The first round of the OHSAA Playoffs kicked off on Friday night. While many of the area’s top teams were enjoying an opening bye, others were fighting for their seasons to stay alive on Halloween evening around Southwest Ohio
DIVISION I, REGION 4
NO. 7 LAKOTA WEST 30, NO. 10 HAMILTON 0
The Lakota West Firebirds left no doubt in their playoff opener, dominating Hamilton for the second time this season with a 30-0 shutout to advance to the next round.
The Firebirds’ defense stole the show, forcing four turnovers — including two interceptions by Roman Combs — and holding the Big Blue to just 16 rushing yards. Meanwhile, West’s ground game controlled the tempo, outgaining Hamilton 167-16 on the night.
Senior running back Braydon Johnson powered the offense with 91 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Quarterback Jackson Smith added a 58-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Davis, giving Lakota West all the scoring it would need behind another smothering defensive effort.
It was a night of milestones as well, as the victory marked the 200th career win for head coach Tom Bolden, who has built the Firebirds into a perennial power.
Through two meetings this season, Lakota West has now outscored Hamilton 68-6 and posted its second shutout of the year. The Firebirds (8-3) move on to face second-seeded Moeller next week in the regional quarterfinals.
Lakota West begins its quest back to the Regional Final – and beyond – with a shutout win over Hamilton.
Tom Bolden notches his 200th career win as well.@WLWT | @LakotaWestFB @CoachTomBolden @Roman_Combs1 @BraydonJ50 @Chris2Bradleyy pic.twitter.com/jdOAf1nLec
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) November 1, 2025
More Finals:
No. 5 Winton Woods 39, No. 12 Little Miami 6
No. 6 Lakota East 59, No. 11 Oak Hills 47
No. 8 Fairfield 46, No. 9 Mason 41 (FULL RECAP)
DIVISION I, REGION 2
NO. 8 LEBANON 22, NO. 9 FAIRMONT 21
As expected in an 8-vs.-9 seed showdown, this one went down to the wire. Luke Faler connected with Nick Lautar on a touchdown strike with just 32 seconds remaining, and Cooper Scott hauled in the ensuing two-point conversion to lift Lebanon past Fairmont, 22-21, in a dramatic Division I, Region 2 playoff battle.
The Warriors (8-3) showed resilience after a tough Week 10 loss to Winton Woods, bouncing back to claim their fourth win in five games. The defense tightened up late, and the offense made the most of its final drive to keep their postseason alive.
FULL RECAP: Faler fuels Lebanon past Fairmont
Next up, Lebanon hits the road to face top-seeded Middletown, where they’ll look to continue their strong road form — the Warriors are 4-1 away from home this season.
More Finals:
No. 5 Springfield 35, No. 12 Marysville 6
No. 6 Wayne 36, No. 11 Galloway Westland 6
DIVISION II, REGION 8
NO. 5 LA SALLE 28, NO. 12 TURPIN 27
One of the most thrilling games of the opening round came at Lancer Stadium, where La Salle held off a late charge from Turpin to pull out a 28-27 victory in Division II, Region 8 play.
The Lancers’ defense was tested throughout but made the stops when it mattered most, limiting the Spartans to just 6-of-16 on third downs and tallying six sacks on the night.
Offensively, Colin Wooldridge powered the ground attack with two rushing touchdowns, while Jordan Hall and Avier Carter each added scores to keep La Salle in front.
Turpin sophomore quarterback Will Schmittauer was impressive in defeat, completing 25-of-36 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers, while also rushing for 47 yards.
With the win, La Salle (8-3) advances to Week 12 and a second-round playoff trip to face Xenia.
La Salle holds on and takes down Turpin 28-27 in an instant-Thriller (Halloween pun absolutely intended).@WLWT | @LS_LancerATH @LS_LancerFB @Colin_W_21 @Naseer_salaam pic.twitter.com/ff7SxBVwUa
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) November 1, 2025
More Finals:
No. 6 Lima Senior 62, No. 11 Aiken 20
No. 7 Harrison 40, No. 10 Butler 7 FULL RECAP: Harrison’s defense haunts Butler
No. 8 Withrow 45 No. 9 Piqua 0
DIVISION III, REGION 12
No. 8 McNicholas 48, No. 9 Chillicothe 20
No. 7 Talawanda 56, No. 10 Goshen 28
No. 5 Miami Trace 49, No. 12 Hillsboro 8
DIVISION IV, REGION 16
No. 8 Washington Court House 56, No. 9 New Richmond 35
No. 7 Wyoming 38, No. 10 Roger Bacon 13
No. 6 Brookville 30, No. 11 Fenwick 12
No. 5 Clinton-Massie 51, No. 12 Taylor 21
DIVISION V, REGION 20
No. 11 Mariemont 31, No. 6 North College Hill 12
DIVISION VI, REGION 24
No. 6 Anna 54, No. 11 Deer Park 15
No. 9 Portsmouth West 30, No. 8 Summit Country Day 6
DIVISION VII, REGION 24
No. 12 Fort Recovery 34, No. 5 Cincinnati College Prep 8
Get the complete scores from all of tonight’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
*Stay updated on high school football updates by following @TSFootball on Twitter.
