Friday Night TSF Blitz: Week 2

Week 2 delivered another action-packed Friday night across the Tri-state, with statement wins, rivalry showdowns and several standout individual performances. Elder’s offense continued its torrid start, Lakota West made a statement in the Blitz 5 Game of the Week and top-ranked Princeton remained unbeaten as the early-season picture began to take shape.

ELDER OVERWHELMS COVCATH IN 56-20 ROUT

Elder’s offense is quickly becoming one of the biggest stories of the young season.

One week after dismantling Middletown, the Panthers overwhelmed a Covington Catholic team coming off a 50-6 win over Ryle, rolling to a 56-20 victory.

Senior quarterback Kaden Estep was sensational again, completing 22-of-29 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 114 yards and another score. Both touchdown passes went to Andrew Lyman, who caught six passes for 125 yards and now has six receiving touchdowns through two games.

POSTGAME RADIO INTERVIEW: Doug Ramsey, Elder

Elder scored touchdowns on its first two offensive plays and built a 35-13 halftime lead. Andrew Tallen added three rushing touchdowns as the Panthers piled up 549 yards of offense.

CovCath quarterback Dylan Courtney threw for 313 yards and two scores, but Elder answered every Colonels push and scored the final 21 points.

The Panthers are now 2-0, have scored 91 points in two games and improved to 9-0 all-time against CovCath.

AROUND THE TRI-STATE

CINCINNATI

No. 1 Princeton 28, No. 7 Middletown 7
Top-ranked Princeton backed up its statement win over Moeller by taking care of Middletown, 28-7, to improve to 2-0. The Vikings rushed for 152 yards and controlled the ball for nearly 30 minutes, with Monsanna Torbert rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown while throwing for 131 yards. Jordan Hall added two rushing touchdowns as Princeton avenged both of its losses to Middletown from last season, including its playoff elimination at the hands of the Middies.

No. 8 Anderson 70, West Clermont 19
The Raptors bounced back in a big way from its Week 1 loss, exploding for a 70-19 victory over West Clermont in its ECC opener. Anderson piled up 556 yards of offense and 24 first downs, including 379 yards on the ground, while scoring 42 points in the first half. The victory also marked the return of head coach Evan Dreyer after serving a one-game OHSAA suspension and gave Dreyer his 100th career win at Anderson.

Harrison 28, McNicholas 0
Harrison is off to a dominant 2-0 start after blanking McNicholas, 28-0. Brady Lawhon threw touchdown passes to Kyle Davidson and Colton Rehage and added a score on the ground, while Trey Fette capped the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown run. The Wildcats’ defense was equally impressive, intercepting four passes, one each by Ben Markarian, Aaron Davis, Jack Denier and David Baldock, to record its second consecutive shutout after opening the season with a 35-0 win over Milford.

POSTGAME RADIO INTERVIEW: Derek Rehage, Harrison

INTERSTATE

No. 22 Beechwood 35, No. 25 Indian Hill 0
Beechwood made quite a statement in its season opener, rolling past previously unbeaten Indian Hill, 35-0. Nathan Pabst scored three touchdowns, including a 99-yard return on the opening kickoff, while Kentucky commit Tyler Fryman broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run and Wake Forest commit Emmett Queen connected with Bo Sowder for a 24-yard score. The Tigers triggered a running clock before halftime and gave Noel Rash a dominant victory in the first game of his second stint as Beechwood’s head coach.

KENTUCKY

No. 15 Highlands 45, Cooper 6
Highlands bounced back emphatically from its Week 1 loss to Frederick Douglass, rolling past Cooper, 45-6. Quarterback Bryce Armstrong accounted for four touchdowns, throwing for two and rushing for two more, as the Bluebirds built a 35-6 halftime advantage. Tayden Lorenzen added a defensive touchdown, tipping a pass and taking it to the end zone as Highlands triggered a running clock

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FRIDAY NIGHT STARS

QB Kaden Estep, Elder: 24-of-30, 357 passing yards, 2 TDs; 7 carries, 106 rushing yards, TD. 463 total yards and 3 TDs in a 56-20 win at CovCath.

QB Monsanna Torbert, Princeton: The senior two-way standout helped top-ranked Princeton move to 2-0 with a 28-7 win over Middletown. Torbert completed 15-of-25 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 104 yards and a score on 17 carries, and added a fumble recovery on defense, accounting for 235 total yards and three touchdowns.

QB Alex Nagel, Mason: The junior quarterback ran wild, carrying 19 times for 189 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 9.9 yards per carry with a long of 49 yards. Nagel accounted for four of Mason’s six rushing touchdowns while helping the Comets pile up 319 yards on the ground.

QB Aiden Wehrum, Milford: The sophomore dazzled in his first career start, completing 17-of-22 passes for 340 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 37 rushing yards and another score on eight carries against Walnut Hills. Wehrum accounted for 377 total yards and six touchdowns.

RB Kenyon Norman, Lakota West: 13 carries, 262 yards, 4 TDs, including scoring runs of 72 and 75 yards. That’s 20.2 yards per carry.

BLITZ 5 GAME OF THE WEEK

Norman runs wild as Lakota West routs rival Lakota East

Lakota West got some revenge for last year’s rivalry loss, rolling past Lakota East, 48-18, in the Blitz 5 Game of the Week. Kenyon Norman was unstoppable, rushing for 262 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries, while Roman Combs returned a forced fumble 48 yards for another score. The Firebirds piled up 458 yards of offense to improve to 2-0 and open GMC play with an emphatic victory.

READ THE FULL LAKOTA EAST-LAKOTA WEST RECAP

SCOREBOARD SNAPSHOT

No. 4 Moeller 42, Groveport Madison 0
No. 5 St. Xavier 35, Wayne 7
No. 9 Winton Woods 35, No. 18 Kings 0 – POSTGAME RADIO INTERVIEW: Chad Murphy, Winton Woods
No. 10 Withrow 45, Chaminade-Julienne 12
No. 19 Oak Hills 21, No. 11 Fairfield 0
No. 12 La Salle 38, Northmont 6
No. 13 East Central 14, New Palestine 6
No. 16 Colerain 41, No. 24 Hamilton 7
No. 20 Badin 42, Dixie Heights 13
No. 21 Mason 43, Sycamore 24
No. 23 Ryle 36, Conner 21