Impact Sports Cincy HS Top 10 – 2nd Playoff Edition

The high school playoffs are in full swing and have now begun in all three states. In Ohio, the first round of the playoffs got underway with a couple of fantastic matchups in division 1. The games didn’t seem to live up to hype aside from the 8/9 matchup with St. Xavier traveling to Fairfield. That was a back and forth game with St. Xavier coming out on top, 42-28. Fairfield started out the game flying but the Bombers did not give up the fight. They stormed back to take the lead and were able to hold on for the well deserved victory. The rest of the DI matchups went the way of status quo. Aside from Fairfield, all of the higher seeds won their games.

Division II, III, and IV was where the excitement showed up. Three of the seven matchups in DII were upsets. The biggest upset was with 15th seeded Little Miami knocking off the second seed and undefeated Xenia. It took double overtime but the Panthers came away with the massive upset. Another upset saw 10th seed Anderson destroy the 7th seed Troy, 44-7. In the 8/9 matchup, the higher seeded Ross Rams demolished the Northwest Knights 41-7. The ECC represented the two biggest upsets in Region 8, as Little Miami and Anderson represented the conference with pride. The two top teams in the ECC, Winton Woods and Kings easily took care of business, knocking off LaSalle and Sidney respectively. The Loveland Tigers were the lone ECC team to lose in the first round.

In division III, the top five seeds handled business. Top ranked Badin, continued to roll through the competition, this time they shut out Woodward, 42-0. Quarterback Drew Novak and Western Brown continued their winning ways, knocking off Mt. Healthy 33-20. The other main action in the region was all north of Cincinnati and Dayton. Division IV saw Cincinnati teams come through with big wins, led by the Wyoming Cowboys. Wyoming who cracked the ISC rankings just a few weeks ago, continue to show why they are a force to be reckoned with, knocking off Waverly, 44-0. The Taft Senators are one team that are looking to come out of the region. Taft had a relatively easy first round game, as they handled typical force, CHCA, 45-7. Defending state champions, Clinton-Massie pulled off the upset, knocking off Chillicothe Unioto in shutout fashion, 38-0. The victory extends the Falcons state championship defense one more week.

The East Central Trojans continued their quest for an Indiana state championship with a regional semifinal victory over Silver Creek, 42-6. In Kentucky, the Beechwood Tigers wrapped up their regular season with a 26-9 victory over Newport Central Catholic, giving Beechwood a solid 9-1 regular season record.

Last week, Chris Asbrock ranked the top 10 teams in the tri-state for the final time in the 2022 season. Here are the final High School Football top 10 rankings presented to you by Darkhawk Nutrition.

1. Winton Woods (11-0) (Final rank: 1)

Last Week: Beat LaSalle, 35-13
Next Game: Friday vs. Ross 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

2. Lakota West (11-0) (Final rank: 2)

Last Week: Beat Lebanon, 43-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Princeton, 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

3. Moeller (10-1) (Final rank: 3)

Last Week: Beat Hamilton, 39-14
Next Game: Friday vs. St. Xavier (at Norwood Shea Stadium), 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

4. Kings (10-1) (Final rank: 4)

Last Week: Beat Sidney, 56-14
Next Game: Friday vs. Withrow, 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

5. Badin (11-0) (Final rank: 5)

Last Week: Beat Woodward, 42-0
Next Game: Friday vs. New Richmond (at Hamilton High School), 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

6. Wyoming (11-0) (Final rank: 6)

Last Week: Beat Waverly, 44-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Springfield Shawnee, 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

7. Mason (9-2) (Final rank: 7)

Last Week: Beat Colerain, 14-7
Next Game: Friday at Springboro, 7 p.m (OHSAA Playoffs)

8. Beechwood (KY) (9-1) (Final rank: 8)

Last Week: Beat Newport Central Catholic, 26-9
Next Game: Friday vs. Trimble County, 7:30 p.m (Class 2A, KHSAA Playoff game)

9. Elder (9-2) (Final rank: 9)

Last Week: Beat Middletown, 49-7
Next Game: Friday vs. Milford, 7 p.m (OHSAA Playoffs)

10. East Central (In.) (8-2) (Final rank: 10)

Last Week: Beat Silver Creek, 42-6
Next Game: Friday vs. Martinsville (IHSAA Class 4A, Sectional 23 Final Playoff game), 7 p.m

PLAYOFF SCORES:

Division I (Region 4):

(1) Moeller 39 – (16) Hamilton 14
(2) Elder (8-2) 49 – (15) Middletown 7
(3) Lakota West 43 – (14) Lebanon 0
(4) Springboro 42 – (13) Oak Hills 10
(5) Mason 14 – (12) Colerain 7
(6) Princeton 43 – (11) West Clermont 6
(7) Milford 62 – (10) Western Hills 16
(9) St. Xavier 42 – (8) Fairfield 28

Division II (Region 8):

(1) Winton Woods 35 – (16) La Salle 13
(3) Edgewood 38 – (14) Lima Senior 6
(4) Kings 56 – (13) Sidney 14
(5) Withrow 44 – (12) Loveland 7
(9) Ross 41 – (8) Northwest 7
(10) Anderson 44 – (7) Troy 7
(15) Little Miami 27 – (2) Xenia 24 (2 OT)

Division III (Region 12):

(1) Badin 42 – (16) Woodward 0
(2) Western Brown 33 – (15) Mount Healthy 20
(3) Tippecanoe 42 – (14) Hillsboro 7
(4) Wapakoneta 28 – (13) Wilmington 14
(5) Bellbrook 42 – (12) Celina 21
(11) Trotwood-Madison 40 – (6) Dayton Chaminade Julienne 33
(10) Monroe 52 – (7) Hughes 15
(9) New Richmond 28 – (8) New Carlisle Tecumseh 27

Division IV (Region 16):

(1) Wyoming 44 – (16) Waverly 0
(2) Taft 45 – (15) CHCA 7
(14) Eaton 31 – (3) Fenwick 28
(13) Clinton-Massie 38 – (4) Chillicothe Unioto 0
(5) Urbana 42 – (12) St. Paris Graham 35
(6) McNicholas 42 – (11) Northridge 12
(10) Kettering Archbishop Alter 21 – (7) Reading 14
(8) Springfield Shawnee 33 – (9) Roger Bacon 7

2nd ROUND PLAYOFF PAIRINGS:

Division I (Region 4):

(9) St. Xavier (5-6) at (1) Moeller (10-1)
(7) Milford (9-2) at (2) Elder (9-2)
(6) Princeton (9-2) at (3) Lakota West (11-0)
(5) Mason (9-2) at (4) Springboro (8-3)

Division II (Region 8):

(9) Ross (6-5) at (1) Winton Woods (11-0)
(15) Little Miami (4-7) at (10) Anderson (6-5)
(6) Piqua (9-2) at (3) Edgewood (10-1)
(5) Withrow (8-3) at (4) Kings (10-1)

Division III (Region 12):

(9) New Richmond (8-3) at (1) Badin (11-0) (at Hamilton High School)
(10) Monroe (7-4) at (2) Western Brown (10-1)
(11) Trotwood-Madison (7-4) at (3) Tipp City Tippecanoe (10-1)
(5) Bellbrook (9-2) at (4) Wapakoneta (10-1)

Division IV (Region 16):

(8) Springfield Shawnee (7-4) at (1) Wyoming (11-0)
(10) Kettering Archbishop Alter (6-5) at 2 Taft (9-2) (at Stargel Stadium)
(13) Clinton-Massie (6-5) at (5) Urbana (9-2)
(14) Eaton (7-4) at (6) McNicholas (6-5)

After a great first week of playoff football in Ohio, week two looks to be incredible. The biggest matchup is a GCL rematch between Moeller and St. Xavier. These two faced off in week 5, which saw the Crusaders knock off St. X on the road, 20-17. It was a classic in their first matchup this year, so you can expect another one in this highly anticipated playoff matchup. ECC team and 7th seed, Milford travels to The Pit to face second seed Elder. The Princeton Vikings look for revenge against Lakota West, who smoked them 31-7 at home, earlier this season. A victory for Princeton would hand Lakota West their first loss of the season and derail any hopes of going after a state championship. The final matchup in Region 4 sees the Mason Comets head north to face Springboro. These two teams are relatively familiar with each other as they have faced off the last few seasons.

In Division II, the Ross Rams head south to face top ranked Winton Woods. It would be a monumental task for the Rams to knock off the high flying Warriors. After knocking off second seeded Xenia, the Little Miami Panthers face ECC foe Anderson in a rematch of their week seven meeting. In that first meeting, the Raptors went up to Little Miami and made life hell for the Panthers, knocking them off 56-28. After handing Xenia their first and only loss of the season, the Panthers have some momentum heading into their game against Anderson. The other two games in Region 8 are Piqua traveling to face Edgewood in what should be a fantastic game and Withrow heading north to face Kings in what might be the best game in this region.

Region 12 in Division III has some great games as well. Bellbrook and Wapakoneta in the 4/5 matchup is the premier game. The other three games feature teams that were victors via upset. The Badin Rams who are the top team in the region, have been on a roll this season and look to continue that when they host 9th seed New Richmond. Western Brown, who is the second seed, will host the number 10 seed Monroe. The 11th seed, Trotwood-Madison, fresh off an upset of Chaminade Julienne, will head north to face Tipp City. Unlike last week, you can expect all of the higher seeds to come away with victories, setting up some great matchups next week.

In Division IV, all four playoff matchups in Region 16 feature teams with significant names. Top seeded Wyoming hosts Springfield Shawnee in what should once again be a showcase for the Wyoming defense that gave up 28 points all season. Eight of the Cowboys’ 11 games were shutout victories so expect their defense to once again rise to the occasion. Alter traveling to Cincinnati to face a great Taft team will be another game to keep your eye on. Powerhouse program Clinton Massie travels to face Urbana in a 13/5 matchup. The final matchup sees 14th seed Eaton heading south to face GCL Coed team, McNicholas.

In action outside of Ohio, both Kentucky and Indiana are in playoff action as well. The lone Kentucky team in the rankings, the Beechwood Tigers get their playoff run going with a home game against Trimble County. Beechwood is one of the top teams in Kentucky and their quest for a state championship begins this week. Over in Indiana, the East Central Trojans have been on a roll for the majority of the season. After starting off with a loss to Moeller, the Trojans had one other hiccup against Indianapolis power, Roncali. Now, the Trojans look to continue their fine playoff form, in the sectional final game against Martinsville.

This will once again be a great and exciting weekend of high school football in the tri-state area. Stay tuned as ISC will be live at Kings where the Knights host the Withrow Tigers in a big Division II playoff tilt.

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