St. Xavier picked the second round of the playoffs to play its most complete game of the season, stunning host Lakota West 51-14 on Friday night in a Division I, Region 4 quarterfinal and avenging a regular-season loss to the Firebirds.
The Bombers set the tone immediately, scoring on a long opening drive to lead 7-0, then adding a field goal for a 10-0 edge, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s live coverage of the game. By the third quarter, Aiden Graham’s third score of the night had pushed the St. Xavier lead to 31-7, and the Bombers kept pulling away from there.
The final score was confirmed on the statewide scoreboards published by both the Cincinnati Enquirer and The Columbus Dispatch: St. Xavier 51, Lakota West 14. It was a dramatic reversal of the teams’ first meeting on Aug. 21, when Lakota West beat St. Xavier 20-7 on the same field to open the season.
Lakota West entered the night as the No. 3 seed in Region 4 with a 9-1 record and a first-round bye, built around one of Greater Cincinnati’s most productive rushing attacks. The Firebirds never found that rhythm Friday, falling behind early and chasing the game against a St. Xavier defense that controlled the line of scrimmage.
St. Xavier, the No. 6 seed, entered the postseason at 6-5 after a demanding Greater Catholic League South schedule, and Friday’s win was the Bombers’ second straight playoff victory after their first-round win on Oct. 30. The Bombers are now 7-5 and playing their best football at the point of the season when it matters most.
Lakota West finishes its season 9-2. The Firebirds’ year included a Greater Miami Conference title race and the Week 1 win over St. Xavier, but their playoff run ends in the quarterfinal round for a home crowd that had watched them lose only once all fall before Friday.
St. Xavier advances to a Division I, Region 4 semifinal on Friday, Nov. 13, joining fellow regional winners Moeller, Elder and Princeton, who also won quarterfinals on Friday night. The Region 4 champion will reach the state semifinals, with the state finals set for Dec. 3-5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.