SHARONVILLE, Ohio — The Lakota West football team remained undefeated Friday night after a 31-7 win at Princeton.
"I'm so proud of the kids," Firebirds coach Tom Bolden said. "We just focused on us all week about getting better and I think we took another step forward."
Junior Tyler Bohn's field goal gave the Firebirds a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. Senior quarterback Mitch Bolden then connected with senior Trent Lloyd for a 3-yard touchdown pass connection later in the second quarter.
Junior defensive back Taebron Bennie-Powell's 52-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown helped to give the Firebirds a 17-0 lead at halftime.
Princeton senior Zion Mason's 92-yard punt return for a touchdown helped to get the Vikings closer at 17-7 at the 8:46 mark of the third quarter. However, the Firebirds scored 14 unanswered points to seal the win. Lakota West limited Princeton to 172 yards of total offense. Lakota East earned 301 yards of offense.
Mitch Bolden improved to 31-6 as a starter after he was 8 of 15 passing for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Lloyd had six carries for 58 yards and a touchdown. He also had the receiving touchdown.
Sophomore linebacker Micah Markley had game-high tackles on defense.
The Firebirds have won by a 170-20 scoring advantage the past four weeks.
Lakota West (5-0, 4-0 GMC) is No. 3 in the Division I, Region 4 computer points ratings while Princeton (4-1, 3-1) is No. 4. The Firebirds are ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press state media poll while the Vikings are tied with New Albany at No. 8.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association released the first official weekly football computer ratings this past Tuesday. The weekly computer ratings are released every Tuesday beginning in the fifth week of the season, leading up to the final report on Sunday, Oct. 23, when 448 schools – the top 16 in each region – will qualify for the playoffs.
There are 711 schools in this week’s 11-player football computer ratings. The 72 largest schools are in Division I, while the remaining schools are divided equally in Divisions II through VII (approximately 106 schools in each division).
