DAYTON, Ohio — The St. Xavier football team will play for a state championship next week in Canton.
St. X defeated Middletown 21-6 in a Division I state semifinal Friday night at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Next week will mark the eighth state final appearance for St. X as a program.
The Bombers (11-2) will play Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (14-0) in the Division I state final at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
“It's been a grind to get here but we're excited right now to get back to Canton," St. X coach Steve Specht said. "It's been a while since we've played there so we're excited about that."
St. X senior Jackson Frey threw two touchdown passes Friday night. Senior Jake Britt had a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown to lift the Bombers.
"This means everything for us," Britt said. "We knew coming in we were prepared. We were ready. We knew we could play this Middletown team. We could play anyone. Whoever we have to face in the state championship we're ready for. And Coach Specht does such a great job getting ready us for whoever we play next."
Defensively, senior linebackers Kobe Clapper and Aden Reeder had 10 tackles each.
"This could've been our last game," Clapper said. "Everybody played their heart out."
St. X, ranked No. 2 in the MaxPreps Ohio rankings (regardless of division), earned its ninth state semifinal appearance Friday night. The Bombers improved to 8-1 all-time in the state semifinal round.
Friday was the first meeting between Middletown and St. X since 2012.
Both coaches lauded the opposing program in media interviews throughout this week.
“I think that when you get to this point in the playoffs, everything comes down to limiting mistakes, controlling the football and winning on special teams,” Specht said earlier this week. “All the teams left are great so being able to execute the game plan and focus on the things within our control is usually the differentiator.”
St. X, winners of seven consecutive games this season, rallied from a 20-point second-quarter deficit last week against Elder in the Region 4 final at Paycor Stadium.
“I was proud of how the kids handled themselves after falling behind 27-7 and then again 34-21,” Specht said earlier this week. “Clear the mechanism and focus on the next play is all we can do. I thought they handled the adversity very well.”
St. X will try to earn its fifth state championship in December. The program won state titles in 2020, 2016, 2007 and 2005 under Specht’s leadership.
Middletown completes its season with an 11-3 record. The Middies earned their first state semifinal appearance after winning their first football regional title last week.
"I am proud of everyone associated with this program and especially the seniors," Middletown coach Kali Jones said. "They have established the bar for the Middie program and community."
Middletown continues a remarkable turnaround with Jones completing his second season as the Middies' coach.
"That's an awfully good defense," Specht said of Middletown. "That might be the best defense we've seen this year. But, we did enough to win."
