SPRINGBORO, Ohio — Springboro blanked Little Miami 31-0 on Friday night, Oct. 30, in a Division I, Region 4 first-round playoff game, in a win the Cincinnati Enquirer reported was punctuated by a pick-six from senior Maddox Dixon.
Max Miller, Springboro’s senior quarterback, recently returned as the starter after missing most of the season with an arm injury, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. During the third quarter, with Springboro leading 14-0, Miller threw an interception at the goal line — and Dixon, his teammate, answered by intercepting a Little Miami pass at midfield and returning it for a touchdown to give the Panthers key insurance, according to the Enquirer.
“Obviously, Max was supposed to come into his senior year, have a super good year, a three-year starter quarterback coming back,” Dixon told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “But with his return, it really brought the team morale up, and everyone’s super happy he’s back and he’s doing a great job.”
Miller threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Kru Collins, who also set up the team’s fourth touchdown with a long run after catching a short pass, the Enquirer reported. Senior running back Brandon Birdsong Jr. scored two touchdowns to give him 21 on the season and went over the 1,000-yard mark on the ground.
Springboro’s defense, which allowed 20 points per game during the regular season, posted its second shutout of the season, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Dixon, the team’s third-leading tackler, recorded his second career interception and his second career touchdown in as many weeks, the Enquirer reported, and he is a preferred walk-on with the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Springboro, now 8-3, scored a touchdown in each quarter of what the Enquirer described as a workmanlike win. Head coach Ryan Wilhite told the Cincinnati Enquirer the team talks often about not taking the postseason for granted, using Miller’s injury absence as an example that tomorrow is not promised.
What happens next: Springboro visits Elder at The Pit in Cincinnati on Friday, Nov. 6, for a Division I, Region 4 quarterfinal. Elder had a first-round bye, and the Enquirer reported Elder won all four meetings between the schools from 2021 to 2025, including a 30-6 win in Price Hill in 2024.
Photo: Ed!, CC BY-SA 3.0