CINCINNATI — Princeton is going back to Paycor, and this time Elder is the prize at the end of it. The Vikings outlasted Moeller 40-36 on Friday night, November 13, in an OHSAA Division I, Region 4 semifinal, winning the King of the Block rematch on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Key’Sean Torbert to his brother Monsanna with 2:56 to play, TriStateFootball.com reported. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s scoreboard and the statewide scoreboard compiled by Joe Eitel confirmed the 40-36 final.
Princeton (12-0) will play in its first regional final since 1993, according to TriStateFootball.com. Moeller’s season ends at 8-4.
The game started at full sprint. Monsanna Torbert went 80 yards for a touchdown on the first snap, and Brandon Martin Jr. blocked a punt and recovered it for a score to put Princeton up 12-0, TriStateFootball.com reported. Moeller’s Reggie Watson answered with a 92-yard kickoff return touchdown and a 45-yard touchdown catch in a five-touchdown first quarter.
Moeller built the lead from there. Juice Glover-Brown rushed for 120 yards and two scores as the Crusaders went ahead 29-19, before Key’Sean Torbert hit David Fields for a touchdown with five seconds left in the half and then ran for an 8-yard score in the third quarter to put Princeton up 33-29, according to TriStateFootball.com. Watson’s third touchdown of the night put Moeller back in front with 8:21 left.
Then the Torberts finished it. Key’Sean found Monsanna for the go-ahead 17-yard score with 2:56 remaining, and Princeton recovered a Moeller fumble with 1:15 left to seal the win, TriStateFootball.com reported.
The numbers matched the drama. Princeton piled up 514 yards of offense, including 315 on the ground. Key’Sean Torbert threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 84 yards and a score; Monsanna rushed for 118 yards, Jordan Hall added 116, and Lorenzo McMullen Jr. caught five passes for 140 yards, according to TriStateFootball.com.
It was the second Princeton win over Moeller this season, both of them one-score games: the Vikings won the Week 1 meeting 31-24 at Paycor Stadium, TriStateFootball.com reported. Friday’s rematch, played at Princeton, somehow topped it.
What happens next: Princeton (12-0) faces Elder (10-2) — a 27-23 winner over St. Xavier on Friday — for the Division I, Region 4 championship on Friday, November 20, at Paycor Stadium, according to TriStateFootball.com. The winner advances to the state semifinals on November 27.
Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA