FOREST PARK, Ohio – Friday night’s Eastern Cincinnati Conference battle between the #7 Winton Woods Warriors proved to be beneficial in a few aspects for the #3 Anderson Raptors.
First and foremost, a victory would clinch the Raptors second-consecutive Eastern Cincinnati Conference title, along with the number one seed for the Ohio Division II, Region 8 playoffs. But, what might prove to be most important come playoff time, is the challenge Anderson received in a back and forth 37-30 victory over their ECC rivals.
Friday night’s game at Charlie Frederick Stadium at Winton Woods was a battle between two of the perennial frontrunners in the ECC. While both squads had already clinched playoff spots – Anderson at least a first-round bye and a home game in Ohio Division II, Region 8, and Winton Woods with a spot secured in Ohio Division I, Region 4 – there was still the conference title, playoff seeding and Anderson’s 24-game regular season winning streak at risk.
Both squads came into Friday night’s contest with momentum galore, with Anderson fresh off a 53-16 shellacking of Walnut Hills last week, and Winton Woods having blanked West Clermont 35-0. It was slated to be a battle between the Raptors offense, which came into the game averaging a ridiculous ECC leading 51.3 points per game, and the stifling defense of the Warriors, which was allowing a paltry 173.6 yards per game – second in the ECC – and an ECC-best 8.6 points per game.
This one lived up to the hype and more. #3 Anderson wins its closest game of the season, 37-30 over #7 Winton Woods.@WLWT | @_AHS_Football @CoachEvanDreyer @AHS_TDClub pic.twitter.com/R0hIbSXcNw
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) October 18, 2025
Winton Woods took the opening kickoff, with senior wideout Jon’ir “Johnny” Travis returning the kick out to the Warrior 46. Senior quarterback Bryshawn Brown then deftly took the Warriors into the Anderson red zone, and capped the 7-play, 54-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown sneak to give Winton Woods an early 7-0 lead at the 9:12 mark of the first quarter.
The Raptors took their opening possession and started marching right down the field themselves, but the Warrior defense stiffened and forced Anderson to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Maddux Snider to make it a 7-3 game.
Winton Woods got to midfield on their next possession, but were forced to punt, and the Anderson offense – led by junior quarterback Owen Scalf – drove quickly down the field again, slicing up the Warrior defense and capping the drive on a 12-yard touchdown run by Jordan Davis to make it 10-7 Raptors, which is how the first quarter ended.
The Warriors were able to again, aided by the a great kickoff return by Travis, to start near midfield, and took it down to the 10-yard line of Anderson before settling for a 27-yard field goal by senior Michael Galaes Reyes to knot the score at 10 apiece with 10:08 left in the first half.
Anderson, on their next possession, had to do something which they had only done one time so far this season – punt – as the Winton Woods defense was starting to settle in. Their offense was as well, as the Warriors drove 68 yards, with running back Isaiah “Zeek” Garrett taking it in from 7 yards out to give Winton Woods the lead again at 17-10, with five minutes left in the first half.
And what an action-packed five minutes that was, as on Anderson’s ensuring possession, Scalf was sacked and fumbled, with Winton Woods defensive lineman Kehyon Roberts scooping up the fumble and thundering 18 yards for a score. The kick failed, but the Warriors found themselves with the largest lead that any team has had over Anderson thus far this season, at 23-10.
“He was rattled,” Anderson coach Evan Dreyer said of his quarterback Scalf and the team at that point. “Everyone was a little rattled, because we were shocked.”
Things were looking even more bleak on the Raptors very next possession, as after working their way out to midfield, Scalf had a pass tipped into the eager hands of Winton Woods defensive lineman Lael Jones, who took the interception and rumbled down to the Anderson 39-yard line. But just as it looked as it might start to get out of hand, the Raptor defense bucked up and forced a Winton Woods punt.
Scalf then led the Raptors in the two-minute offense, driving down to the Winton Woods 20-yard line before pulling a trick play out of the top hat, as a flea flicker between Scalf and wideout Cooper Rathman turned into a 20-yard touchdown pass from Rathman to senior wide receiver Brayden Moore with 49 seconds left in the half to make it a 23-17 game going into halftime.
“We got a big defensive stop, and then our kids played amazing at that time to get it to halftime,” Dreyer said.
Anderson took the kickoff to start the second half, and a good return put them inside the Winton Woods 40. The Winton Woods defense played tough, but a pass interference penalty, a personal foul facemask penalty, and then a 23-yard scamper by Scalf took Raptors to the 1-yard line, where RB Jordan Davis would finish the drive with a 1-yard score to give the Raptors their first lead of the night at 24-23 with 7:17 left in the third.
That wouldn’t last long, however, as on the ensuing kickoff, the Warriors Johnny Travis took it to the house, going the length of the field for a touchdown and putting Winton Woods right back on top at 30-24.
Anderson showed its mettle on the next possession, however, as Scalf and company were able to convert a fourth-and-long down inside the Winton Woods 5-yard line, and Davis finished off the possession with a 3-yard scoring run, his third on the night. The extra point was blocked by the Warrior special teams, and it was a tie ballgame at 30-all.
The Raptors forced Winton Woods to go three-and-out on the next possession, and a partially blocked punt by the Raptors put Anderson at the Warrior 27-yard line. Then it was the Owen Scalf and Jordan Davis show, with Scalf hitting Davis on a swing pass down to the 13-yard line. Then Scalf, on the next play, scampered for a 13-yard touchdown, putting Anderson back on top 37-30 as the third quarter came to a close.
As the fourth quarter opened, the Winton Woods offense – which had successfully moved the ball against the Raptor defense most of the night – suddenly found it tough sledding, as the Anderson defense forced punts on three consecutive Winton Woods possessions. Not only was the Warrior offense kept from mounting any serious threats, it also helped to salt away the clock.
It looked as if Winton Woods might get the ball back one last time, with roughly a minute and a half left in regulation, but Anderson – on a 4th and 4 – drew the Warriors offside, resulting in a first down and sealing the game for the Raptors.
Dreyer said he was proud of his team’s resilience, and the way they responded to the challenge from Winton Woods.
“I was really, really proud of our kids, and how they made sure to cut the deficit,” Dreyer said. “Owen was unbelievable with the comeback … he didn’t go up or down with his emotions, he stayed true to himself.”
And while the team and coaching staff could celebrate a second-straight ECC title, Dreyer said there is more work to be done.
“It’s really, really cool for our kids, but we’re heading to Week 10 and we’ve got to enjoy the process, and start getting ready for Loveland in Week 10, who does a fantastic job of running a triple option, and an odd front defense,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we stay focused for this week, and make sure we head into that bye week ready to go, and with our eyes up, so we can fix from tonight’s game. Tonight showed us a lot of deficiencies we need to clean up, for sure.
With the victory, Anderson moves to 9-0 on the season, and 8-0 in the ECC, while Winton Woods falls to 7-2, 6-2 in the ECC.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
BOX SCORE
Anderson 10-7-20-0-37
Winton Woods 7-16-7-0-30
SCORING PLAYS
W: Bryshawn Brown 1-yard run (Michael Galeas Reyes kick)
A: Maddux Snider 30-yard kick
A: Jordan Davis 12-yard run (Snider kick)
W: Galeas Reyes 27-yard kick
W: Isaiah “Zeek” Garrett 7-yard run
W: Kehyon Roberts 18-yard fumble return (kick failed)
A: Cooper Rathman 20-yard pass to Brayden Moore (Snider kick)
A: Davis 1-yard run (Snider kick)
W: Jon’ir “Johnny” Travis kick return (Galeas Reyes kick)
A: Davis 3-yard run (kick failed)
A: Scalf 13-yard run (Snider kick)
RECORDS: Anderson 9-0 (8-0 ECC); Winton Woods 7-2 (6-2 ECC)
UP NEXT: Loveland at Anderson; Winton Woods at Lebanon
