It's not March Madness time yet, but this weekend's Final Four is just as sweet as Ohio and Kentucky contest the state football semifinals.
Seven Greater Cincinnati high school football teams will get to experience one of the greatest traditions in the history of their game: Practicing on Thanksgiving morning. Many schools make it a community and family event. Two teams, Indian Hill and Middletown, have never gotten this far. Three other teams made it to the semis last year, and two others haven't been here in a few years.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHere is a look at all of this weekend's state semifinal matchups.
Southwest Ohio
Division I
St. Xavier (10-2) vs. Middletown (11-2)
Middletown's Jordan Vann (4) runs the ball during Middletown's 31-0 OHSAA Division I regional quarterfinal playoff win over Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.This game will be at the University of Dayton’s Welcome Stadium. According to Four Seasons Football website, this is only the second time the teams have met since 1999 and the 13th time overall. Middletown leads 8-4, but St. X has won three of four since 1990.
The last time these teams met was in 2012. They opened the season with the Bombers scoring a touchdown in the final minute to win 43-39, capping a game with nearly 1,000 yards total offense.
It’s highly unlikely this latest meeting will have those same kind of fireworks with the abundance of defensive talent on both sidelines. You can never be sure, however, because few expected the Bombers and Elder to combine for 76 points in last week’s wild 42-34 win by the Bombers at Paycor Stadium.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEither way, it will be a clash of contrasting histories. St. Xavier is looking to advance to the state final for the first time since its last championship in 2020. St. X is in the semis for the ninth time in program history, and is 7-1 all-time in this round with four state titles. Middletown has never been to the semis until now.
Middletown has thrived on defense all season, allowing eight points per game for the year. The Middies have enjoyed seven games where they held the opposing offense without a touchdown.
The Middies will get a challenge from the St. X offense, led by senior QB Jackson Frey, who has thrown for 484 yards and four touchdowns the last two weeks, leading the Bombers to comeback wins over Greater Catholic League-South foes Moeller and Elder.
The Bombers' defense and its multiple high-Division I commits struggled at times against the potent Elder offense. Middletown’s offense struggled, though, in its last two wins over Springfield and Wayne. Last week, in a 21-14 win, all three Middies' scores were set up by defense and special teams. The Middies may need to find some answers offensively unless their defense can hold down the Bombers.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPick: St. Xavier
More: 'The kids played so hard.' St. Xavier takes down Elder in regional final
Division II
Anderson (13-0) vs. Sunbury Big Walnut (12-1)
Anderson's Tysin Weaver (1) runs for a touchdown during the OHSAA Division II regional final game between Anderson and Trotwood-Madison Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at Lakota West High School.This game is at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, about 25 miles from Sunbury in the outskirts of Columbus and more than 100 from Anderson.
This is a rematch of last year’s state semifinals, which Anderson won 28-24 on a touchdown in the final minute. As was the case last year, both programs won their only state championship in 2007. This is now Anderson’s fifth state semifinal appearance and Big Walnut’s fourth.
Big Walnut has outscored its foes 481-111 this year. Since losing their season opener, 37-15 to Division III state title favorite Watterson, the Golden Eagles have won their last 12 by an average score of 39-6. By far their closest game was last week’s regional title win over Massillon Washington, 27-21.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLike last year, the Golden Eagles are led by running back Nolan Buirley, a junior who has rushed for 2,231 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading a ground attack that gains 240 yards per contest. They have an efficient passing attack as well, with Eli Stumpf throwing for 1,913 yards and 20 touchdowns against only three picks.
Their defense only allows 198 yards per game, 114 in the air, which could be a challenge for Owen Scalf and the potent Raptors. Anderson racked up 448 yards against the Golden Eagles last year, but turned it over four times, which the Raptors will want to avoid doing this week.
The Anderson defense limited Buirley to 121 yards, though he scored three touchdowns, and Stumpf threw for 82 on 8-of-10 completions.
Pick: Anderson
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDivision IV
Indian Hill (13-0) vs. Shelby (13-0)
Indian Hill RB Evan Riggs (2) rushes down the field against Valley View in the first quarter during the OHSAA Division IV regional final between Indian Hill vs. Valley View, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at Fairfield High School.The Shelby Whippets from northern Ohio near Mansfield will travel 120 miles to Sidney to meet the Braves, who have a 90-mile trip. A whippet is a breed of dog, and Shelby’s colors and helmet design are a lot like the Ohio State Buckeyes. Shelby is in the state semifinals for the second time in program history (2017) and Indian Hill, its first.
Shelby’s team has a lot of bite this year, and like the Braves, it has dominated its competition all season. Shelby has outscored its 13 foes 595 to 111, scoring 46 points per game. Their only close game was a 45-34 win over Galion. In their playoff rematch last week, the Whippets rolled 41-7.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementShelby is led by one of the top quarterbacks in the state, senior Brayden DeVito, a Mr. Football contender who has committed to Air Force. He has thrown for 3,032 yards and 39 touchdowns this year against only three interceptions, and on the ground, he has 1,160 yards and 25 TDs. Last week against Galion, he accounted for 400 yards and five scores. For his career, he has 12,689 passing yards, 4,445 on the ground and 201 total touchdowns, including defense.
His top receiver, Brady Bowman, had 1,524 receiving yards on 20 per catch, with 28 TDs.
The Whippets will be a fierce challenge for the Braves' defense, which has allowed only 88 points this season. They allowed 19 to Taft’s explosive offense in the second round of the playoffs, and will have to be equally effective this week. Indian Hill’s offense has been dominant all year on the ground, led by Devlan Daniel, Jacob Alexander and Evan Riggs. But they’re not as explosive in the air, so if Shelby leads by a couple of scores, they could have trouble coming back, and the defense will have to be ready to go from the get-go.
Pick: Shelby
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMore: Takeaways from Cincinnati football Week 14. Who advances to Final 4?
Northern Kentucky
Class 6A
Ryle (10-3) at South Warren (12-0)
Ryle quarterback Nathan Verax scored the winning two-point conversion in the Raiders' regional final against Frederick Douglass.Can Ryle and Lloyd team up to knock off two undefeated teams in the same weekend? If so, the Raiders will advance to back-to-back Class 6A title games.
Meanwhile, South Warren will be trying for its third state championship game appearance in the last decade. The other two (2018, 2021) ended with state titles.
The Spartans have won every game by double digits, the closest being a 27-17 win over DuPont Manual. Led by Jake Carter’s 93 receiving yards and two touchdowns, they scored 21 unanswered points to pull away from Henderson County in the regional final. South Warren is also tied for the third-most interceptions in the state with 18.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven without Jacob Savage’s services in the second half, the Raiders took down Frederick Douglass in overtime. Former Ludlow player Dameyn Anness couldn’t have picked a better time for the best game of his one-year Raider career, running for 86 yards and three touchdowns. Ryle will need Savage back to have any hope of winning; he’ll do everything he can to get the most out of his final postseason run.
Pick: South Warren
Class 3A
Murray (13-0) at Lloyd Memorial (13-0)
Izzy Turner (9) of Lloyd Memorial receives a touchdown pass during the KHSAA Class 3A game between Lloyd Memorial and Russell, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.Murray’s regional final win did Lloyd a small favor; the Juggernauts would have hosted 2024 state runner-up Bell County if Murray had lost. The Tigers will make the five-hour drive to Erlanger on Friday afternoon.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLloyd is the only Northern Kentucky team with a home game this weekend, so if you have nowhere else to be on Friday night, make the trip to Cecil Dees Field.
In several games this season, the Juggernauts have done just enough to win, but that’s all that matters in the postseason. Sophomore Izzy Turner stepped up in the regional final win over Russell with 64 receiving yards and a touchdown and four tackles. Lincoln Tomlinson and Avery Conrad combined for 35 tackles.
For Murray, Wyatt Robbins has 3,130 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. Isaiah Martin is his favorite target with 1,221 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns while Amarion Bomar has 866 rushing yards with 13 scores.
After a 59-56 shootout with McCracken County in Week 6, Murray’s defense has really rounded into form. The Tigers held Lexington Catholic scoreless for the majority of their regional final before claiming a 20-14 overtime victory. The defense doesn’t create a lot of turnovers, but it only allows 181 yards and 16 points per game, so the Tigers get stops when it matters.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPick: Lloyd
Class 2A
Beechwood (11-1) at Owensboro Catholic (12-1)
The Beechwood Tigers will look to return to the Class 2A state championship game.It’s a rematch of the 2024 state championship game and, because of the KHSAA’s much-bemoaned RPI system, the Tigers must make a three-hour trip downstate.
Beechwood knocked off Prestonsburg, the last undefeated team in Class 2A, 42-0 in the regional final. The Tigers averaged 11 yards per play, led by Emmett Queen’s 119 passing yards and Brody Aylor’s 119 rushing yards.
Owensboro Catholic quarterback Dre’Mail Carothers is one of three quarterbacks to throw for over 3,000 yards this season. Miles Edge once again leads the ground game with 1,065 yards while Xavier Maddox has tripled his production as a wide receiver from his junior to senior seasons. The Aces have forced 12 fumbles and grabbed 15 interceptions, so ball security will be a priority for Beechwood.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt feels like the Tigers and Aces have a rivalry that runs as deep as Beechwood’s series with Mayfield, but this is just the third meeting all-time (Beechwood won 16-0 in 1999).
Pick: Beechwood
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: OHSAA, KHSAA high school football state semifinals, Nov. 28, 2025
AdvertisementAdvertisement