CINCINNATI — Friday’s Moeller versus St. Xavier Division I football regional semifinal is one of the nation’s top 10 high school football games to watch this week by MaxPreps.
The game between the Greater Catholic League South Division rivals is Moeller’s home game as the better-seeded team. The game will be played at Welcome Stadium in Dayton starting at 7 p.m. Friday. It will be televised live by Spectrum News 1.
Moeller (8-3) is the No. 2 seed in Region 4 while St. Xavier (8-2) is the No. 3 seed. It is a rematch of a Week 5 regular-season game in which host Moeller won 30-13 at West Clermont in September.
Moeller has seven consecutive wins over St. Xavier. The Bombers are seeking their first win over the Crusaders since Sept. 17, 2021.
The winner of Friday's regional semifinal plays either No. 1 Elder (11-0) or No. 4 Princeton (9-2) in the Division I, Region 4 final Nov. 21 at a neutral location. That venue is expected to be announced this weekend.
Moeller, winners of four consecutive regional championships, defeated St. X 28-23 in a 2024 Division I regional final.
Moeller is ranked No. 6 in the MaxPreps Ohio rankings while St. X is ranked No. 8. Ohio Division I is considered to be the nation's sixth-toughest football playoff bracket this month, according to MaxPreps.
Elder is No. 1 in the MaxPreps Ohio rankings. Lakewood St. Edward (9-2) is No. 4. Olentangy Orange (11-0) is No. 5.
This isn't the first time Moeller has hosted St. X at Welcome Stadium.
Moeller defeated St. X 20-10 in a Week 5 game Sept. 15, 2023 at Welcome Stadium. That was a Moeller home game in the regular season.
