The second-to-last week of the 2025 high school football season brought the first truly frigid game night of the season.
Seven teams took the field, hoping to advance to the state championships at Kroger Field in Lexington and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Here’s how they fared.
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Read about the St. Xavier-Middletown game separately.
Anderson earns return trip to state final
Anderson opened its Division II state semifinal exactly the way it had hoped – fast, decisive and in command. And while a shaky second half brought real pressure, the Raptors delivered the game’s defining response to secure a return trip to the championship game.
Quarterback Owen Scalf was the catalyst throughout a 29-22 win over Big Walnut at Historic Crew Stadium, completing 37 of 50 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns.
Cincinnati Anderson’s Owen Scalf passes Nov. 28, 2025, at Historic Crew Stadium. (photo by John Hulkenberg)
More: St. Xavier wins defensive battle over Middletown in state football semis
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The Raptors (14-0) beat Big Walnut (12-2) for the second straight year in a state semifinal and earned a title-game rematch against Avon at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Avon won last year’s matchup 20-13.
“Coach (Evan Dreyer) always says the first four minutes of the game and first four of the second half are always the most crucial,” Scalf said. “So, we tried to go out there fast. It got close at the end, but we still found a way to come out with the win.”
Scalf’s top target, Cooper Kathman, turned in a standout night of his own with 11 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown – a 1-yard score as time expired in the first half. That capped a 59-yard, 59-second drive that sent Anderson into halftime up 23-8.
Jordan Davis (5) scored the final touchdown of Anderson’s state semifinal win over Big Walnut.
But the second-half script was much different as Anderson committed three straight turnovers, allowing Big Walnut to pull within 23-15.
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The Raptors regrouped for the drive that sealed their win: an 11-play, 78-yard answer capped by Jordan Davis’ 5-yard touchdown run with 3:31 left.
Dreyer said the win required grit against a stiff defense.
“Their defensive line has dominated the entire season, and they’re really, really physical,” he said. “To come out on top was really good for us.”
–Scott Gerfen
Indian Hill Braves lose to Shelby in the Final 4
Shelby’s offense proved to be too much against Indian Hill. The Whippets came away with the 42-7 win, ending the Braves’ historic season at Sidney Memorial Stadium.
The Whippets scored two first-quarter touchdowns to give them the early momentum.
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With 7:36 left in the second quarter, Indian Hill defensive lineman Drew Roeder recovered a fumble and returned it to the Shelby 2-yard line. Evan Riggs took it to the endzone on the very next play to give Indian Hill its only score of the game.
Indian Hill’s Evan Riggs (2) is tackled during the OHSAA Division IV state semifinal game between Indian Hill and Shelby, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at Sidney High School.
That sequence altered the momentum of the game, as it was all Shelby’s at that point.
Braves quarterback Devlin Daniel suffered a lower body injury in the third quarter. He took one possession off, stretching on the sideline but then came back in for the rest of the game.
“We were banged up coming into the game. We got as much out of him as we could, and you know, for him to come back in, I am proud of him. We had a couple of other guys go out as well,” Indian Hill head coach John Rodenberg said.
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A running clock was installed with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
Ohio Mr. Football finalist Brayden DeVito scored four touchdowns, two through the air, one on the ground, and a pick-six. The Shelby quarterback is an Air Force commit.
“They are a very good team. Every team that makes it to the Final Four is. I wish them the best of luck moving forward,” Rodenberg said.
Indian Hill’s Devlan Daniel (5) throws a pass during the OHSAA Division IV state semifinal game between Indian Hill and Shelby, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at Sidney High School.
On a 25-degree night in Sydney, Indian Hill just couldn’t find an offensive rhythm. The Braves finished with 50 total rushing yards. Devlan Daniel finished 11-for-19 passing, for 73 yards. The stingy Braves’ defense forced two fumbles and recovered both. The defense was a big reason the squad was able to win 13 games this season.
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Ben Sichel was a bright spot for Indian Hill. The senior finished with four receptions for 50 yards and also filled in at quarterback when Daniel went down.
This appearance marks history. It was the school’s first-ever trip to the state Final Four. The Braves used a 41-14 victory over Valley View in the regional final and playoff wins over Washington Court House and Taft to propel them to make history.
Indian Hill’s George Vollmer (3) runs the ball during the OHSAA Division IV state semifinal game between Indian Hill and Shelby, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, at Sidney High School.
Indian Hill ends its season at 13-1, 7-0 in the league, with a Final Four appearance, a great season in Coach Rodenberg’s eyes.
“I was so proud of all our players. Throughout this whole season, we weren’t sure what we were going to be. We thought we were going to be pretty decent, and we had some really good games, but we just ran into a really good football team tonight,” Rodenberg said. “They played their hearts out all night”
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Indian Hill graduates 12 seniors: Riggs, Sichel, Roeder, George Vollmer, Ashton Graham, Jaxon Frye, Jake Freshwater, Brody Smith, Luke Steltenpohl, Mykail Bonomini, Bobby Strickland and Nursulton Almurodov.
–Brennan Lewis
Ryle battles without Jacob Savage, falls to South Warren in Class 6A
With standout running back/linebacker Jacob Savage out for the game, the Ryle Raiders ran with South Warren for most of the night but fell to the Spartans 36-20.
Trailing 6-0 in the first quarter, Ryle quarterback Nathan Verax scrambled on fourth down, going 15 yards into the endzone for a 7-6 lead. South Warren took a 13-7 lead with 3:31 left in the first half and Ryle again responded.
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Pinned inside their own 5-yard line, Verax ran a keeper to midfield with time dwindling. After converting a fourth down, Verax had a 25-yard touchdown pass to cap the 97-yard drive while giving Ryle a 14-13 advantage with 15 seconds left in the half.
South Warren scored twice on the other side of halftime, including a two-point try, to take a 28-14 lead over the Raiders. Verax had another touchdown pass with 6:11 left in the game, connecting with Dylan Lee to cut South Warren’s lead to 28-20. South Warren running back Kayden York had his fourth score of the night to ice the game with less than two minutes to go, putting Ryle behind 36-20.
A Class 6A state finalist last season, Ryle’s run ended in the semifinals with a 10-4 record. After a three-game losing streak to fall to 2-3, the Raiders had won eight-straight games to reach the state semifinal round.
In the Class 6A finals, undefeated South Warren will face Louisville Trinity, which is gunning for its third-straight state title.
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Lloyd Memorial can’t overcome turnovers in loss to Murray
The Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts hadn’t committed multiple turnovers in a game in nearly two months. On Nov. 28, they nearly overcame five turnovers against Murray but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 27-20 state semifinal loss.
«If you had told me back in January that we would be playing, I don’t know if I’d have taken that. But they did a great job of coming together as a team and I’ll remember this team for being incredibly unselfish. They were hard workers, they were good kids and wanted each other to be successful,» Lloyd head coach Kyle Niederman said.
The Tigers made an opening statement by driving 68 yards in seven plays, all on the ground. They took a 17-6 halftime lead thanks in part to 187 yards on the ground.
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Lloyd didn’t have any early success on the ground so Niederman put the all in quarterback Kaleb Evans’s hands. He found Isaiah Jones on three separate third downs to keep the Juggernauts’ first drive alive, one a 38-yard catch on 3rd and 33.
«He’s been working hard all season. He transferred in a couple years ago and ever since he got here, it’s just been hard work,» Evans said.
After Lloyd scored to cut the deficit to 7-6, Murray scored 10 straight points in the second quarter thanks to a botched kick return by Lloyd.
Lloyd Memorial sophomore Colten Barger (10) had a 98-yard touchdown catch in the Juggernauts’ state semifinal loss to Murray on Nov. 28, 2025.
A 14-minute scoreless drought that lasted from the 7:59 mark of the second quarter to the 5:42 mark of the third quarter was snapped when Evans found Colten Barger for a 98-yard touchdown.
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«(My speed) is definitely one of the bigger aspects of my game, really just getting to the edge and getting away from them,» Barger said.
On the first play of Murray’s next drive, Kenyon Cunningham coughed the ball up. Six plays later, Evans capped off a 31-yard drive with a one-yard «tush push» to give the Juggernauts a 20-17 lead. The game had flipped on its head in just over two minutes.
«We face adversity a lot, and we were in the locker room at halftime saying, ‘It’s a whole other ball game in the second half.’ We say it’s 0-0 a lot so we came out and gave it our all,» Evans said.
But Murray would have the last laugh. Isaiah Martin scored on a 3-yard run to give the Tigers a 24-20 advantage. After a Lincoln Tomlinson fumble, a 22-yard field goal gave Murray a touchdown advantage.
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Lloyd had one final chance, taking over at its own 41 with just over five minutes left. On a scramble to the right, Evans appeared to throw the ball away, but it was intercepted by Simon Rickman, ultimately ending the Juggernauts’ season at 13-1.
Lloyd graduates 19 seniors: Evans, Breyon Bradshaw, Enrique Ceballos, A.J. Curry, Gabe Elmore, Tyler England, Jack Fox, Alijah Griffin, Andre Hall, L.J. Herron, Billy Lewis, Joel Adrian Martinez, Ryan Miller, Christian Raleigh, Bruce Reed, Brayden Schneider, Stanley Smith, Javon Strong and Dominick Taylor.
«They set the tone for working hard. You go back to the weight room in January, they were there every time. They always get good grades and they lead by example,» Niederman said.
More: For first time since 1978, no NKY team reaches KHSAA football finals
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Beechwood’s unsuccessful 2-point try ends Class 2A reign
Down 7-0 in the first quarter, Beechwood scored on a Nathan Pabst run to cut the lead to 7-6. The extra point was blocked. By the end of regulation, that point was the difference between Beechwood going back to the Class 2A state finals and the Tigers having their state championship run ended a week early.
The Owensboro Catholic Aces had a 27-20 lead at halftime and a 41-27 advantage at the beginning of the fourth quarter. That was still the score midway through the quarter when Beechwood turned the ball over on downs at the Owensboro Catholic 14-yard line. Backs to the wall, the Tigers suddenly locked in.
Beechwood scored with 2:33 left in the game on a run by quarterback Emmett Queen to cut the lead to 41-34. The Aces got the onside kick, but had to punt back to the Tigers. Beechwood had 41 seconds to go 83 yards. Beechwood drove quickly and had two untimed downs at the end of the game thanks to a pair of Aces defensive penalties. Queen connected with Brody Aylor on a five-yard pass and the Tigers went for two points and the win.
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The two-point pass fell short and the Tigers’ Class 2A title defense went with it.
Beechwood’s season ended at 11-2, losing only to Owensboro Catholic and Covington Catholic. The Aces will play Lexington Christian in the state finals.
Which players had the biggest performances in the 2025 state semifinals?
Colten Barger, Lloyd Memorial: He caught a 98-yard touchdown pass, then set up another touchdown with a 10-yard reception in the Juggernauts’ state semifinal game against Murray.
Cooper Kathman, Anderson: He caught 11 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown to help the Raptors return to the DII state championship.
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Nathan Pabst, Beechwood: Pabst had a two-yard run for Beechwood’s opening score and later returned a kickoff for a touchdown to give Beechwood a 20-17 lead.
Drew Roeder, Indian Hill: He forced a fumble to set up a touchdown in Indian Hill’s game against Shelby.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school football 2025 state semifinals recap
