Cincinnati high school football Week 3 takeaways: Conference thrillers, huge performances

Another Friday night of high school football in Greater Cincinnati is in the books. On both sides of the river, multiple games came down to last-minute plays.

Here are all the top storylines and stat lines from the third week of the 2024 season.

Greater Miami Conference action takes an exciting turn

Middletown and Fairfield have a 2-0 league record after fairly comfortable wins. Princeton and Lakota East are also unbeaten in the league after nail-biting wins over Lakota West and Hamilton. At least one more unbeaten will fall next week when Princeton travels to Lakota East. Also, Lakota West hosts Fairfield and Middletown hosts Sycamore.

Newport Central Catholic continues to run opponents over

The Thoroughbreds' point total continues to climb. They put up 27 points to open the season, 49 last Friday, and 55 in a Week 3 win over Scott. Their average margin of victory this season is 30 points per game.

Anderson, Winton Woods on a collision course in Eastern Cincinnati Conference

The Week 9 showdown between the Raptors and Warriors will be must-see TV. Anderson is averaging 55 points per game while Winton Woods is allowing only five points per contest. The Oct. 18 clash on Forest Road can't get here soon enough.

Which Cincinnati, NKY high school football teams are on the rise after Week 3?

Aiken

The Falcons are 3-0 after beating Reading 28-22 in overtime. Andre Underwood tied the game on a touchdown run with 8.5 seconds remaining before Mikelle Moss won it in overtime.

Cooper

The Jaguars snapped a nine-game losing streak to their crosstown rival Ryle Raiders with a 21-14 defensive slugfest win in Union.

Harrison

It could've been looked at as a trap game after a monumental win over East Central, but Harrison continued to cruise, pulling away from Indian Hill, 49-19, for a 3-0 start.

Hughes

The Big Red, 3-7 last year, are 2-1 after an overtime win over Roger Bacon, 20-14.

Lakota East

The Thunderhawks, 1-9 last year, are now 2-0 in the GMC after a thrilling 27-24 overtime win over Hamilton.

La Salle

The Lancers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2021 with a gritty 18-12 victory at Kettering Fairmont, which was 2-0.

Princeton

The Vikings made a big statement in their bid to repeat as Greater Miami Conference champions after limiting Lakota West to 144 total yards in a 14-6 win. Princeton is now 3-0 overall.

Taft

The Senators are now 3-0 after an emphatic 36-7 win over Alter, which was Division IV state runner-up in 2023.

West Clermont

The Wolves ended Lebanon’s seven-game regular-season winning streak, including six straight in Eastern Cincinnati Conference play, with a 24-14 win to improve to 2-1.

Winton Woods

The Warriors beat reigning ECC champion Milford, 22-3, improving to 3-0 overall after limiting the Eagles to 148 total yards.

Cincinnati high school football's top performing players in Week 3

Joey DiTullio, Elder

Every single one of Elder's 30 points scored in the 30-6 win over Springboro came from turnovers. DiTullio had two interceptions, including one returned 31 yards for a touchdown, and forced and recovered a fumble. The senior also had five tackles (four solo) and three pass defenses.

Dylan Gaiser, Covington Catholic

Gaiser ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in the Colonels' bounce-back 42-3 win over Simon Kenton.

Tyler George, Fairfield

As Fairfield rushed for 388 yards and seven touchdowns in a 56-3 victory over Sycamore, George was the leader of the show. George rushed 21 times for 193 yards and four touchdowns, including a 94-yard touchdown run for his third score of the first half.

Wyatt Hatfield, Conner

Hatfield rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns in Conner's 38-0 win over Lafayette. He also passed for 65 yards, added 26 receiving yards, punted once for 45 yards and returned four punts and a kickoff.

Preston Flick, Harrison

Coming up big on his birthday, Flick turned seven touches into 100 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in a win over Indian Hill. Flick finished with three catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns while running for 46 yards and a pair of scores.

Tink Sellers, Deer Park

The sophomore quarterback had a hand in all six of Deer Park's touchdowns in Friday's 39-8 win over Norwood. Through the air, Sellers went 6-of-13 for 173 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, he ran just six times for 111 yards and three scores.

Logan White, Harrison

The junior defensive lineman had a team-high nine tackles for the Wildcats, including 3.5 sacks.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school football Week 3 takeaways: Conference thrillers, huge performances