St. Xavier Upsets Elder, East Central Rallies Past Harrison in Week 6
The short version
- St. Xavier beat Elder 31-29 on Owen Davidson's 26-yard field goal, giving coach Steve Specht his 200th win.
- A possible three-way GCL-South tie at 2-1 would be the first since 2014.
- East Central rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat previously unbeaten Harrison 24-21; both teams are 5-1.
- Ryan Minges rushed for 186 yards on 28 carries for East Central.
Owen Davidson's late field goal lifted St. Xavier past Elder 31-29, while East Central erased a 14-point halftime deficit to hand Harrison its first loss.
Week 6 of the Greater Cincinnati high school football season produced several road victories that reshaped conference races around the region, while Northern Kentucky opened district play with its own set of notable finishes.
St. Xavier defeated Elder 31-29 at The Pit when Owen Davidson connected on a 26-yard field goal, a result that also marked the 200th career win for Bombers head coach Steve Specht. The victory complicates the GCL-South race with the season's stretch run ahead.
Specht noted afterward that he had urged his players to ignore outside doubt during a 2-3 stretch and concentrate on improvement, saying he was proud of how the group responded. The Bombers opened the game with a 57-yard, nine-play drive that consumed more than five minutes.
Thomas George, the fourth quarterback to play for St. Xavier this season, threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns while completing 63.6 percent of his passes. Aiden Graham carried 21 times for 114 yards, and the team converted 7 of 11 third downs plus its only fourth-down try, a 10-yard George completion to Aidan Newdigate that extended the decisive drive.
Elder countered behind Kaden Estep, who threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns and scored the go-ahead rushing touchdown with 5:10 remaining. Andrew Lyman, cleared to play after a Temporary Restraining Order overturned an initial ineligibility ruling, caught four passes for 84 yards including a 34-yard touchdown. A fourth-quarter safety by Pete Fortkamp, who tackled George in the end zone after an Estep punt was downed at the 1, briefly swung momentum toward the Panthers.
The GCL-South could end in a three-way split at 2-1 if Elder beats Moeller on Oct. 2 at Dayton's Welcome Stadium and St. Xavier handles La Salle on Oct. 9, joining the Crusaders in a tie. That would be the first three-way finish since La Salle, Moeller and St. Xavier shared the 2014 title. St. Xavier next visits Louisville Trinity before closing against La Salle, Cleveland St. Ignatius and St. James Performance Academy of Washington, D.C., while Elder travels to Moeller and Highlands (KY) before hosting Bishop Chatard (IN) and Mount Zion Prep (MD).
In a Interstate 74 rivalry between schools roughly 12 miles apart, East Central scored a 24-21 win at Harrison that dropped both teams to 5-1. The Trojans trailed 21-7 at the break after Harrison built a 14-0 lead and extended it behind Brady Lawhon, who ran for two touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to Kyle Davidson following David Baldock's interception return to midfield.
East Central answered with its ground game, opening the second half with an all-rushing 50-yard touchdown drive. Ryan Minges finished with 186 yards on 28 carries, Colton Bellman added 64 on 12 attempts with the go-ahead touchdown with 3:55 left, and Chase Marsh gained 37 on six carries. Minges said the three-back rotation gives the Trojans distinct rushing attacks that will be difficult for opponents to contain.
The Trojans' defense allowed just 207 yards total, holding Harrison scoreless after halftime. Blake Sterwerf's 35-yard field goal cut the deficit to 21-17, Jared Cox intercepted Lawhon at the Harrison 35 to set up Bellman's score, and Noah Long sealed the win with a leaping one-handed interception in the final minutes. East Central entered the week ranked No. 1 in Class 4A.
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