Week 2 summary from GCL website....
Elder, La Salle, St. Xavier Post Impressive Victories In Week Two Games
It was another impressive Friday night for the Greater Catholic League South Division football teams, with three of the four recording solid victories against formidable competition in week two of the Ohio High School Athletic Association regular season.
Elder staged the most dramatic win of last evening, rallying from seven points down in the third quarter to post a 38-31 overtime victory against previously undefeated Indianapolis Cathedral in the Panthers’ home opener at The Pit in Price Hill. La Salle went on the road to record a double-digit victory against a team from the Greater Miami Conference for the second straight week, this time defeating Mason, 31-0.
And, in a game that has become an annual thriller almost every time St. Xavier and Colerain meet in the regular season and usually in the state playoffs, the Bombers built a 21-7 halftime lead and made their three first-half scores stand up in a 21-14 win on the road against Colerain in another GCL South-GMC matchup to notch its second consecutive victory against a qualify opponent.
Moeller was the lone GCL South team to fall Friday night, as the Crusaders traveled down Interstate 71 to face national power Trinity. For the second straight week, Moeller was held scoreless in a 41-0 loss to the nationally regarded Shamrocks, who have more Kentucky state football championships (25) than any other team in the history of the Bluegrass state. This is the first time Moeller has been shut out in back-to-back games to start a season for the first time in school history.
Here is a look at Friday’s GCL South games:
Luebbe Paces Panthers Again – One week after amassing more than 300 total yards and accounting for four TDs, senior quarter Matthew Luebbe was at it again for Elder. Luebbe had three rushing scores, including a 6-yard run in OT that proved to be the game-winner, to go along with one passing strike to lead Elder to the win against a talented Indianapolis Cathedral team. The start of the game was delayed 53 minutes after interstate traffic delayed the arrival of Cathedral (2-1) getting to the Elder High School campus.
Luebbe’s 10-yard TD run seconds into the fourth quarter tied the game, 28-28, before Cathedral took a 31-28 lead on a field goal by Chris Alerding with less than seven minutes remaining. Elder’s Sam Harmeyer sent the game into OT with a 31-yarder with only 33 seconds left on the clock. The Panthers’ defense made the lead stand up when junior David Larkins recovered a fumbled snap to preserve the win.
Sophomore Drew Ramsey and senior Joe Royer, an Ohio State University commit, had big nights receiving for Elder (2-0). Ramsey caught a team-high six passes for 38 yards, while Royer had five receptions for 72 yards, including a 15-yard TD catch in the final 30 seconds of the first half that gave Elder a 21-14 lead. Ramsey scored a rushing TD, scoring from six yards out to open the scoring.
Lancers’ D Records First Shutout – One week after holding Lakota West down in a 31-7 opening victory, La Salle’s defense was strong again in pitching its first shutout of the season to post a road win against another GMC opponent in perennial playoff contender Mason. Junior quarterback Zach Branam, making only his second varsity start, gave La Salle (2-0) all the offense it would need – completing 14-of-19 passes for 126 yards and two TDs while also rushing 12 times for 133 yards and another TD.
Lancers’ senior receiver Jake Seibert was Branam’s favorite target, catching seven passes for 65 to help La Salle rack up nearly 400 total yards and convert 7-of-10 first downs. That was plenty good enough for the Lancers’ defense, which did not give up an offensive TD last week in a 31-7 win (West’s lone score came on a punt return in the third quarter). Adam Seger and Cole Hildebrand each had eight total tackles for the Lancers, who also intercepted two passes and limited the Comets to just three yards per rushing attempt and few than 100 yards on the ground.
Rueve To Lang The Difference This Time – Senior quarterback Matthew Rueve and senior tight end Marshall Lang hooked up for three first-half scoring passes, and the St. Xavier defense made a 14-point advantage stand up in the final two quarters as the Bombers snapped a three-game losing streak to Colerain in what is annually one of the most anticipated regular-season matchups in the state if not the nation. The latest meeting was part of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown.
Rueve, who was held to less than 100 yards passing in last year’s postseason loss to Colerain, hit Lang – a Northwestern University recruit – on scoring strikes of 11, 3 and 12 yards, respectively, in the first half. Lang finished with eight catches for 113 yards and was named the Mercy Health Most Valuable Player in the Showdown game. Junior Liam Clifford added nine receptions for 76 yards, with Rueve connecting on 24-of- 34 passes for 232 yards. He has thrown for 533 yards and five TDs in the first two games.
Senior Tucker Hundley, who led St. Xavier with 12 total tackled, also came up with a big play on special teams when he blocked a punt that was returned to the Colerain 1-yard line that set up the Bombers’ second score and a 14-7 lead. Senior linebacker Noah Taylor had 11 tackles and helped pin Colerain deep in its own territory with solid punting – his final punt pinning Colerain at its own 1 to start its final drive. The Cardinals’ most explosive play of the night was when University of Cincinnati commit Deshaun Pace returned a punt 82 yards for a TD to make it 21-14 in the third quarter.
Moeller’s Offense Yet To Get Untracked – Seven days after managing only five first downs and 78 total yards in a 28-0 loss to Cathedral, Moeller was held to five first downs again and 13 yards rushing in 25 attempts in the road loss at unbeaten Trinity – Kentucky’s top-ranked Class 6A team – in Louisville. Th Crusaders changed quarterbacks after completing only 4-of-15 passes for 26 yards a week ago, but was only able to complete 5-of-20 throws for 56 yards.
Sophomore Armon Tucker had a big night for Trinity (3-0), carrying 16 times for 209 yards and a pair of TDS – the first a 99-yard scoring run on his team’s first offensive play from scrimmage. He later scored on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter to give the Shamrocks a 34-0 lead. Moeller beat Trinity, 20-14, in week two last season in Cincinnati in a game that was suspended in the second half because of inclement weather with Trinity deciding not to voyage back to town the following day to finish the game in its entirety, resulting in the game to be declared final.