The Colerain Cardinals defeated their arch rival to cap an undefeated regular season and claim the District Championship in one fell swoop over the Oak Hills Highlanders on Friday night in front of more than 6000 fans in one of the premier rivalries in all of Ohio. On Senior Night, the home-standing Highlanders needed a victory to seal a playoff spot, while the Cardinals were looking to claim their first championship in what is shaping up to be a memorable season. The Highlanders came out and put together a big defensive stand on Colerain’s opening drive and the game would be a battle from start to finish.

MVP

DeTuan Smith-Moore

Colerain

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Jacob Collinsworth

Oak Hills

Ross Demmel

Colerain

HALL OF FAME

Kyle Prosser

Oak Hills

Walter McKay

Colerain

GAME SUMMARY

The team traded early scores, a field goal for Oak Hills, and a safety for Colerain, before the Cardinals were able to score a touchdown by Great American Rivalry Series MVP DeTuan Smith-Moore to take a 9-3 halftime lead. After the break, the Cardinals came out fired up and quickly added two touchdowns, both by Smith, to take a 22-3 lead. The Highlanders fought back behind a pair of TD’s of their own, however, and tried to make a game of it before the Cardinals added one last score for the final 29-17 victory.