CINCINNATI —
Week 10 delivered championship celebrations, record-setting performances and a few results that shook up the postseason picture across the Tri-State. Princeton completed a perfect regular season, McNicholas claimed the outright GCL Co-ed crown and Deer Park knocked off Wyoming to earn its first CHL football title.
In Northern Kentucky, Simon Kenton and Holy Cross secured district championships, while Highlands picked up an impressive road victory at Scott County. Across the state line, East Central opened Indiana’s sectional playoffs with a convincing win.
From Kaden Estep rewriting Elder’s record book to standout efforts on both sides of the ball, there was plenty to celebrate under the Friday night lights. Here’s a look at the headlines, key results and top performers in the Week 10 Friday Night TSF Blitz.
PRINCETON PERFECTION
A perfect regular season is complete for Princeton. The top-ranked Vikings defeated #16 Fairfield 38-14 on Friday night, finishing 10-0 overall and 9-0 in the Greater Miami Conference while securing the No. 1 seed in Division I, Region 4.
Jordan Hall rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while Key’Sean Torbert accounted for 263 total yards and three scores. Torbert completed 16-of-28 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns and added 60 rushing yards with another score.
Princeton jumped ahead 17-0 in the opening quarter behind Hall’s 15-yard touchdown run, a 41-yard scoring connection from Torbert to Monsanna Torbert and Maurice Holloway’s 21-yard field goal.
Fairfield answered with 14 consecutive points, pulling within three on a 25-yard touchdown reception by Cleon “CJ” Plummer and Axsel Rogers’ one-yard scoring run. The Vikings regained control before halftime as Key’Sean Torbert scored from 10 yards out and connected with David Fields for another 10-yard touchdown, making it 31-14.
Zion Maddox added a 42-yard interception return for a touchdown as Princeton shut out the Indians after halftime.
Monsanna Torbert finished with three catches for 96 yards. Charles Newton Jr. led the defense with nine tackles, while Jaylen Mercer contributed seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
Princeton outgained Fairfield 394-163 and limited the Indians to 70 rushing yards. Fairfield finished the regular season 5-5, while the Vikings head into their first-round playoff bye unbeaten.
AROUND THE TRI-STATE
Deer Park 41, No. 23 Wyoming 21Deer Park made program history Friday night, defeating Wyoming for the first time since 2006 and securing its first CHL football championship.
The Wildcats’ 41-21 victory, coupled with Indian Hill’s win over Reading, created a three-way championship split between Deer Park, Indian Hill and Wyoming. All three finished 6-1 in league play, while Deer Park and Wyoming closed the regular season at 9-1.
One week after suffering their first loss against Indian Hill, the Wildcats responded by ending the Cowboys’ perfect-season bid.
Tink Sellers added another milestone to the celebration. An eight-yard completion to Sayers made him Deer Park’s career passing yards leader on a night that delivered both individual and team history.
With a seventh consecutive playoff berth secured, Deer Park now heads into the postseason as a conference champion for the first time.
No. 8 Highlands 34, Scott County 13Bryce Armstrong piled up 323 yards of total offense as Highlands earned a road victory over Scott County in a matchup of state-ranked teams.
Armstrong rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and completed 11-of-20 passes for 189 yards and another score. Tayden Lorenzen added 72 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Colton Kremer contributed 84 yards and a score on the ground.
The Bluebirds built a 20-7 halftime lead and extended the advantage to 27-7 on Lorenzen’s second touchdown run. After Scott County answered, Armstrong connected with John Feldbrugge for a 45-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to complete the scoring.
Highlands outgained the Cardinals 438-320 and converted all four red-zone opportunities into scores. Feldbrugge finished with three catches for 83 yards, and Cooper Benke led the defense with 7.5 tackles.
The Bluebirds improved to 8-2 with their second consecutive victory.
Simon Kenton 14, Ryle 7Simon Kenton captured the outright Class 6A, District 6 championship Friday night, defeating Ryle and getting the help it needed when Campbell County beat Great Crossing 27-16.
Grant Webb accounted for both Pioneers touchdowns, connecting with Sam Hughes for a 32-yard score in the second quarter before delivering a 12-yard touchdown run in the third. Peyton Testerman’s two-point conversion put Simon Kenton ahead 14-7 after trailing 7-6 at halftime.
Cruze Sauley scored Ryle’s lone touchdown on a 10-yard run to open the second quarter.
The Pioneers protected their lead with a fumble recovery at their own 36 with 3:42 remaining. Webb then picked up a late first down to set up the victory formation.
Simon Kenton improved to 5-4 overall and finished district play 2-1, ending Ryle’s three-year championship run. The Pioneers earned the district’s top playoff seed, followed by Ryle, Campbell County and Great Crossing. Ryle fell to 4-5 overall.
Holy Cross 35, Ludlow 14Javier Thornberry scored on offense and defense as Covington Holy Cross repeated as district champion with a 35-14 victory over Ludlow at Thomas More Stadium.
Thornberry caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Brian Ferguson in the second quarter, then delivered the game’s biggest defensive play with an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the third.
Holy Cross opened the scoring on a one-yard touchdown run before Ludlow answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass. Ferguson’s six-yard scoring connection with Max Hunt put the Indians back ahead, and Thornberry’s touchdown reception extended the advantage to 21-7.
Ludlow pulled within seven on a 29-yard touchdown pass just before halftime, but the Indians shut out the Panthers after the break.
Charles Oglesby’s one-yard touchdown run completed the scoring with 10:26 remaining. Holy Cross improved to 7-2 with its third consecutive victory, while Ludlow fell to 5-4 after the district showdown in Crestview Hills at Thomas More College.
No. 10 East Central 51, Madison 7East Central opened its pursuit of a sixth consecutive sectional championship with a convincing victory over Madison, improving to 8-2 and advancing in the Class 4A playoffs.
Chase Marsh sparked the Trojans immediately with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Ryan Minges followed with three first-half rushing touchdowns, including a 58-yard burst, finishing the half with 110 yards on just six carries.
Colton Bellman added 88 rushing yards and a touchdown before halftime, while Marsh also scored on a one-yard run as East Central built a 42-0 lead.
The defense contributed early sacks from Chase McCracken and Luke Bovard. A third-quarter safety and Zander Noble’s first varsity touchdown, a 10-yard run, extended the advantage to 51-0 before Madison scored.
FRIDAY NIGHT STARS
Kaden Estep, Elder: Completed 11-of-14 passes for 220 yards and five touchdowns in the 52-6 win over Mount Zion Prep, becoming Elder’s career passing yards leader.
Alex Nagel, Mason: Produced 372 total yards, including 234 rushing yards and three touchdowns, in the Comets’ 42-33 win over Colerain.
Dylan Hartman, Indian Hill: Scored rushing, receiving and interception-return touchdowns in the 38-0 win over Reading. Finished with 67 rushing yards, 31 receiving yards and two interceptions.
Will Schmittauer, Turpin: Threw for 267 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 160 yards and another score in the 49-12 victory over Milford.
Drew Dailey, Lakota East: Rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries in the Thunderhawks’ 45-13 win over Sycamore.
Max Orlando, McNicholas: Delivered a 54-yard touchdown run and a goal-line fumble recovery in the Rockets’ 14-0 championship-clinching win over Badin.
Bryce Armstrong, Highlands: Accounted for 323 yards, passing for 189 and a touchdown while rushing for 134 and another score in the 34-13 win over Scott County.
Grant Webb, Simon Kenton: Threw a 32-yard touchdown pass, ran for a 12-yard score and secured a late first down to seal the Pioneers’ 14-7 district-title victory over Ryle.
Javier Thornberry, Covington Holy Cross: Scored on a 65-yard reception and an 88-yard interception return in the Indians’ 35-14 district-clinching win over Ludlow.
Ryan Minges, East Central: Rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns on six first-half carries as the Trojans opened the playoffs with a 51-7 win over Madison.
BLITZ 5 GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 24 McNicholas 14, No.19 Badin 0An outright crown and a defensive statement. Max Orlando delivered a long touchdown run and a goal-line fumble recovery as McNicholas blanked Badin, ending the Rams’ eight-year conference championship streak. The Rockets finished GCL Co-ed play unbeaten and earned their seventh consecutive victory.
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SCOREBOARD SNAPSHOT
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