In one of the can’t-miss games of the weekend, the Winton Woods Warriors went on the road and knocked off the Kings Knights, 28-23 in a classic. Both teams entered this game, undefeated and sitting atop the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. The winner of this game would be in the pole position and favorite to capture the conference championship. On a beautiful night for football and the Homecoming game for Kings, the Knights came out ready for battle.

Winton Woods received the opening kickoff and Carlos Cox Jr. returned it to the 35 yard line. That would be the only positive play on that opening drive for the Warriors. After a rough first two rushes by Trey Cornist, quarterback Vance George had his pass intercepted and the Warriors quickly turned the ball over. With the ball and momentum on their side, Kings was unable to get anything going. Quarterback Will Kocher had a great run on the first play but it was called back for holding. The next two plays were passes by Kocher that were batted down or tipped by the Warrior defense. On 3rd and 16, Kocher scrambled for 13 yards setting up a 4th and 3. The Knights went for it but Kocher’s pass fell incomplete. Winton Woods got Cornist going, giving him the ball on the next four plays, totaling 13 yards. George threw passes to Tra’mar Harris and Cox Jr. but the passes fell incomplete. Cameron Calhoun’s punt was downed at the 4 yard line. After a Kocher 14 yard run, there was a penalty for a facemask giving the Knights another 15 yards. Three plays later Kocher’s pass was intercepted by Ohio State commit, Jermaine Mathews Jr.

Winton Woods gave the ball back three plays later when George was once again intercepted. Kings couldn’t get anything going on that following drive and ended up punting. Winton Woods struggled as well and their drive ended up the same way, with a punt. With the ball and neither team able to muster anything offensively, the Knights changed that. After a punt return to the Winton Woods 30 yard-line, Kocher rushed for 13 yards on the first play, before the Knights were unable to gain more than 4 yards on the next three plays. The Knights settled for a Brady Wik field goal, giving Kings the 3-0 lead. The Warriors were unable to respond in a positive way, going three and out. Things got worse for the Warriors when the snap on the punt wasn’t the best and Calhoun couldn’t handle it clean, forcing him to pick up the ball and run for five yards, which was a yard short of the first down. Kocher and the Knights took advantage of the turnover on downs, going 31 yards on 9 plays, with Kocher cashing it in from 5 yards out.

Down 10-0 with just 5:36 left in the second quarter, Mathews gave the Warriors a spark when he housed the ensuing kickoff, 80 yards for a touchdown. With the score at 10-7, the Winton Woods defense forced a three and out. The Kings defense was not to be outdone, forcing a three and out of their own. Kings was unable to do anything offensively on their drive as they went three and out again. Winton Woods went ahead on a seven play drive that culminated when Vance George rolled out and tossed it to Cornist for a 3 yard touchdown with just 11 seconds left in the half. After the PAT, Winton Woods took a 14-10 lead into the half.

The second half was much better than the first half. After a touchback to begin the second half, Kings came out with an absolute statement drive. A 9 play, 80 yard drive ended with Kocher found Jay Holubetz for a 9 yard touchdown, giving Kings a 17-14 lead. Winton Woods responded with a 12 play drive of their own. Cornist rushed 4 times, while James Minor III added 2 rushes. George passed six times, with the final play being a 14 yard touchdown pass to Tra’mar Harris. The key play was a 21 yard completion from George to Cox Jr. on 4th and 14. The touchdown put Winton Woods back on top, 21-17.

Winton Woods defense rose up to the challenge and forced a fumble on a Kocher run. Up 4 points, the Warriors were unable to do anything with the turnover. The Knights defense rose to the occasion forcing a punt on a three and out to end the third quarter. Kings had a chance to take the lead as they were moving the ball down the field with ease. Kocher alternated between passing and rushing it to help take it down to the 12 yard line. A bad snap forced Kocher to retreat and fall on the ball at the 21 for a 9 yard loss. The ensuing play saw Jermaine Mathews jump in front of the Kings receiver and take the interception to the house. The touchdown was called back due to a personal foul on Winton Woods. The Warriors were not to be deterred because it took seven plays for Winton Woods to score. Trey Cornist punched it in from 21 yards out to give the Warriors a 28-17 lead.

With under five minutes to go in the game, Kings put together a crucial drive to get within a score. It was a seven play drive that was aided by a handful of Winton Woods penalties. Kocher found Michael Mussari from six yards out to make it a 28-23 game. Kings went for two but the pass attempt was broken up. Winton Woods got the ball back with 2:43 left in the game. Trey Cornist featured once again running the ball four times for 11 yards. The Kings defense was unable to stop Cornist on that final drive and it allowed the Warriors to go into the victory formation and seal the game.

Cornist ended with 123 yards on 27 carries. George was only 7 for 14 for 93 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. On the Kings side, Kocher was 15 for 34 for 177 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also rushed 19 times for 82 yards. This was a game that lived up to the billing. The win moved Winton Woods to 7-0 on the season, 6-0 in the ECC. Kings falls to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the ECC. One thing is certain, these are two of the top teams in the city and will most likely meet in the playoffs. It was a great atmosphere and was a great night for football.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter  Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy

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