Cincinnati, Ohio high school football: La Salle rolls through Winton Woods for regional crown

FOREST PARK — Winton Woods hosted La Salle Friday night in the Division II, Region 8 championship game in what many were considering a game of the year candidate in Greater Cincinnati. Each of the last three meetings between the clubs had been decided by one possession, giving this matchup all the ingredients of another classic. 

Instead, the coveted clash between the region's top-two squads turned into a one-sided affair as La Salle rolled to a 35-10 victory and its fifth regional championship in the last seven seasons. 

"I'm proud of these guys," La Salle head coach Pat McLaughlin said. "There's a lot of kids in their program and our program who played against each other in youth ball. That's why emotions were pretty high throughout the game and you can see our kids were really excited at the end — a complete team win."

Working without standout running back Gi'Bran Payne (ankle), the Lancers' offense continued its high-octane attack through quarterback Zach Branam. The senior signal-caller ran for 200 yards for the second straight week and four touchdowns and added 108 yards and a score through the air.

"I've coached a lot of great quarterbacks and he (Branam) is up there with all of them," McLaughlin said. "In terms of just pre-snap, post-snap decision making, he's really good. If he isn't one of the players of the year in the state of Ohio, then I don't know who is." 

Jack Rutz added 67 yards on 16 attempts as the Lancers controlled the trenches for the majority of the game against a Winton Woods defense that had not allowed more than 20 points all year. 

La Salle's defense was coming off a playoff win over Anderson in which  it allowed more than  500 passing yards. On Friday, the Lancers flipped that script, yielding just 213 total yards (70 of which came on one play). 

"We played our assignments well all night," McLaughlin said of his defense. "Toward the end of the game we made them one-dimensional."  

The top-seeded Warriors seized momentum early when junior linebacker Seven Blue intercepted a tipped Branam pass on La Salle's second play from scrimmage. The game's only turnover gave the Warriors an instant red zone possession, but they were forced to settle for a Watchman-Nee Fonjong Jr. 21-yard field goal to make it 3-0. 

Just 47 seconds later, Branam broke loose for a 59-yard touchdown run to jump-start a run of 28 unanswered points by the defending state champions. 

La Salle would use the second quarter to pull away as the offense punted just one time in the first half — a 31-yard pooch kick by Branam that pinned Winton Woods inside its own 5-yard line. 

Branam hit tight end Cole Schneider (five catches, 43 yards) for a 17-yard touchdown on third-and-11 with 5:48 left in the first half to make it 14-3. On La Salle's next drive, Branam hit wide receiver Devonta Smith for 38 yards, then called his own number from a yard out to give the Lancers an 18-point advantage at the half. 

Winton Woods managed just 58 first-half yards on 22 plays and punted on four of its six drives. The Warriors had a chance to make it a one-score game early in the second quarter, but junior linebacker J.J. Ruffin sacked quarterback MiChale Wingfield for a 15-yard loss on fourth down. Earlier in the frame, linebackers Aaron Byrd and McKinley Johnson split a sack that forced a Warriors punt deep inside their own territory. 

Wingfield, who carried the Warriors to a 20-10 win over Kings in the semifinals with 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns, finished with 70 on 15 carries Friday night. Through the air, he completed just 7-of-16 attempts for 98 yards against a talented La Salle secondary littered with Division I commits. Running back Tyrek Spikes added 43 rushing yards on nine carries. 

Winton Woods' biggest offensive play of the game came on its first possession of the third quarter. Branam had just capped off a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to make it 28-3 and the Warriors were facing third-and-17 from their own 30-yard line. 

Wingfield fired a crossing route to junior wide receiver Antonio Turner Jr., who weaved his way through the La Salle secondary, broke a few downfield tackles and raced 70 yards for a touchdown to make it 28-10 with 3:47 left in the third. 

Winton Woods got the ball back with a chance to trim the lead to two scores, but La Salle forced a three-and-out and the Warriors punted on fourth-and-4 from their own 26 with nine minutes remaining, effectively ending the game. 

La Salle (8-2) is now two wins away from defending its Division II state championship. The Lancers will have a rematch with Massillon — the team they defeated in Canton last fall — in the state semifinals next Friday at a location yet to be determined. 

"That's what we expect," McLaughlin said. "I think we're one of the four best teams and let's see what happens against Massillon. It should be a good ball game like last year." 

La Salle 35, Winton Woods 10

La Salle — 7 14 7 7 — 35

Winton Woods — 3 0 7 0 — 10

WW- FG Fonjong 21

L - Branam 59 run (Luensman kick)

L - Schneider 17 pass from Branam (Luensman kick)

L- Branam 1 run (Luensman kick)

L- Branam 10 run (Luensman kick)

WW- Turner Jr. 70 pass from Wingfield (Fonjong kick)

L- Branam 5 run (Luensman kick)

Records: L 8-2, WW 9-1