Impact Sports Cincy HS Top 10 – 3rd Playoff Edition

The high school playoffs are in full swing and some good teams have been sent packing. We are just a few weeks away from sending teams to the state final four. This past Friday saw the top teams in Division I battle it out. All of the higher seeds, aside from 4th seeded Springboro moved on. The premium matchup on the schedule for last weekend was the GCL rematch between the Moeller Crusaders hosting the St. Xavier Bombers. The top ranked Crusaders took it to the Bombers, handling them 28-7, which was drastically different than their matchup earlier in the season, which the Crusaders won by just three. Staying DI and the GCL, the Elder Panthers, seeded 2nd, hosted the 7th seeded Milford Eagles and this game was not real close. Playing at The Pit is a different animal, especially during the playoffs and it proved to be too much for the Eagles. Elder rolled to a 31-7 victory and booking their spot in the regional semifinals.

Another matchup that was not close was the GMC rematch between 3rd seed Lakota West Firebirds and the 6th seed Princeton Vikings. The first matchup was a blow out as Lakota West destroyed Princeton 31-7. Like the last matchup, this game went the way of the Firebirds. Lakota West dominated this matchup and knocked off the Vikings, 35-0 and booking their spot in the regional semifinal. The only game that was close in this region was the 4/5 matching where the Springboro Panthers hosted the Mason Comets. The Comets defense has carried them all season, giving up a total of 135 points on the season. This game, the defense gave up their second most points this season but the offense did the job, giving the Comets the upset 29-26 victory over Springboro.

In Division II, the top ranked Winton Woods Warriors did it again, pulling away in the second half, knocking off the 9th seed Ross Rams, 34-21. Fourth seed Kings, took care of business, dominating the 5th seed Withrow Tigers, 49-28. Staying in the ECC, there was a rematch between the Anderson Raptors and the Little Miami Panthers. Both teams entered this game fresh off upset victories in the first round. These two teams faced off in week 7, when the Raptors traveled to Little Miami and crushed the Panthers 56-28. This game was much different but the result was the same. Little Miami put up a solid fight in this game but was unable to come away with the victory. Anderson quarterback, who is one of the top quarterbacks in the city, threw for only 243 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The other matchup in the region was an fantastic game as the Edgewood Cougars knocked off Piqua Indians 21-14 in overtime.

Division III an IV did not provide much intrigue aside from a game or two in each division. Both the top seeds, Badin and Wyoming rolled their competition. Badin knocked off New Richmond 41-14 while the Wyoming Cowboys once again delivered a shutout victory. This time, Springfield Shawnee was the victim as the Cowboys rolled to a 44-0 victory. Both divisions had 2/10 matchups and both of those games were close, with the second seed winning. Western Brown took care of Monroe 39-36 in DIII action while the Taft Senators held off Kettering Alter 26-24. The other two DIII games saw 3rd seed Tippecanoe handle 14th seed Trotwood-Madison 43-14. In the 4/5 matchup, Wapakoneta shut out Bellbrook 29-0, booking their spot in the regional semifinal. Division IV action saw McNicholas take care of business as the 6th seed Rockets shut out 14th seed Eaton 24-0. Defending state champions, the 13 seeded Clinton-Massie Falcons, continued their quest to defend and repeat their championship with an upset victory over 5th seed Urbana, 56-42.

In Kentucky, the Beechwood Tigers destroyed Trimble County 55-0, giving the Tigers their 10th win of the season and getting their playoff run a great start. In Indiana, the East Central Trojans have been on a roll during this postseason and that continued as the Trojans shut out Martinsville, 47-0.

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 (12-0) (Final rank: 1)

Last Week: Beat Ross, 34-21
Next Game: Friday vs. Kings 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

2. Lakota West (12-0) (Final rank: 2)

Last Week: Beat Princeton, 35-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Elder, 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

3. Moeller (11-1) (Final rank: 3)

Last Week: Beat St. Xavier, 28-7
Next Game: Friday vs. Mason, 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

4. Kings (11-1) (Final rank: 4)

Last Week: Beat Withrow, 49-28
Next Game: Friday vs. Winton Woods, 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

5. Badin (12-0) (Final rank: 5)

Last Week: Beat New Richmond, 41-14
Next Game: Friday vs. Wapakoneta , 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

6. Wyoming (12-0) (Final rank: 6)

Last Week: Beat Springfield Shawnee, 35-0
Next Game: Saturday vs. Clinton Massie, 7 p.m. (OHSAA Playoffs)

7. Mason (10-2) (Final rank: 7)

Last Week: Beat Springboro, 29-26
Next Game: Friday vs. Moeller, 7 p.m (OHSAA Playoffs)

8. Beechwood (KY) (10-1) (Final rank: 8)

Last Week: Beat Trimble County, 55-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Carroll County, 7:30 p.m (Class 2A, KHSAA Playoff game)

9. Elder (10-2) (Final rank: 9)

Last Week: Beat Milford, 31-6
Next Game: Friday vs. Lakota West, 7 p.m (OHSAA Playoffs)

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

Last Week: Beat Martinsville, 47-0
Next Game: Friday at Evansville Memorial (IHSAA Class 4A Playoff game), 7 p.m

PLAYOFF SCORES:

Division I (Region 4):

(1) Moeller 28 – (9) St. Xavier 7
(2) Elder 31 – (7) Milford 6
(3) Lakota West 43 – (6) Princeton 0
(5) Mason 29 – (4) Springboro 26

Division II (Region 8):

(1) Winton Woods 34 – (9) Ross 21
(3) Edgewood 21 – (6) Piqua 14 (OT)
(4) Kings 49 – (5) Withrow 29
(10) Anderson 34 – (15) Little Miami 20

Division III (Region 12):

(1) Badin 41 – (9) New Richmond 14
(2) Western Brown 39 – (10) Monroe 36
(3) Tippecanoe 43 – (11) Trotwood-Madison 14
(4) Wapakoneta 29 – (5) Bellbrook 0

Division IV (Region 16):

(1) Wyoming 44 – (8) Springfield Shawnee 0
(2) Taft 26 – (10) Kettering Archbishop Alter 24
(6) McNicholas 24 – (14) Eaton 0
(13) Clinton-Massie 56 – (5) Urbana 42

3rd ROUND PLAYOFF PAIRINGS:

Division I (Region 4):

(5) Mason (10-2) vs. (1) Moeller (11-1) at Middletown HS
(3) Lakota West (12-0) vs. (2) Elder (10-2) at Princeton HS

Division II (Region 8):

(4) Kings (11-1) vs. (1) Winton Woods (12-0) at Mason HS
(10) Anderson (7-5) vs. (3) Edgewood (11-1) at Little Miami HS

Division III (Region 12):

(4) Wapakoneta (11-1) vs. (1) Badin (12-0) at Miami Valley Hospital Sportsplex (Trotwood)
(3) Tipp City Tippecanoe (11-1) vs. (2) Western Brown (11-1) at Bellbrook HS

Division IV (Region 16):

(13) Clinton-Massie (7-5) vs. (1) Wyoming (12-0) at Lakota West HS
(6) McNicholas (7-5) vs. (2) Taft (10-2) at Princeton HS

The playoffs in Ohio are heating up with some great regional semifinal matchups. With the first two games being hosted by the top seeded schools, now the games shift to neutral sites. The featured matchup in Division I between the 3rd seed Lakota West facing the 2nd seed Elder Panthers. This game will be played at Princeton High School. The winner of this huge matchup will face the winner of the other regional game between the top seed Moeller Crusaders and the 5th seed Mason Comets. Both of these games provide a lot of intrigue because the winners of these games will face off for the right to head to the state final four.

The premier matchup in DII is the titanic battle between the Kings Knights and the defending state champion, Winton Woods Warriors. This game will be played at Mason and is a rematch of their week 7 game, where Winton Woods knocked off Kings, 28-23. This matchup will once again be fantastic as there is certainly no love between these two teams and a rivalry in the making. Can the Warriors avoid the playoff upset and continue their quest for a second straight championship. The other game in this region is between the Anderson Raptors facing the 3rd seed Edgewood Cougars at Little Miami. If the Raptors can pull the upset, it would set up and all Eastern Cincinnati Conference regional final.

Division III has some really good matchups with the top four seeds all alive. In this region, there are four teams with a combined three losses. The 4th seed Wapakoneta Redskins face off against top seeded Badin Rams. The other matchup features the 2nd seed Western Brown Broncos against the 3rd seed Tippecanoe Red Devils at Bellbrook HS. Between the top four divisions in this area, these should be two of the best games that you will see this weekend. Division IV will not be outdone as they feature a titanic game between Clinton-Massie and Wyoming at Lakota West. While the 13th seed Falcons don’t have an impressive record, once they make the playoffs, Clinton-Massie comes to play. They will need to bring their “A” game as they face off against the top seed, Wyoming Cowboys. The Cowboys defense has allowed 28 points all season while the Falcons have scored a total of 344 points this season and have won five straight games. Which team will come away with the crucial victory in this big game. The other game in this region is the 6th seed McNicholas Rockets facing the 2nd seed Taft Senators at Princeton. Both of the games in Division IV will be played on Saturday.

In Kentucky, the Beechwood Tigers host Carroll County, who comes in with a 7-4 record on the season in their second-round playoff matchup. In the Hoosier state, the East Central Trojans head to face Evansville Memorial, who are 9-3 on the season, in this Class 4A regional playoff.

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 Mason where the Winton Woods Warriors meet the Kings Knights in a big Division II playoff tilt, which is a rematch of their classic regular season game from earlier this season.

Chris Asbrock is the owner, writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy