High school football made its long-awaited return this week with a full slate on Aug. 22 across Greater Cincinnati.
There were plenty of storylines to follow from each side of the river: matchups between teams with state-title aspirations, the birth of a program and first-year coaches trying to start strong with their new program.
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Here are the top takeaways and performers from Week 1.
More: High school football scores: Who won Cincinnati’s Week 1 games?
More: High school football scores: Who won Northern Kentucky Week 1 games?
St. Xavier defensive back Brayden Reilly takes down Lakota West running back Kenyon Norman in the fourth quarter of the Bombers’ 14-7 victory Aug. 22. Reilly also had an interception.
St. Xavier’s defense as advertised in Week 1 win over Lakota West
A St. Xavier defense that had billed to be one of the most ferocious units in Greater Cincinnati looked the part in Week 1.
The Bombers held Lakota West to just 136 yards and 2-of-10 on third down in a 14-7 victory. St. Xavier’s leading contributors were Division I commits as Brayden Reilly had an interception, Aden Reeder had a sack and 1.5 tackles for a loss and Kobe Clapper had six stops.
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St. Xavier’s offense did enough against another formidable defense in Lakota West, which features the city’s top-ranked linebacker in Cam Thomas (8 tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss). Quarterback Jackson Frey went 9-of-17 for 126 yards and threw two touchdowns to Cameron Taylor to win in his Bomber debut.
Which new Cincinnati head coaches got wins in their debut?
Head-coaching turnover is nothing new in the high school football scene. How did first-year head coaches fare in Week 1?
Two new head football coaches got their win with their new school Aug. 22. Dan Scholtz got win No. 1 at Oak Hills in a 21-20 victory over Edgewood behind a pair of Lincoln Schreiber touchdown tosses. Joe Wynn was a winner in his Simon Kenton debut as the Pioneers got past Dixie Heights, 20-10.
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Elder gives up minus-4 yards in shutout of Mt. Zion Prep (MD)
Mt. Zion Prep from Maryland was welcomed to The Pit at Elder and was met with a 34-0 shutout while mustering up a negative amount of yardage for the game. Elder’s defense, led by three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks from Virginia commit Derek Uran, plus a pair of interceptions by Ben Ruoff and Jared Lammers, gave up just minus-4 yards all game (23 passing yards, minus-27 rushing yards). Junior Andrew Tallon had three rushing touchdowns for the Panthers.
Anderson quarterback Owen Scalf, here eluding a Cooper defender, had a big night throwing the ball, completing 32 of 42 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns.
Anderson makes statement in blowout win over Cooper
Anderson and Cooper both have hopes of state titles after coming up one game short last season. The two opened a home-and-home series Aug. 22 and Anderson cruised in a one-sided affair, 52-10.
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New Raptors quarterback Owen Scalf went 32-of-42 for 333 yards and three touchdowns while Milford transfer Jordan Davis ran for 101 yards and a trio of scores. Anderson’s defense, which is littered with DI prospects, held Cooper’s high-octane attack to just 237 total yards.
Taft head coach sets all-time wins record
Taft head coach Tyler Williams became the program’s all-time wins leader with his 43rd victory with the Senators after a 37-0 romp over Jeffersonville (Indiana).
Which Cincinnati high school football players were top performers in Week 1?
Lance Cantrell, Talawanda
Cantrell narrowly crossed the 1,000-yard mark as a junior last season and is nearly halfway there after just one game as a senior. Cantrell joined the OHSAA record books for single-game rushing yards, racking up 423 and five touchdowns in Talawanda’s 51-21 victory over Taylor.
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James Brink, Badin
Brink needed just a few touches to make a big impact in Badin’s 38-20 victory over Hamilton. Brink opened the second-half scoring with a 65-yard touchdown catch, then later returned a kickoff for a 96-yard score.
Ryder Hooks, Lakota East
Lakota East went on the road and picked up an impressive 35-20 win over Centerville. New quarterback Nile Knutson was impressive (22-of-29, 290 yards and 3 TDs) while Hooks ran for 289 yards and two scores on just 21 attempts.
Savion Davis, Withrow
Davis did it through the air and on the ground, throwing for 205 yards and a touchdown and running for 120 yards and a score in Withrow’s 35-0 win over Milford.
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Dylan Wolf, New Richmond
The Lions’ star running back scored four touchdowns in the team’s 53-34 win over Bethel-Tate.
Max Rhodes, Oak Hills
The Highlanders’ senior linebacker broke the school record for career tackles with his 323rd in a 21-20 win over Edgewood.
Surprising results in Week 1 of Greater Cincinnati high school football
Highlands
Highlands opened the season with a dramatic 21-20 win over Frederick Douglass, which was picked No. 5 in the Class 6A preseason coaches’ poll. Highlands blocked an extra-point attempt to force a second overtime, then junior Tayden Lorenzen secured a walk-off win with a two-point conversion run.
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Talawanda
Behind Cantrell’s big night, Talawanda blew out Taylor, a regional semifinalist last season, 51-21. The Braves are 1-0 for the first time since 2020.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: High school football: Takeaways, top performers, surprises from Week 1
