The Blitz 5 Game of the Week finds itself in Forest Park this Friday night for the opening round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I, Region 4 playoffs, where the #11 Lakota East Thunderhawks of the Greater Miami Conference, seeded 12th in the region, pay visit to the fifth-seeded and #6 ranked Winton Woods Warriors of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. It’s win or go home for both squads as the OHSAA playoffs begin.
#11 LAKOTA EAST THUNDERHAWKS (6-4) at #6 WINTON WOODS WARRIORS (8-2)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m., October 30
At: Charles Fredrick Stadium, Winton Woods High School, Forest Park, Ohio
Follow on X: @TSFootball
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Lakota East has one of the top passing attacks in the Tri-State area, and that is due to quarterback Nile Knutson. The junior completed 68 percent of his passes this year for 2,554 yards and 23 touchdowns – both second in the GMC – against only eight interceptions, garnering him a 154.1 passer rating.
Knutson doesn’t just have one receiver he can target. Rather, he has a duo of receivers beginning with senior wide receiver Carter Jones, who caught a GMC-leading 72 passes for 947 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season. Jones is joined by his fellow senior, wideout Braxton Thurman, who had 62 receptions for 786 yards and six touchdowns.
Jones is also a rushing threat for Lakota East, having carried 66 times for 313 yards – a 4.7 yards per carry clip – and two touchdowns for a Thunderhawks offense which rushed for 1,032 yards on the ground this season, complementing their passing game.
On defense, Lakota East is led by senior linebacker Tra’vion Bailey, who was a second-team All-GMC last season with Hamilton before he transferred to the Thunderhawks. Bailey ranked fourth this season in the GMC with 80 tackles, and third in the GMC with 7.5 sacks. Meanwhile, the Lakota East secondary is helmed by senior defensive back Simeon Raye, who snagged three interceptions this season to lead the Thunderhawks in that category.
On the Winton Woods side, running back Isaiah “Zeek” Garrett leads one of the top rushing attacks in the Tri-State. The senior rushed 129 times for 1176 yards – a 9.1 yards per carry average – and 16 touchdowns, for an offense that averages 319.9 yards per game on the ground. Garrett has several NCAA Division I offers from schools such as Michigan, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Purdue and West Virginia.
A big part of that successful Warriors running game is offensive lineman Lual Aleu. The 6-5, 295 pound senior has de-committed to Missouri, and has offers from a slew of NCAA Division I schools including Cincinnati, Kentucky, Florida, Pitt, Virginia and West Virginia.
The Warriors do more than simply run the ball, however. Their passing game is led by quarterback Josiiah “JoJo” Jones, who completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,295 yards and 15 touchdowns, against only five interceptions, to garner a 165.9 passer rating. The junior has offers from Miami (Oh.), Kent State, Eastern Kentucky and Southern.
His favorite receiving target is senior wideout Quinton Simms, who grabbed 34 catches for 595 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season to lead the Warriors in receiving.
Defensively, Warriors defensive back Christian Coston led the ECC with six interceptions in the regular season, while also adding 42 tackles. Junior linebacker Terence Moore, a second-team All-ECC as a sophomore, led Winton Woods with 44 tackles on the season, and was second on the team with 3.5 sacks.
TEAM TRENDS: Lakota East has been a streaky team throughout the 2026 season, having split their first two games of the season, followed by a three-game winning streak, a three-game losing streak, and a two-game winning streak that got them into the OHSAA Division I, Region 4 playoffs as the 12th and final team.
The Thunderhawks have the GMC’s second-ranked offense, averaging 371.6 yards per game, and score an average of 30.1 points per game, but they sit in the middle of the pack in the GMC in overall defense, as they allow 310.4 yards per game and 26.4 points per game.
Lakota East’s four losses on the season are all to ranked teams in the Blitz 5 Top 25 – #1 Princeton, #2 Lakota West, #12 Middletown and #16 Fairfield. However, they have yet to beat a team with a winning record this season.
It is the third consecutive appearance in the playoffs for Lakota East under third-year head coach and former Cincinnati Bengal quarterback Jon Kitna. They lost 42-7 in the first round to eventual Ohio Division I state runner-up St. Xavier in 2025, while in 2024 they defeated West Clermont 42-28 in the first round before losing 55-28 in the second round to eventual Ohio Division I state runner-up Moeller.
For Winton Woods, it is the seventh consecutive playoff appearance for the Warriors, with one of those appearances – 2021 – resulting in an Ohio Division II state championship.
The Warriors are one of the top offenses in the ECC, averaging 534.3 yards per game and 38 points per game. On defense, Winton Woods shut out four teams in the regular season, and are allowing only 9.1 points per game.
The only losses on the year for Winton Woods came to #3 Anderson, their ECC rival, and 8-2 Springfield, which is ranked #2 in the Dayton high school football rankings.
Despite plenty of regular season success under head coach Chad Murphy in his five years at the helm (60-15), Winton Woods is only 2-4 in the playoffs during his tenure.
Winton Woods is 5-0 at home at Charles Fredrick Stadium this season, while Lakota East is 3-2 on the road.
It is only the second meeting between the two schools in the past 20 years, with the teams splitting those two games. Lakota East captured a 38-37 victory over Winton Woods in 2011, and the next year in 2012, Winton Woods evened the score with a 25-20 victory over the Thunderhawks.
HEAD COACHES:
Lakota East: Jon Kitna (23-21 at Lakota East, third year; 92-59, 13th year)
Winton Woods: Chad Murphy (60-15 at Winton Woods, fifth year; 93-73 overall, 14th year)
PLAYOFF HISTORY:
Lakota East (eight appearances, 6-7) – 2026, 2025, 2024, 2021, 2020, 2018, 2014, 2012
Winton Woods (18 appearances, 31-15) – 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 (State Champion), 2020, 2018 (Regional Champion), 2017 (State Runner-up), 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009 (State Champion), 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 1998
LAKOTA EAST KEYS TO VICTORY: Get Nile Knutson and his receiving corps humming early. Lakota East averaged 42.3 points per game and 223.5 yards through the air in their six wins this season. Knutson also needs to avoid turnovers. Five of the eight interceptions he has thrown this season have come in the Thunderhawks four losses. If Lakota East can get the passing game going, and their defense can slow down the vaunted Winton Woods rushing attack, the chance for the road upset will be there.
WINTON WOODS KEYS TO VICTORY: Pound away on the ground with one of the area’s top rushing offenses. Lakota East is allowing 146.4 yards per game on the ground, which aligns perfectly with the focus of the Warriors offense. If Winton Woods can score and get ahead early, their running game will allow them to control the time of possession and force Lakota East to press and play catch up, which could result in turnovers. The Thunderhawks had 19 turnovers on the season, an average of almost two turnovers per game.
Prediction: Winton Woods 42, Lakota East 24
