CINCINNATI, Ohio – It was the clash of two undefeated GCL South titans, as Elder visited La Salle in a battle of unbeatens Friday night in the Week 4 Blitz 5 Game of the Week at La Salle.
Only one team would be able to maintain an unblemished record, and that was Elder, as the Panthers defense shut down La Salle in a 16-8 slugfest.
The first quarter was a good indicator of how the night would likely go, as it ended scoreless, with the Lancers mounting the only serious scoring threat, missing a 45-yard field goal.
It would be a matter of which defense bent more, and that would end up being La Salle’s, as Elder found the endzone starting with a 2-yard touchdown run by Panther senior RB Tommy Becker with 7:51 left in the first half.
The Panthers would add more late in the half, as senior wideout Jackson Ruth hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Elder quarterback Kaden Estep with less than a minute in the half, allowing the Panthers to take a 13-0 lead into halftime.
Blitz 5 Game of the Week: Elder 16 La Salle 8
The Top 10 west side slugfest goes to the Panthers. GCL South football is back. pic.twitter.com/H2L0lZnnlb
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) September 13, 2025
The third quarter found both defenses again matching each other, with the only scoring being a 27-yard field goal from kicker Adam Re to extend the Elder lead to 16-0.
The Lancer offense finally got something going, with quarterback Avier Carter leading La Salle down the field in the beginning of the fourth quarter, finishing the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 9:50 left in the game. The two-point conversion was successful, and suddenly it was a 16-8 ballgame, and plenty of time left.
But the Elder defense stepped up when it needed to, and shut down La Salle when it needed to, as Panther senior defensive back Jared Lammers picked off Lancer QB Avier Carter near the goal line with less than a minute to go to seal the victory.
Elder moves to 4-0 on the year, and 1-0 in the GCL South, while La Salle suffers their first loss of the season and falls to 3-1, 0-1 in the GCL South.
The Panthers travel to Louisville next week to take on undefeated Louisville St. Xavier, while La Salle hosts undefeated Withrow, who routed Dayton Dunbar Friday by a score of 49-12.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
SCORING BY QUARTERS
Elder: 0-13-3-0-16
La Salle: 0-0-0-8-8
SCORING PLAYS
E: Tommy Becker 2-yard run (Adam Re kick failed)
E: Jackson Ruth 19-yard pass from Kaden Estep (Adam Re kick)
E: Adam Re 27–yard kick
L: Hunter Odgan 14-yard pass from Avier Carter (Avier Carter Rush)
RECORDS: Elder (4-0, 1-0 GCL South) La Salle (3-1, 0-1-)
UP NEXT: Elder at Louisville St. Xavier; La Salle vs. Withrow
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.
