Elder stands tall, holds off St. Xavier

CINCINNATI, Ohio – St. Xavier drove 79 yards on its final possession Friday night. Elder made sure the Bombers never got the 80th.

The Panthers stopped back-to-back runs from the 1-yard line in the final seconds to beat St. Xavier 27-23 in the Blitz 5 Game of the Week at The Pit. Senior quarterback Kaden Estep accounted for all four Elder touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 2:33 remaining. The second-seeded Panthers (10-2) advance to the Division I, Region 4 final and improve to 21-0 all-time in home playoff games. The sixth-seeded Bombers finish 7-6.

Final Moments from the St Xavier and Elder game at the pit. The game down to the final drive and play. Here is the Panther defense making a huge goal line stand at the end of the game. The second video is the final play of the game. With the final ending at 27-24 Elder. https://t.co/Fnn0zArMRd

— TriStateFootball.com (@tsfootball) November 14, 2026

The rematch had already earned a national spotlight. It edged Moeller–Princeton in an NBC Sunday Night Football Instagram poll to earn a feature during Sunday’s Bengals–Steelers broadcast. The crowd at The Pit saw a finish every bit as dramatic as the teams’ Week 6 meeting, when Owen Davidson’s field goal as time expired gave St. Xavier a 31-29 win. The Bombers had also ended Elder’s unbeaten season in last year’s regional final.

Estep got Elder started on its second offensive snap, breaking loose for a 46-yard touchdown run. St. Xavier answered when Aiden Graham broke a 22-yard run to set up Aidan Newdigate’s 1-yard touchdown. A botched snap on the extra point left Elder ahead 7-6. Estep found Jake Bier for a 4-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, and Thomas George hit Ethan Cole from four yards out with 2:43 left in the half. The Bombers converted the two-point try to tie it at 14.

Estep struck again early in the third with a 45-yard touchdown run. Newdigate answered with a 5-yard score, and Davidson’s extra point tied it at 21. St. Xavier took its first lead when a high snap on an Elder punt went out the back of the end zone for a safety. Elder recovered a fumble later in the quarter and drove into St. Xavier territory, but the Bombers forced a turnover on downs and took a 23-21 lead into the fourth.

St. Xavier had a chance to add to that lead, but Davidson missed a 29-yard field goal with 4:06 left. Estep hit Drew Wauligman for 11 yards on the ensuing drive, then broke a 48-yard run to the St. Xavier 6. Three plays later, he went in from the 1 to cap the 65-yard drive. The conversion failed, leaving Elder up four and the Bombers needing a touchdown.

St. Xavier took over at its own 20 and moved the ball despite three sacks on the drive, including one by Elder linebacker Pete Fortkamp. With 16 seconds remaining, Graham found Cole for 18 yards to the Elder 1. An incompletion followed, then the Bombers ran twice from the 1. The Panthers held their ground both times.

Estep finished with 227 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries and completed 20 of 28 passes for 145 yards and a score. Wauligman caught seven passes, and Bier had five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. Elder averaged 7.1 yards per play and came up with two takeaways.

St. Xavier ran 69 plays to Elder’s 50 and finished with a 384-354 edge in total offense. Graham rushed for 114 yards on 24 carries and caught three passes for 70 yards. George completed 13 of 16 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown, while Cole caught three passes for 62 yards and a score. Newdigate scored both of the Bombers’ rushing touchdowns. St. Xavier reached the red zone four times and scored on the first three trips. Elder’s defense ended the fourth at the 1.

🎧 LISTEN: Elder Head Coach Doug Ramsey on High School Football Tonight On FOX Sports 1360

SCORING BY QUARTERS

St. Xavier: 6-8-9-0- 23

Elder: 7-7-7-6- 27

SCORING PLAYS

E: Kaden Estep 46-yard run (kick good)

SX: Aidan Newdigate 1-yard run (kick failed)

E: Jake Bier 4-yard pass from Kaden Estep (kick good)

SX: Ethan Cole 4-yard pass from Thomas George (two-point conversion good)

E: Kaden Estep 45-yard run (kick good)

SX: Aidan Newdigate 5-yard run (Owen Davidson kick)

SX: Safety (Elder punt snap out of the end zone)

E: Kaden Estep 1-yard run (two-point conversion failed)

RECORDS: St. Xavier (7-6, 2-2 GCL South); Elder (10-2, 2-2)

UP NEXT: Ohio DI, Region 4 Final vs. xxx at Paycor Stadium

Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.

*Stay updated on high school football updates by following @TSFootball on X.

Elder stands tall, holds off St. Xavier

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