, WR
A massive receiving performance: 10 catches, 148 yards and three touchdowns. McMullen scored from 34, 28 and 9 yards as Princeton improved to 7-0.

Kenyon Norman, Lakota West, RB
Norman continued his monster season with 25 carries for 145 yards and four touchdowns as #2 Lakota West blanked #9 Middletown, 35-0. He now has 20 rushing touchdowns through seven games.

Lincoln Schreiber, Oak Hills, QB
Nearly flawless through the air in Oak Hills’ 42-14 win over Hamilton: 21-of-22 passing for 330 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Anquan Evans, Oak Hills, RB
Evans accounted for 225 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. He rushed 19 times for 159 yards and three scores, then added two catches for 66 yards, including a 51-yard TD.

Logan Schmenk, Lebanon, RB
One of the night’s biggest rushing totals. Schmenk carried 30 times for 256 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 8.5 yards per carry in #17 Lebanon’s 39-29 win over Milford.

Nile Knutson, Lakota East, QB
East came up short, but Knutson put together a huge individual night in the 35-31 loss to Fairfield: 34-of-47 for 443 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 18 yards.

Parker Randall, Fairfield, QB
Randall didn’t need huge passing volume to make an impact in Fairfield’s upset of #8 Lakota East. He finished 8-of-11 for 184 yards and two TDs and rushed 23 times for 96 yards and another score.

Mason Wheeler, Fairfield, RB
Wheeler supplied the explosiveness with 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, including a 64-yard score, as Fairfield built a 35-14 halftime advantage.

Oliver Young, Kings, RB
Young nearly carried Kings all the way back from a 20-point deficit. He rushed 26 times for 234 yards and a touchdown, added a 27-yard reception and scored on a 24-yard run that pulled the Knights within 20-19.

Caleb Abshire, West Clermont, RB
Only 11 carries were necessary for Abshire to pile up 152 yards and three touchdowns in West Clermont’s 45-5 win over Walnut Hills. His night included an 89-yard touchdown run.

Jasiah Feliciano, West Clermont, WR
Feliciano caught six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including scoring receptions of 70 and 40 yards.

Evan Otto, Roger Bacon, WR/DB
A strong two-way performance despite the Spartans’ loss. Otto caught two passes for 107 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown that briefly gave Bacon the fourth-quarter lead. He also recorded seven tackles and a tackle for loss.

Lan Brandenburg, Williamsburg, QB/RB
Brandenburg powered Williamsburg past Roger Bacon with 27 carries for 128 yards and all three Wildcats touchdowns, including the go-ahead 4-yard score with 2:35 remaining.

BLITZ 5 GAME OF THE WEEK

#10 Highlands 38, #16 Covington Catholic 20
Highlands made a statement in Park Hills, jumping on Covington Catholic early and pulling away for a 38-20 victory. The Bluebirds led 14-0 after one quarter and 17-7 at halftime before breaking the game open in the third. Bryce Armstrong scored three times on the ground, while Colt Kremer added two rushing touchdowns as Highlands won its sixth straight game.

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