Only eight teams in each division across Ohio entered Friday night still alive in the postseason — and by the end of the evening, that field had been cut in half. Here’s a quick look back at how Week 14 unfolded across Southwest Ohio.
DIVISION I, REGION 2
NO. 1 MIDDLETOWN 21, NO. 6 WAYNE 14
Middletown captured its first-ever regional championship in dramatic fashion, powered by a defense that has delivered four shutouts in its last nine games and is allowing just 7.6 points per outing. In a rain-soaked slugfest, the Middies and Wayne went to halftime scoreless. Middletown finally broke through by returning the second-half kickoff for a touchdown, but Wayne immediately answered with a kickoff return of its own to tie the game 7–7 just 23 seconds into the third quarter. The Warriors later took a 14–7 lead on a Kyle Graham strike to Jamier Averette-Brown with 9:19 remaining. But with 3:12 left, a pressured Wayne pass fluttered into a Middletown interception at the Warriors’ 46. The Middies capitalized, tying the game before Jordan Vann barreled in for the decisive 2-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left, securing a historic 21–14 win.
DIVISION I, REGION 4
NO. 3 ST. XAVIER 42, NO. 1 ELDER 34
Elder and St. Xavier renewed their GCL South rivalry in front of a packed crowd at Paycor Stadium, meeting in the regional championship for the first time since 2001. Elder entered 12–0, while St. Xavier came in on a five-game winning streak, having allowed no more than 14 points in any of its nine victories. The game quickly turned into a thriller, with nearly 700 yards of combined offense. Elder struck first on a Tommy Becker run and later went up 27–7 behind touchdowns from Becker, Kaden Estep, and a 74-yard strike to Drew Wauligman. St. Xavier stormed back as Jackson Frye hit Logan Von Holle for two scores and Chad Perkins returned a punt for a touchdown, trimming the deficit to 27–21 at halftime. Estep connected with Jake Bier early in the third, but the Bombers dominated the fourth. Daniel Vollmer powered in two short touchdowns and finished with 91 rushing yards, while Von Holle posted 115 yards and three TDs as St. Xavier completed the comeback.
DIVISION II, REGION 8
NO. 1 ANDERSON 38, NO. 3 TROTWOOD MADISON 7
Top-seeded Anderson claimed its third straight Region 8 title, storming past No. 3 Trotwood-Madison 38–7 on Friday at Lakota West to earn another trip to the state semifinals. The Rams struck first on a Dallas Shehee-to-Armani Rodgers touchdown, but it would be their only score. Anderson answered with 38 straight points, starting with Owen Scalf’s 43-yard TD to Tysin Weaver to end the first quarter. Scalf and Weaver connected again from 26 yards out for a 14-7 halftime lead. Scalf added two more touchdown passes in the second half — to Cooper Kathman and Tanner Holt — pushing the margin to 28-7. Maddux Snider’s 39-yard field goal sealed the dominant win.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Evan Dreyer, Anderson
DIVISION IV, REGION 16
NO. 1 INDIAN HILL 41, NO. 2 VALLEY VIEW 14
Indian Hill punched its ticket to the Division IV state semifinals with a commanding 41–14 win over No. 2 Valley View in the Region 16 final. Valley View struck first on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Brody Gibbs to Anthony Valenti, and after an Indian Hill response from Evan Riggs, the Spartans answered again with an 81-yard kickoff return by Isaac Johnson to go up 14–6. The Braves closed the quarter with a 63-yard scoring run from quarterback Devlan Daniel, then took a 19–14 halftime lead on Riggs’ second touchdown. From there, it was all Indian Hill. The Braves scored twice in the third quarter — highlighted by a 25-yard pick-six from Jaxon Frye — and added another TD in the fourth to seal the 41–14 victory and a spot in the final four.
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Get the complete scores from all of tonight’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
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