CINCINNATI — Tickets for Friday’s Elder versus St. Xavier Division I football regional final in Mason sold out online in about an hour early Monday afternoon.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association confirmed to WCPO 9 Sports that the game between the Greater Catholic League South Division rivals is sold out.
"Very exciting atmosphere around this one," St. Xavier athletic director Tim Banker said. "Hopefully students from both schools were able to secure tickets. This game is for them."
Seating capacity is 7,000 fans at Dwire Field at Tri-Health/Beacon Stadium, according to the Mason athletic department.
Friday is the 110th meeting between Elder and St. Xavier, according to the schools. This will be the eighth postseason meeting between the programs with St. X leading 4-3 in the series, according to the St. X athletic department.
The game features two longtime head coaches in St. Xavier's Steve Specht (195 wins) and Elder's Doug Ramsey (236 wins).
Elder, which has a 12-0 record for the first time in program history, defeated host St. X 23-13 on Sept. 26.
See highlights from September's Elder vs. St. X matchup in the player below
Last week, Elder rallied from a 23-point second-half deficit to defeat visiting Princeton 32-30 in a regional semifinal. Elder improved to 19-0 in the postseason all-time at The Pit.
St. X (9-2) defeated Moeller 17-13 in a regional semifinal at Welcome Stadium last week, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Moeller. The Crusaders had won four consecutive regional championships entering last week.
Friday will be the first postseason matchup between Elder and St. X since Nov. 5, 2021 (St. X 42-7 win).
It is the first time that Elder and St. X have a meeting in the regional final since 2001 at Nippert Stadium. That was the season when the Bombers won 24-21 and completed their journey as a state runner-up.
Friday’s regional champion advances to play in a state semifinal Nov. 28, with the opponent and location to be determined.
The Division I state final is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
