Week 2 of the high school football season in the tri-state saw a few stunning results. One of those results is the top ranked team in the ISC High School rankings, the Elder Panthers crossing the Ohio River and delivering a 56-20 beatdown of traditional Northern Kentucky power, Covington Catholic. The Panthers have been a nightmare to begin this season and the handling of Cov Cath was a nice statement for the GCL conference. The Elder Panthers have looked the part through the first two weeks handling a tough two teams to start off. In the rest of the area, conference play has started in the other conferences, aside from the four team GCL South. With teams playing conference games now, another eyebrow raising game was in the Greater Miami Conference. The battle of the Lakota’s took place at Lakota West, where Lakota West smacked Lakota East 48-18, continuing the hot start for the Firebirds. Tom Bolden once again has a powerful team who is looking to compete for a state championship. Staying in the GMC, Oak Hills continued their impressive 2026 campaign, shutting out Fairfield, 21-0 at home. The start by Oak Hills this season has them right on the verge of the top 10 rankings and the potential is there for the Highlanders to be a serious problem in the GMC. Another team in the back in the top 10 rankings after this week is Winton Woods. Winton Woods set the tone in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference with their dominating 35-0 shutout of Kings. The Knights, who are consistently one of the top teams in the tri-state, were no match for the Winton Woods defense. The rough start to the season for Winton Woods was quickly erased with the victory over a huge ECC rival. The ECC has teams that are capable of making an impact each week. One of those teams is the Anderson Raptors. Anderson stumbled in week 1 against Kentucky powerhouse, Louisville Trinity. It didn’t take long for the Raptors to rebound. They hung 70 points on West Clermont in a game that the Raptors needed to make a statement in and that they did.

This week, there are some intriguing matchups to continue the Friday night high school slate. Here are seven of the top games to keep an eye on this week in Cincinnati.

Without further ado, here are the ISC High School Football Top 10 rankings for week 3.

1. Elder (2-0) (Last Week rank: #1)

Last Game: Win at Covington Catholic (KY), 56-20
Next Game: Friday vs. East Central (IN), 7 p.m.

2. Lakota West (2-0) (Last Week rank: #2)

Last Game: Win vs. #5 Lakota East, 48-18
Next Game: Friday at Mason, 7 p.m.

3. Princeton (2-0) (Last Week rank: #3)

Last Game: Win vs. Middletown, 28-7
Next Game: Friday vs. Colerain, 7 p.m.

4. Badin (2-0) (Last Week rank: #4)

Last Game: Win vs. Dixie Heights (KY), 42-13
Next Game: Friday at Edgewood, 7 p.m.

5. LaSalle (2-0) (Last Week rank: #5)

Last Game: Win vs. Northmont, 28-6
Next Game: Friday at Fairmont, 7 p.m.

6. St. Xavier (1-1) (Last Week rank: #8)

Last Game: Win at Wayne, 35-7
Next Game: Friday vs. Indianapolis Cathedral (IN), 7 p.m.

7. Moeller (1-1) (Last Week rank: #7)

Last Game: Win vs. Groveport Madison, 45-7
Next Game: Friday at Louisville Trinity (KY), 7 p.m.

8. Anderson (1-1) (Last Week rank: N/R)

Last Game: Win vs. West Clermont, 70-19
Next Game: Friday vs. Little Miami, 7 p.m.

9. Winton Woods (1-1) (Last Week rank: #10)

Last Game: Win vs. Kings, 35-0
Next Game: Friday vs. Milford, 7 p.m.

10. Withrow (2-0) (Last Week rank: N/R)

Last Week: Win at Chaminade Julienne, 45-12
Next Game: Friday vs. Springboro, 7 p.m.

Dropped Out: Lakota East, Springboro,

On the outside looking in: Oak Hills, Harrison, Little Miami, Lakota East, Springboro, Fairfield

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

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