What we learned in week 6 of Greater Cincinnati high school football

Week 6 of the Greater Cincinnati high school football season brought some of the wildest results yet as road wins by several teams shook up conference races across the city.

In Northern Kentucky, the first week of district play brought a few exciting results as well.

Here's a recap of some of the top action in the tri-state.

St. Xavier stuns Elder, muddies the GCL-South race

As Owen Davidson's 26-yard field goal split the uprights and sailed into the Price Hill night, the St. Xavier Bombers stormed the field, celebrating a 31-29 win at The Pit, as well as head coach Steve Specht's 200th win.

"I don't know how many of our games have come down to the last play, it's been quite a few over my career and coach Ramsey's career. I'm just so proud of our kids, happy for them. I talked about it all week long, all of the sudden you're 2-3 and everybody's jumping off the bandwagon. I told them not to worry about it, it's always been about us. Focus on development, focus on getting better, and I couldn't be more proud of a group of young men," Specht said.

When the Bombers took the opening kickoff and marched 57 yards in nine plays, taking 5:01 off the clock, there was a tension in the air that St. X might actually leave Glenway Ave. with a win. Thomas George, the fourth different Bomber to take snaps under center this year, was as composed as he could be, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Aiden Graham posted a season-high 21 carries for 114 yards.

The Bombers went 7-for-11 in third-down conversions and converted their only fourth-down play, a 10-yard pass from George to Aidan Newdigate keeping the final drive alive.

"There wasn't one dude in that locker room that didn't believe this was gonna happen. Like coach Specht thought, we were gonna come in here and we were gonna win this game. It was a great opportunity," George said.

But Elder punched back every time it needed to. Quarterback Kaden Estep got it done on the ground and through the air, passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns and running for the go-ahead score with 5:10 left. Andrew Lyman, who was initially ruled ineligible but received a Temporary Restraining Order to play, caught four passes for 84 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown.

The defense made its lone stand early in the fourth quarter. After an Estep punt was downed at the 1-yard line, Pete Fortkamp jumped on George in the end zone for a safety, seemingly flipping the momentum. It was a blessing in disguise for the Bombers as they ended up getting the last laugh.

"Elder's a heck of a football team. Coach Ramsey does a great job. That offense – Kaden Estep is special, but we did just enough tonight to slow him down.," Specht said.

While St. X faces another daunting task next week with a trip to Louisville Trinity, it finishes the season with a favorable schedule against La Salle, Cleveland St. Ignatius and St. James Performance Academy (Washington, D.C.).

Elder will have a fire in its belly as it travels to face Moeller and Highlands (KY), then hosts Bishop Chatard (IN) and Mount Zion Prep (MD).

If Elder beats Moeller at Dayton's Welcome Stadium on Oct. 2 and St. Xavier beats La Salle on Oct. 9, the Bombers, Crusaders and Panthers will all have 2-1 league records and split the GCL-South title. It would be the first three-way tie since La Salle, Moeller and St. Xavier shared the title in 2014.

East Central rallies with running game, defense, to end Harrison's unbeaten start

East Central does not have an explosive passing game this year.

Trailing 21-7 at halftime at Harrison, and receiving the second-half kickoff, the Trojans needed a quick start to the second half to have a chance to win. They got that with their powerful running game, and got one big pass play when they needed it most, to edge Harrison, 24-21. Both teams left with 5-1 records in the battle of Interstate 74 between two schools about 12 miles apart.

Senior Ryan Minges rushed for 186 on 28 carries. Colton Bellman had 64 yards on 12 attempts and Chase Marsh 37 yards on six carries.

“It is definitely extremely special to have three backs,” Minges said. “We have totally different run games and it’s going to be hard for teams to stop it in the coming weeks.”

Harrison took a 14-0 lead on two sustained drives, and led 21-7 at halftime after David Baldock returned an interception to midfield. Brady Lawhon rushed for two touchdowns and threw a TD pass to Kyle Davidson. But East Central shut down the Wildcats in the second half, allowing 207 yards for the game, most of that in the first half.

East Central scored from the second-half kickoff, driving 50 yards, all on the ground, and trailed 21-14 with 8:03 to go in the third quarter.

“We came into halftime knowing we didn’t play our best,” Minges said. “We all rallied together and knew the game wasn’t over. We had to play four quarters and win the game. We set a goal at halftime that we had to come out and score, and the defense needed to get a big stop.”

The Trojans came back to win in the fourth quarter with some clutch defense. Trailing 21-14 late in the third quarter, East Central stopped Harrison on fourth down in the red zone, and started to drive the other way.

Early in the fourth quarter, East Central tried a flea-flicker. Ben Bond threw a long pass to the goal line. The receiver slipped and a Harrison defender nearly intercepted the pass, which he had a chance to return for a touchdown. Bond converted a fourth-and-10 pass later on the drive, and Blake Sterwerf kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 21-17 with 10:57 to go.

With seven minutes to go, Jared Cox intercepted Lawhon at the Harrison 35. EC drove down for a score, by Bellman with 3:55 to go, to lead 24-21.

Colton Rehage returned the kickoff to midfield. Lawhon threw a pass to the sideline to an open receiver, but was just a bit off and senior Noah Long made a leaping one-handed interception. EC ran out the clock from there.

East Central is top-ranked in Class 4A in the latest Indiana coaches poll.

Moeller evolving alongside sophomore QB McLaughlin

The Moeller Crusaders left no doubt in a dominant 45-0 showing against league-foe La Salle, earning themselves at least a share of the GCLS crown. What's perhaps more exciting for the Crusaders is the leaps and bounds of growth they're seeing from their new quarterback.

In just his second start for the Crusaders, sophomore signal-caller Hunter McLaughlin went 14-of-18 for 239 yards and three touchdowns in the first half against the Lancers, ending his day early with a 35-0 lead. Even without playing in Moeller's two losses, McLaughlin has thrown for 742 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception, completing over 72% of his passes.

"When he first got to us, the arm talent jumped. It was undeniable," Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany said. "There's a difference between being a good thrower and a being a good quarterback, and he's becoming a good quarterback."

After Moeller graduated former Ohio Mr. Football Matt Ponatoski last year, the quarterback room had big shoes to fill. McLaughlin is starting to look more comfortable in the role each week, and his play has elevated Moeller into true contenders in Cincinnati.

Of course, it's far from a one man show for Moeller. The defense strangled La Salle all night, allowing just 74 total yards and forcing a shutout. The Crusaders' stable of running backs combined for 179 yards and three touchdowns on 6.2 yards per carry, and the receiving corps consistently executed on deep routes and followed downfield blocks.

When asked about the ceiling for the Crusaders this season, McLaughlin had the utmost confidence in his squad.

"This team could make the state championship game."

Deer Park 6-0 for first time since 1981

For the first time since the 1981 Deer Park team went 10-0, the Wildcats have started a season with a 6-0 record. Deer Park beat Madeira 38-14 and star Morgan Brown broke the school's scoring record in the contest.

North College Hill undefeated and unscored on

North College Hill beat Dayton Belmont 61-0 on Sept. 24, improving to 5-0 for the year. The undefeated Trojans (who had their Week 1 game against Fairport Harding canceled) have yet to allow a point this season, outscoring opponents a combined 257-0.

Who are the top performers from week 6 of Greater Cincinnati high school football?

Lucas Cannady, St. Bernard-Elmwood Place: In a tough 38-26 loss to Summit Country Day, the senior quarterback threw for 265 yards and a touchdown and ran for 189 yards and three more scores.

Jordan Davis, Anderson: In a 58-14 blowout at Milford, he hauled in eight passes for 177 yards and an 80-yard touchdown.

Roman Garr, Colerain: He threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns in a 47-31 win over Oak Hills.

Thomas George, St. Xavier: In his first start at quarterback, he led the Bombers to a monumental win at Elder by throwing for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Jordan Hall, Princeton: In a 48-22 win at Lakota East, Hall ran 15 times for 140 yards and four touchdowns.

Hunter McLaughlin, Moeller: The sophomore quarterback torched La Salle in one half of play, going 14-of-18 for 239 yards and three touchdowns in an eventual 45-0 win.

Kiyan Miller, Covington Catholic: The sophomore ran for four touchdowns as the Colonels defeated Louisville Central 41-14.

Alex Nagel, Mason: The Comets quarterback led Mason to a 40-3 win against Hamilton, completing a pair of passes, both for scores, while rushing for 118 yards and two more touchdowns.

Gavin Nolan, Middletown: He stepped in at QB and threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for a TD, in a 40-0 win over Sycamore.

Kenyon Norman, Lakota West: The Northwestern commit has eclipsed the 1,000 rushing yard mark in six games after running 12 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-7 win over Fairfield.

Callan Polland, Turpin: The junior hauled in five receptions, including all four of Turpin's passing scores, for 169 yards in Turpin's 55-19 win against West Clermont.

Owen Scalf, Anderson: Anderson had 469 passing yards in a 58-14 win at Milford, including a 26-for-30 night with 433 yards, five touchdowns and an interception from Scalf.

Will Schmittauer, Turpin: Turpin cruised to a 55-19 win against West Clermont with Schmittauer throwing for 368 yards and four touchdowns.

Jack Sills, Kings: The senior had a career game despite a 35-24 loss to Lebanon, completing 23 of his 34 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns.

Quinton Simon, Highlands: The sophomore defensive back and receiver returned two interceptions for touchdowns and ran in another on offense in a 78-6 win over Harrison County.

Key'Sean Torbert, Princeton: Torbert was 15-for-24 passing for 227 yards and a touchdown while amassing 130 rushing yards and a score in eight rushes as Princeton improved to 6-0 by beating Lakota East 48-22.

Nathan Tucker, Kings: In a 35-24 loss to Lebanon, Tucker caught five passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, ha had an interception.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What we learned in week 6 of Greater Cincinnati high school football