CINCINNATI, Ohio- The Anderson Raptors beat the Winton Woods Warriors in a thrilling 37-30 game on Friday night. Anderson fell behind 23-10, but outscored the Warriors 27-7 for the remainder of the game to keep their perfect season alive and capture at least a share of the ECC title for the second season in a row. The Raptors also unofficially clinch the number one seed in Region 8. Jordan Davis had 179 total yards (101 receiving, 78 rushing) and three rushing touchdowns. Receiver Cooper Kathman had 10 receptions for 93 yards and a passing touchdown. Quarterback Owen Scalf had a total of 359 yards (348 passing, 11 rushing) and a rushing touchdown.
Bryshawn Brown scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 9:12 remaining in the first quarter to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead. Anderson responded with a 30-yard field goal from Maddux Snider to cut the lead to 7-3 halfway through the first quarter. The Raptors got a stop and took a 10-7 lead with a 13-yard touchdown run by Jordan Davis on their next possession.
A 27-yard field goal from Michael Galaes tied the game at 10 early in the second quarter. Winton Woods got a stop and took a 17-10 lead on a 7-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Garrett midway through the quarter. Kehyon Roberts forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown just a few plays later to extend the Warriors lead to 23-10. It was the largest deficit the Raptors had faced all season to that point. The perfect season looked in jeopardy, but Anderson would respond in a big way. Cooper Kathman found Brayden Moore for a 21-yard touchdown with just 49 seconds remaining in the half. Winton Woods held a 23-17 advantage at halftime.
Anderson took a 24-23 lead when Jordan Davis scored on a one-yard touchdown with 7:17 left in the third quarter. The Warriors responded immediately with a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown from Jon’ir Travis to regain a 30-24 lead. Jordan Davis scored on another one-yard touchdown on the next possession, but the extra point would be no good. The score was all knotted up at 30. The Raptors got the ball back and took a 37-30 lead with a 13-yard touchdown run from Owen Scalf. The fourth quarter was scoreless from both sides and Anderson held on for a big 37-30 win. It was Anderson’s first win on the road against Winton Woods since 2002.
Running back Isaiah Garrett finished with 84 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Bryshawn Brown had 164 total yards (142 passing, 22 rushing) and a rushing touchdown. Lael Jones had an interception with a 22-yard return, while Jayden McKinney came up with two of the 5.5 sacks for the Warriors. Josiah Hill led Winton Woods with 11 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Anderson compiled 458 yards of total offense and 29 first downs, converting on 7 of their 15 third down attempts. Winton Woods had 268 yards of total offense.
Anderson improves to 9-0 overall and 8-0 in conference play. They will host Loveland next Friday night at 7 p.m. for their regular season finale. WInton Woods falls to 7-2 overall and 6-2 in ECC play. They will travel to Lebanon next Friday night at 7 p.m. for their regular season finale.
Written by Eli Altherr
Sources: https://andersonraptors.org/sports/football, https://www.wcpo.com/sports/high-school-sports/anderson-defeats-winton-woods-and-unofficially-captures-no-1-seed-in-region-8, https://eccsports.com/fbStandings.aspx?sat=5, https://eccsports.com/confSchedule.aspx?sat=5, https://eccsports.com/fbGameStats.aspx?gameid=501098