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Dyer: 9 takeaways from Week 4 of Ohio high school football

Wyoming gamble pays off in 2OT thriller
Posted at 4:08 PM, Sep 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-17 19:53:44-04

CINCINNATI – Weather took center stage (yet again) of the Ohio high school football schedule Friday night.

Although Week 4 didn’t have the postponements that troubled the first week, several games started an hour later than the normal 7 p.m. kickoffs.

And while Elder plays state-ranked No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward Saturday, most games have been played as late Saturday afternoon.

Let’s take a look at another memorable night of high school football on Friday night:

1.   Signature win for Hancock: Wyoming defeated host Indian Hill 34-27 in double overtime late Friday night in a game that ended near midnight.

“It was incredible,” Wyoming coach Aaron Hancock said. “One of the most awesome games I’ve ever been a part of.”

Hancock said he received about two hours of sleep Saturday morning after the emotional win.

Indian Hill had the ball with about 2:45 remaining in regulation and forced the Cowboys to use consecutive timeouts on first and second down. The Braves earned the first down on the next play and Wyoming decided to let the Braves score in order to get the ball back.

Wyoming drove the field starting at its own 20 on its next drive. Wyoming (4-0, 1-0 Cincinnati Hills League) scored and senior quarterback Andrew Marty caught a pass to convert a two-point conversion. Marty scored on a 14-yard touchdown in double overtime, and senior Elijah Kemper jumped the corner and picked off an Indian Hill (3-1, 0-1) pass to seal the win.

 2.   Coombs congratulates Bolden: Colerain coach Tom Bolden earned his 100th career win Friday night in a 38-7 win over Princeton. That extended the Cardinals’ winning streak in the Greater Miami Conference to 54 games overall.

Bolden, in his 10th season as Colerain head coach, is 100-16. A former Colerain standout quarterback in the mid-1980s, Bolden was previously an assistant under current Ohio State assistant coach Kerry Coombs.

“That is fantastic,” Coombs told WCPO.com in a text message before tonight’s Ohio State at Oklahoma game. “I am so proud of him and the way he has furthered the Cardinal tradition.”

3.   Quick turnaround for Colerain: The Cardinals, ranked No. 5 nationally by the MaxPreps computer ratings, play host to Sycamore at 7 p.m. Thursday on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. Colerain has not lost at home to an area opponent since 2011.

Colerain junior quarterback Gunnar Leyendecker (ankle/shoulder) is expected to return as starting quarterback Thursday night.

“I will tell you this, no one will ever question that kid’s toughness,” Bolden said. “He could’ve went (Friday night) if he needed to.”

Sophomore Deanate Smith-Moore filled in nicely for Leyendecker at Princeton. Smith-Moore rushed 16 times for 89 yards and a touchdown Friday night.

4.   Bonafide stud: Sycamore senior running back Ra’Von Bonner rushed for 288 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-20 win over visiting Hamilton Friday night. Bonner, who has offers that include UC, Illinois and others, has 682 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns through four games.

Sycamore coach Scott Dattilo said Bonner is closing in on a few school records.

"Ra'Von is a natural talent," Dattilo said. "But, he's been able to get in the clear the last two weeks."

Dattilo also gave credit to the offensive line and wide receivers who did an excellent job blocking Friday night.

Senior outside linebacker Grant Young had 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

5.   Fairfield, Mason win: The GMC could be really interesting in the next few weeks. Colerain is the front runner in the conference, but Fairfield and Mason are among other teams doing well with 3-1 records respectively.

Mason has scored the second-most points (128) in the conference this season. The Comets host Fairfield Oct. 7.

Fairfield has a tough stretch in October when they play Mason and then Colerain on Oct. 14.

6.   Consecutive wins for St. Xavier: The Bombers earned a significant win over Indianapolis Cathedral 34-29 on Friday night. Cathedral is ranked Indiana’s top team in Class 6A and was undefeated entering the game.

Senior quarterback Sean Clifford (Penn State) returned to action for the Bombers after an injury sidelined him the past two weeks. He threw for 224 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two touchdowns.

The only GCL South team in action Friday, St. X has won two straight games after an 0-2 start. St. X (2-2) entered Saturday ninth in the JoeEitel.com unofficial Division I, Region 4 rankings.

St. X plays host to Moeller at 7 p.m. Sept. 23.

7.   Oak Hills on the right track: The Highlanders have won consecutive games for the first time since 2013 after a 30-7 win over Lakota East Friday night. Oak Hills earned 417 total yards.

Junior quarterback Jacob Woycke was 15 of 28 passing for a touchdown and he threw an interception. Senior running back Kyle Montag had 16 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Cameron Naber had five receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Oak Hills plays host to Princeton Sept. 23.

8.   Upcoming ECC showdown: Two undefeated teams will highlight an Eastern Cincinnati Conference showdown Sept. 23 when Walnut Hills plays host to Turpin. The Spartans defeated visiting Milford 38-8 Friday night.

Sophomore Lucas Smith had 14 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Will Hausfeld had 12 carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns.

Walnut Hills defeated host Glen Este 42-17 Friday night.

9.   Extra points: The season’s first Ohio High School Athletic Association computer points standings is expected to be released at 2 p.m. Tuesday. 

Colerain needs three wins to reach 500 as a program.