Ten takeaways from Week 3 of Greater Cincinnati high school football

The Greater Cincinnati high school football season is one week older, which means conference races are starting to take shape. After several key matchups in all three states, contenders are starting to emerge.

Here are 10 things to know about the local prep football scene as the calendar has flipped from August to September.

1. Unpredictable GMC is the wild, wild West

The Greater Miami Conference, with eight of its 10 teams located west of Interstate 75, has been the wild, wild West so far this season. Surprising results continued in the second week of league play.

Three teams are 2-0 in league play: Hamilton, Princeton and Sycamore.

Hamilton posted a 37-6 rout of Mason, who was GMC runner-up last season. The Big Blue forced three turnovers in beating the Comets for the first time since 2020. Both teams were held under 200 yards of offense as the Comets struggled with backup quarterbacks after starter Quinn Brown was injured in week two.

Sycamore, who broke a 12-game overall losing streak last week, beat Middletown 35-17.

Princeton, the one member of the trio that many expected to compete for the title, beat Lakota East 30-16 to make a statement as the GMC favorite for the rest of the season.

Elsewhere in the league, defending league champion Lakota West won its first game of the year by shutting out Fairfield 33-0.

Lakota West flipped the script from last year’s meeting, rallying behind its defense to limit Fairfield and QB Talon Fisher to 126 total years. Offensively, the Firebirds flipped their results from their previous two games, putting up a 21-0 lead after one period after only generating one field goal in their first two games.

Sam Wiles took over at quarterback, throwing for 182 yards and two touchdowns.

Oak Hills, now 1-1 in league play and 1-2 overall, defeated Colerain for the first time since 1992, 21-14. Will Kraus threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Offenses continue to go wild in the East

So far, the Eastern Cincinnati Conference is as competitive and entertaining as many thought it would be.

Four teams are 3-0 overall and tied for first place at 2-0: Anderson, Kings, Milford and Winton Woods. There will be no more than three left after Anderson travels to Milford on Friday.

Milford had the marquee game with a 52-34 win over Loveland. Milford ended the game with 572 total yards on offense. Luke Brand was 34-for-46 passing for a school-record 423 yards and two touchdowns. Reece Davis caught 10 passes for 172 yards and a score with Ashton Warther also adding 10 completions and 69 yards. Nathan Webster had 127 yards on 22 rushes with a pair of touchdowns. Milford has averaged 43 points in two ECC games and will be a tough test for the Anderson offense, which has improved this season over past years.

Anderson rolled past Lebanon, 44-14. Justice Burnam threw for 244 yards. Brodey Berg rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns.

The Raptors held the Warriors to 198 total yards, 45 on the ground. Anderson has allowed only two touchdowns in each of its three wins after giving up 33 points per game last season. Time will tell if the Raptors can keep that up against the explosive Eagles on Friday.

Winton Woods has been dominant on defense all season, limiting West Clermont to 51 total yards in a 21-13 win. One of the Wolves’ TDs came on a punt return. Kings has averaged 34 points per game without its passing playmakers from last season, posting a workmanlike 35-12 win over Walnut Hills Friday.

3. East Central serves notice while Moeller falls to 1-2

East Central had one of the most eye-popping performances of the night, beating Moeller 38-28. EC is the reigning 4A champion in Indiana, and Moeller was a Division I state semifinalist last year.

East Central rushed for 484 yards, 246 from Indiana Mr. Football candidate Josh Ringer and 174 from senior Dylan Maxwell, who was playing his first snaps at running back in his varsity career.

East Central pressed Maxwell into service as the Trojans ran a double-wing offensive formation and only threw the ball three times during the game, one by receiver Elijah Sehlhorst on a trick play.

Moeller continued its early season struggles against a brutal schedule and will look to turn things around against another tough opponent. Moeller travels to the Indianapolis area to face Center Grove (2-1), the three-time reigning 6A state champion in Indiana, led by Duke commit Tyler Cherry at quarterback. Elder, 2-1 overall, also plays a reigning state champion, hosting Lakewood St. Edward at 4 p.m. Saturday.

4. Roger Bacon is a perfect 3-0

Roger Bacon improved to 3-0 by coming from behind in the second half to beat Hughes, 20-14. Bubba Smart threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns to rally the Spartans from a 14-6 deficit in the final minute of the third quarter.

Bacon will face former Greater Catholic League-Coed foe Badin next week in a battle of undefeated teams.

5. Williamsburg improves to 3-0

Williamsburg is 3-0 for the second year in a row after beating Mariemont 34-28. The Wildcats rallied with a late touchdown pass from J.J. Miller to Pierce Ayers to win a back-and-forth affair with the host Warriors. Clinton-Massie is also 3-0 after edging Edgewood Friday as the 2021 state champions are back on the winning track.

6. CCPA to play CCD in the battle of 3-0 teams

Cincinnati College Prep is 3-0 for the first time in its short history after beating Norwood 34-16. The Lions now have solid wins over Clark and Summit Country Day.

They will get their biggest test of the season on Friday, playing at undefeated Cincinnati Country Day.

CCD has dominated foes this season, shutting out North College Hill 35-0 Friday. The Nighthawks also shut out rival Summit Country Day 30-0 and won at Bradford (Ohio) 33-6.

7. Lloyd Memorial is not affected by the move to Class 3A

Through three games, the Juggernauts are outscoring their opponents 118-29. They earned an impressive win in week one against Newport Central Catholic but have since beaten Boone County and Holmes, who have a combined record of 1-4.

For the second straight year, Isaiah Sebastian has stepped into the quarterback role for the injured Kaleb Evans and is flawlessly facilitating the offense. Yurii Collins Comer has filled the shoes of Kaiden Zulager and then some, rushing for over 600 yards in three games. The defense also deserves its flowers. They picked up right where they left off at the end of 2022 after losing just one starter.

With three games coming up against Bethlehem, Bishop Brossart and Newport, Lloyd should roll into district play undefeated. Their toughest test will come against Lexington Catholic on Oct. 13, and even then, the Juggernauts will have the benefit of a home game.

8. Bellevue earns first win in two years

The Tigers opened Gilligan Stadium with a 32-22 win over Riverview East, their first victory since Sep. 17, 2021. It is also the first win for new head coach Chad Montgomery, who had previously spent eight seasons at nearby Dayton.

Bellevue has an increased roster after forfeiting the final three games of 2022 due to injuries. There are about 30 students on this year's roster, compared to just 19 last year.

9. A new look for Ryle's defense?

Coming into the Battle of Union, the Raider defense only had two takeaways, both coming in a win over Conner. They kicked it up a notch against Cooper, intercepting two passes and recovering two fumbles to log four turnovers in a game for the first time since they did so against Simon Kenton on Oct. 24, 2020.

Led by Kai Workman, Dillon Smith and two-way threat Jacob Savage, Ryle is more than one-third of the way to the 15 turnovers they forced in 2022. Head coach Mike Engler has run a simple defensive scheme against Conner and Cooper, but he honed in on taking away their opponents' key weapons and flushing the quarterback out of the pocket. After allowing 21 points in the first quarter of the year to Covington Catholic, the Raiders have allowed 17 total points in two wins.

Ryle's success going forward could hinge on how well they play defense. Week four brings a road trip against a Highlands team that put up 67 points in a win over Campbell County. They also face home games against Louisville Christian and Louisville St. Xavier, who have also scored in droves in various points throughout the young season.

10. Points, points, and more points in Northern Kentucky

Beechwood won a 49-48 overtime slugfest against Dixie Heights. The Tigers opened up a 14-0 lead before falling behind 27-14. Dixie Heights continued its streaky tendencies this season, giving up 21 straight points to fall behind 35-27. The Colonels had the ball second in the overtime period and went for the win after scoring a touchdown, but Armani Gregg's rushing attempt came up inches short of the goal line as Beechwood escaped with a win and a 3-0 start.

CovCath ran wild in a 50-12 win over Simon Kenton. The Colonels have scored at least 35 points in every game so far and are averaging 41 points per game. Quarterback Evan Pitzer continued his improved form, throwing for 249 yards while Cash Harney made his rushing debut to the tune of 85 yards and a touchdown.

Is it any surprise that Highlands is lighting up the scoreboard? After averaging 40 points per game in 2022, the Bluebirds brought their scoring average way up with a 67-35 defeat of Campbell County. Brody Benke and Rio Litmer each threw for over 250 yards and four touchdowns. The question for the Bluebirds is whether their defense can step up. They can't continue to allow 30 points per game, especially when the postseason begins.

Newport has now scored more than 100 combined points in the last two weeks after a 56-6 win over Pendleton County. The Wildcats have had no problem proving themselves on the road after not having a true home field for the second straight season. The schedule gets tougher with games against Boone County, Lloyd and Newport Central Catholic in the coming weeks. Can Kyle Lee, Rodzion Thompson and Amonte Lowe make enough big plays for Newport to continue to keep up with their counterparts?

After a wake-up call in week one, Newport Central Catholic has responded with aplomb, their latest feat being a 59-27 romp over Scott. The Thoroughbreds had three touchdowns of 40 yards or more as they put up at least 40 points for the second straight week. Led by Kolton Smith and Demetrick Welch, this offense is similar to the one that scored 40 points nine different times on the way to last year's Class 1A state semifinals.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2023 Ohio high school football: Cincinnati Week 3 takeaways