SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — There isn't a high school football coach who is completely satisfied with a result after the season opener.
But, that's exactly why St. Xavier and Lakota West scheduled a Week 1 matchup for a third consecutive year. Both teams want to quickly discover what needs improvement early in the season.
That was evident Friday night in the Bombers 10-0 win over the visiting Firebirds at RDI Stadium. St. X scored a touchdown on its opening drive before a field goal in the second quarter that accounted for the game's points.
"The kids played well," St. X coach Steve Specht said. "I thought Lakota West's defense played really well. We had some short fields we weren't able to capitalize on. But, it's Week 1. You love playing games like this because you find out what you have to work on real fast. And who knows — it's a long season — but they're going to get better and we're going to try to survive our schedule."
St. X sophomore running back Jake Britt scored on a 10-yard run to complete a lengthy opening drive for the Bombers Friday night. Senior Jake Cengia added a 37-yard field goal with 8:20 left in the second quarter to give the Bombers a 10-0 lead at halftime.
Junior quarterback Chase Herbstreit was 12 of 21 passing for 137 yards.
Defensively, the Bombers held firm throughout the night and limited Lakota West's field position.
The Bombers had three interceptions including two by sophomore Brayden Reilly and a late interception by senior Jack O'Malley.
"I thought Chase did a good job of managing the game and I thought defensively we played really well," Specht said. "Coach (defensive coordinator Jake) Brodbeck did a nice job with the game plan. I thought our kids executed it. But, there is a lot of football left. We're going to watch film. We'll get better and we'll work on Week 2."
The Bombers had 16 first downs to just seven first downs for the Firebirds. The St. X defense held Lakota West to just 53 yards passing and 41 yards rushing.
"It was ugly," Lakota West coach Tom Bolden said. "Hats off to them. We just turned it over too many times. Too many self-inflicted things. We're going to get better. Our defense is really good."
The Lakota West defense held St. X to 93 yards rushing for the game. Senior linebacker Micah Markley had a game-high 11 tackles.
However, the Firebirds couldn't get into a rhythm offensively.
"We're going to be OK," Bolden said. "Next week we're going to be a heck of a lot better football team. Each week we're going we're going to be a lot better. I told Steve hopefully we'll play them again. It's not the end of the world. We've got a lot of work to do offensively. We'll figure it out offensively; defensively, we just got to keep doing what we do."
Lakota West (0-1) plays host to Princeton (1-0) on Aug. 25. St. X (1-0) plays Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. High School at Wayne State University in Michigan on Aug. 26.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Winton Woods senior linebacker TJ Buckman scored two defensive touchdowns to help lead the Warriors to defeat host Trotwood-Madison 21-7. Buckman scored on a fumble recovery after junior linebacker Justin Hill's strip sack. Buckman also scored after a blocked punt and fumble recovery. Winton Woods (1-0) has won 14 consecutive regular season games and is 26-4 the past two seasons.
- New Richmond freshman quarterback Brady Young was 24 of 51 passing for a school-record 357 yards and four touchdowns in the Lions' 40-35 win over Bethel-Tate. Junior wide receiver Cohen Manning had 12 receptions for a school-record 257 yards and four touchdowns.
- Jay Volker earned his first Beechwood coaching win as the Tigers defeated host McNicholas 31-14. The Tigers had 400 yards of total offense. Junior quarterback Clay Hayden was 20 of 26 passing for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Luke Erdman had four carries for 58 yards and six receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. Junior James Cusick had a 32-yard carry, three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown along with an interception. "We spoke all week about bringing effort and energy," Volker said. "Loved how our guys came out and gave it everything from the start. Defensively, we shut them out in the second half and we were fling around to the ball."
- Kings senior Paul Kelly rushed 15 times for 197 yards and scored a career-high four touchdowns in the Knights' 29-22 win over host Sycamore. Kelly had two 65-yard touchdown runs during the game. He also caught four passes for 36 yards. "He played like an experienced leader," Kings coach Alex Garvin said. "He is a captain for a reason."
- East Central senior running back Josh Ringer scored six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving) in the first half in Friday's 42-7 win over Lawrenceburg. It is the first time East Central had a player score five rushing touchdowns in a half, according to Trojans coach Jake Meiners. Senior linebacker Dylan Maxwell had a team-high nine tackles. East Central hasn't lost to Lawrenceburg since the 1992 season.
- Moeller senior running back Jordan Marshall scored four touchdowns in a game for the third time in his career, according to Moeller football statistician George Smith. He had a 75-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in Moeller's 49-28 loss to Indianapolis Ben Davis. Marshall also scored four touchdowns against Elder (2022 regular season) and against St. Xavier (2022 playoff game).
- Anderson junior quarterback Justice Burnam was 17 of 18 passing for 256 yards and six touchdowns in the Raptors' 44-15 win at South Oldham. "I'm proud of how our guys handled themselves on the trip," Anderson coach Evan Dreyer said. "We had a fast start against a really good team."
- Taft senior quarterback Armoud Seals threw for four touchdowns and 180-plus yards in the Senators' 40-18 win over Pleasure Ridge Park. Senior Tayshawn Banks (Pittsburgh verbal commit) had a 73-yard opening kickoff return, one receiving touchdowns and 200-plus all-purpose yards. Senior Milton Godfrey had three catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Jay'Quan Bostic (West Virginia commit) had two catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns along with four tackles. Junior Aaron Dowdell had a career-high 14 tackles and a forced fumble. Senior Elias Rudolph (Michigan verbal commit) had four tackles and a 46-yard return off a fumble recovery. Senior Rmonte Chambers had five tackles and a 40-yard interception return. Senior Quinton Price (UC commit) had three tackles and forced fumble. Senior Anton Canady had three tackles. Sophomore Marquaze Curtis had four tackles and a sack. Junior Drayden Pavey had four tackles including two tackles for loss. Junior Joey Issac had 35 yards rushing and a touchdown. Senior Tyger Whittaker had two tackles. Junior Jahvion Jarmon had 83 yards all-purpose and two tackles.
- Badin defeated Hamilton 18-0 Friday night in the first meeting between the programs since 2000. Badin has a 4-1 edge in the all-time series.
- Mount Healthy defeated host Little Miami 24-0 Friday night. Junior quarterback Jahmeir Spain was 12 of 18 passing for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Indiana University commit JayJay Etheridge had five receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jai'mier Scott had a 51-yard touchdown reception. "I loved that we battled through adversity," Mount Healthy coach Jordan Stevens said. "We had 'first game' sloppiness and I'm most proud that we didn't make excuses. Our discipline and maturity has grown tremendously. The defense was outstanding."
- Purcell Marian defeated Deer Park 40-22 in the Cavaliers' first football game at Staubach Stadium. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, a 1960 Purcell graduate, attended the game. "Last night was absolutely electric," Purcell Marian coach Jeremy Pflug said. "The crowd was into it and excited. Couldn't ask for a better night."
- Withrow defeated host Walnut Hills 42-0 Thursday night. The Tigers played without helmet decals as a motivating factor. "We got to be intense," Withrow coach Kali Jones said. "We got to execute at a high level. That's what we wanted to work on today. We did a lot of good stuff today. Looked smooth at times; a little too much laundry on the field so we've got some things to work on to clean up." Withrow (1-0) plays at Springboro (0-1) Aug. 25.
- Middletown senior running back Eric Schroeder rushed 20 times for 177 yards and a touchdown in the Middies' 31-16 win over Loveland. "Eric had a great game but that's a credit to our experienced offensive line," Middies coach Don Simpson said. "This is really our first year of having the luxury of an experienced offensive line. After the game, I just told the guys this game was a total team win." Middletown rallied from a 16-14 halftime deficit and outscored the Tigers 17-0 in the second half.
- There are 359 high school football games that include at least one OHSAA member school for Week 1, according to postseason computer points analyst Joe Eitel. There are 707 OHSAA football teams this season, Eitel said. Those games and teams are for 11-man football.
- The OHSAA and Pro Football Hall of Fame want to continue the state football finals in Canton, according to OHSAA media relations director Tim Stried. The OHSAA and hall of fame are entering the final year of a three-year agreement. "I just can't think of a better place to have the football state finals," Stried said.
- Northwest High School named Brandon Schon as its new head football coach, pending board of education approval Aug. 21.
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