Friday Night TSF Blitz: Week 8

With the 2026 regular season nearing its end, multiple programs from around the tri-state
looked to pick up season-defining wins and carry momentum towards their respective playoffs
this month.

In an out-of-state battle between Elder and Highlands, it was the Panthers who eked out a close
win. Elsewhere, quarterback Hunter McLaughlin and the Moeller Crusaders kept up their
winning ways in Cleveland, while Harrison picked up a much needed win over Talawanda.

THE HEADLINE
No. 7 ELDER 30, No. 8 HIGHLANDS 27
In a battle between two of the tri-states top programs, Cincinnati’s Elder came out on top over
Northern Kentucky’s Highlands by a score of 30-27 on Friday night, utilizing a proficient
offensive attack to outduel the Bluebirds impressive offensive unit.

Elder senior quarterback Kaden Estep further bolstered his case for Ohio’s Mr. Football award
this season with an impressive three-touchdown performance, backed up by a whopping 390
passing yards with 2 touchdowns, and one touchdown on the ground as well.

On a night where the Highlands Bluebirds defense shut down the Panthers rushing attack,
allowing just 47 total yards, Elder turned to its superstar quarterback in a duel between two of
the top passers in the tri-state, with the aforementioned Estep going toe-to-toe with Highlands
Bryce Armstrong.

While Estep may have put up 390 passing yards and three total touchdowns, Armstrong was
not far behind, throwing for 220 yards and a touchdown of his own. For Armstrong, his favorite
target was certainly senior receiver John Feldbruegge, who had 168 yards on five receptions
and a touchdown.

In the end, the contest between the two top-ten teams came down to who had the ball last, and
it was Elder, who rode the leg of senior kicker Tyler Holman to victory on a 30-yard field goal at
the buzzer.

AROUND THE TRI-STATE
CINCINNATI
No. 2 Lakota West 48, No. 16 Colerain 0
In a battle between two of the GMC’s most impressive teams this season, it was Head Coach
Tom Bolden and his Lakota West Firehawks who got the shutout victory over Bolden’s former
team, the Colerain Cardinals, by a score of 48-0.

As with many of the Firebirds’ contests this season, the number two ranked team in the tri-state
rode the back of standout senior tailback Kenyon Norman to a dominant win. Norman, who
came into the game with an incredible 20 touchdowns, tacked on two more on Friday night in
addition to 182 yards.

While Norman stole the headlines once again for Bolden and Lakota West, the Firebirds
defense left nothing to be proved, either. Allowing only 69 total yards all night, West’s defense
proved they are one of the tri-states most complete units, led by senior linebacker Andrew
Fryer, who racked up 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss in the contest against the Cardinals.

No. 3 Moeller 43, St. Ignatius 21
After a rocky start to the season, the Moeller Crusaders have hit their stride at the perfect time,
ripping off a fourth straight win on Friday night over Cleveland St. Ignatius, 43-21.

All four of the wins during the Crusaders current streak have been by a margin of more than 14
points, thanks in large to the performances of previously unheralded starts in sophomore
quarterback Hunter McLaughlin and sophomore tailback Juice Glover-Brown.

After original starting running back Greylo Coach went down early this season with an injury, the
young Glover-Brown has stepped up and solidified his role as the feature back for the
Crusaders. On Friday night, the sophomore had a career performance, racking up 183 rushing
yards on 22 carries for two touchdowns. The Crusaders defense also tacked on another
impressive showing, one which included a safety early in the game.

No. 12 Harrison 20, Talawanda 7
Coming off a bounce-back win over Mt. Healthy last week, the Harrison Wildcats kept their
momentum going in the right direction with an impressive defeat of the Talawanda Brave by a
score of 20-7 on Friday night.

Following the tough loss, the Wildcats decided to get more physical with their play against
Talawanda, utilizing their rushing game to great success. Harrison senior tailback Wyatt Dennis
racked up 143 yards and a touchdown on Friday night, while fellow Wildcat Trey Fette had an
impressive 90 yards on just 13 carries.

After Talawanda got out to an early 7-0 lead via the arm of sophomore quarterback Jake Van
Gorden and the receiving of Camar Ellis, Harrison let Dennis and Fette carry them to an all-
important conference win, setting the Wildcats up for good seeding for next month’s playoffs.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Indianapolis Cathedral 28, No. 15 Covington Catholic 20
Covington Catholic sophomore tailback Kiyan Miller had another incredible night for the
Colonels, scoring three touchdowns on the ground, but it was not enough to overcome the out-
of-state foe in Indianapolis Cathedral, as the Colonels dropped to 4-4 on the season with a 28-
20 loss.

While Miller put together the type of performance on the ground that fans, teammates and
coaches alike have come to expect from the young sophomore, the Cathedral Irish offense was
just too much for the Colonels defense to handle, as the Irish offense drove down the field on a
long touchdown drive to break the stalemate at 20, and tacked on a two-point conversion to
make the game out of reach for the Colonels.

Despite the loss, Covington Catholic will look to get back into the winners column when they
travel to Harrison County High School next week, in a contest that is all-important for playoff
seeding.

FRIDAY NIGHT STARS
RB Kenyon Norman, Lakota West – 15 rush att, 182 yards, 3 TD
RB Juice Glover-Brown, Moeller – 22 rush att, 183 yards, 2 TD
QB Kaden Estep, Elder – 22/36 pass att, 390 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
QB Owen Scalf, Anderson – 16/17 pass att, 230 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
DL Rylen Dean, Anderson – 5 total tackles, 1 sack, 2.5 TFL, 1 FF
QB Ty Thomas, Sycamore – 27/38 pass att, 365 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

BLITZ 5 GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 6 St. Xavier 38, No. 20 LaSalle 14

After a tough loss to Louisville Trinity, quarterback Thomas George and the St. Xavier Bombers
got back into the win column on Friday night against the LaSalle Lancers by a score of 38- 14.
George was once again impressive under center, passing for 196 yards on 11 completions for
two touchdowns, both of which went to senior receiver Logan Von Holle, who had three
touchdown receptions on the evening.

Read the complete Blitz 5 Game of the Week Recap: Bombers Offense Explodes In King of the Road Rivalry

SCOREBOARD SNAPSHOT
● No. 1 Princeton 60, Hamilton 6
● No. 4 Anderson 78, Walnut Hills 19
● No. 5 Winton Woods 57, West Clermont 0
● No. 9 East Central 35, Columbus North 13
● No. 10 Middletown 22, No. 11 Lakota East 11
● No. 13 Beechwood 62, St. Henry 0
● Turpin 63, No. 14 Lebanon 60
● Sycamore 36, No. 17 Oak Hills 35
● No. 18 Fairfield 21, No. 22 Mason 10 🎧 LISTEN: Fairfield’s Justin Roden on High School Football Tonight on ESPN 1530 & FOX SPORTS 1360
● No. 19 Withrow 33, Aiken 0
● No. 21 Badin 49, Carroll 20
● No. 23 Wyoming 51, Finneytown 0
● No. 24 McNicholas 20, Alter 7
● No. 25 Goshen 27, Clinton-Massie 23