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At halftime of the Tippecanoe-Troy game, I wrote in my notebook, “Troy is good, Tipp is better.”
The Trojans entered on a seven-game winning streak but couldn’t do much of anything against the Red Devils, who won 21-0 to improve to 9-0 and clinch another Miami Valley League championship.
Not that Troy didn’t try. The Trojans’ base offense is the Wing T, but they came out in the shotgun with five wide and tried to get outside with some bubble screens.
When the Tipp defense proved capable of covering sideline to sideline, they went back to more of what they usually do — which includes plenty of shotgun but is still run-heavy — but that didn’t work either.
While Troy quarterback Aiden Kirkpatrick is a very impressive player, he doesn’t have near the help that Larkin Thomas has.
Troy QB Aiden Kirkpatrick drops back to pass early against Tippecanoe
Tipp senior Xavier Melton is one of the best running backs I’ve seen this season, and Will Strong is a big, powerful receiver. Safety Max Deckard also contributes on offense at times, and Thomas is a dual threat so there is a lot to deal with for opposing defenses.
The Red Devils are also impressive in the trenches even while dealing with some injuries.
On defense, their front seven was excellent in containing Kirkpatrick, who had only 108 total yards, about 75 below his usual.
Tippecanoe Claims MVL Title With Grinding Win Over Troy bit.ly/48vOXZn
— #PressProsMagazine (#@PressProsMag)
6:47 AM • Oct 18, 2025
Closer to the state border, Tri-Village and Preble Shawnee met in another contest with game of the week potential.
And much like Tipp-Troy, it turned out to be not that close.
The Patriots took it to the host Arrows to the tune of 40-7 (click to read more).
They clinched at least a share of the Western Ohio Athletic Conference, but more than that proved their perfect record and gaudy stats were not just a product of weak competition.
And it turns out they are more than quarterback Trey Sagester.
He threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns, but the Patriot ground game took center stage as Colt Camacho, Stale Colston and Sagester combined to run 38 times for 343 yards.
The 33-point win matched TVHS’ closest game of the season. They also beat Ansonia by 33 (55-22) in Week 5.
Join us in recognizing Tri-Village High School sophomore Colt Camacho...this week's 'Who's Hot' honoree on Press Pros Magazine. Read more: pressprosmagazine.com/2025/10/19/who…
— #PressProsMagazine (#@PressProsMag)
12:14 PM • Oct 19, 2025
To the north, St. Henry leaned on its defense to improve to 8-1 with a 20–0 win over New Bremen while Olentangy Liberty won its sixth game in a row after starting 0-3.
While the Redskins are trying to recapture past glory from 20 years ago, the Patriots are seeking to repeat as state champions in Division I despite losing 31 seniors from a team that surprised Cincinnati Moeller in the state championship game last season.
Liberty’s last loss is to Gahanna Lincoln, who also started the season slowly but has developed into a formidable team in Division I.
Lincoln crushed Grove City on Friday night to set up a showdown with Pickerington North for the Ohio Capital Conference Ohio Division title.
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Other Ohio high school football games of note:
Week 9 was wild in the GWOC, where Beavercreek upset Wayne and Farimont upset Springfield. Springboro held off Centerville to remain tied with Wayne and Fairmont for second place, one game back of Springfield. The Wildcats finish with win-less Northmont but may have a hard time hanging onto the fourth spot in Division I, Region 2 even with a victory. Springboro can pick up more points with a win over Miamisburg, and former GWOC member Lebanon has a chance to make a big jump with a win over 7-2 Winton Woods. Fairmont, Beavercreek and even Centerville (who started 0-5) are still alive for a playoff spot heading into Week 10.
London beat Tecumseh 37-0. That’s not a surprise, but it is worth noting the Red Raiders head into a Week 10 matchup with Kenton Ridge having allowed zero points in CBC play. It sure looks like London and Tippecanoe are on a collision course in Division III, Region 12.
Northeastern beat Mechanicsburg 52-26 to forge a three-way tie in the OHC North with the Indians and West Jefferson. They’ve all played each other already, so that could be how things finish, but the ‘Burg faces a challenge from West Liberty-Salem this week while the Jets and Roughriders should have walkovers against Triad and Fairbanks, respectively.
Greeneview beat Greenon 28-12 to clinch another OHC South championship. The Rams have recovered from a 2-3 start to win four in a row and finish with Springfield Catholic Central. They’ll need to win that one to pad their playoff resume but aren’t a lock either way in Division V, Region 20. The Jets and Indians have clinched spots in DVI, region 24 and figure to both get a bye.
Miami East beat Troy Christian 42-14 to clinch a share of the Three Rivers Conference title, and the Vikings will be outright champs if they beat Riverside this week (Sidney Lehman and Covington are both a game back).
Xenia beat improved Greenville 44-7 to clinch the outright MVL Valley division championship for the second season in a row. The Buccaneers play Stebbins this week with a chance to get a first-round bye in Division II, Region 8. Stebbins still has a good shot to make the playoffs in that region and would not be eliminated even with a loss.
Also of note in that region: Piqua has won three in a row to clinch a playoff spot. The Indians could still host a playoff game, too. They face Sidney on Friday night. Despite losing to Piqua in Week 9, Butler is also still alive for a playoff spot. The Aviators are in with a win over Fairborn according to Joe Eitel. Fairborn is out with a loss but could still make it with a win.
Ohio high school football games to watch in Week 10
Coldwater at Marion Local
Arcanum at Tri-Village
Olentangy Orange at Olentangy Liberty
Gahanna Lincoln vs. Pickerington North
Bellefontaine at Jonathan Alder
Fairborn at Butler
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I’ll be back later this week with Ohio State updates and just maybe a Bengals post, too.
