When it was announced that the Division I, Region 4 final between Elder and St. Xavier would be played at Paycor Stadium, Bombers head coach Steve Specht knew it had "instant classic" potential.
In front of 22,375 fans, his soothsaying came true as the Bombers completed a 20-point comeback to beat Elder, 42-34, in one of the best games of the season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It's games like that where you want it to end in a tie almost because the kids played so hard. But if we can't end in a tie, I'd rather it be us," Specht said.
A back-and-forth first half set the tone
The first drive of the game ended up being the longest of the first half. That's how rapidly the Panthers and Bombers scored.
Elder opened up with a 12-play drive over five minutes and 31 seconds that ended with a Tommy Becker one-yard score.
St. Xavier responded less than two minutes later as Jackson Frey found Logan Von Holle for a 54-yard score. Von Holle would later add receiving touchdowns of 12 yards and eight yards; Frey had 115 passing yards in the first half.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"He was hurt earlier in the season and didn't have that many chances to really get going, but he showed some flashes last week and I think this week was really his homecoming. He stepped up big-time," Frey said of Von Holle.
Trailing 7-6, Elder seemingly took over the game in the span of eight minutes. Kaden Estep found Drew Wauligman for a 74-yard touchdown. A Jared Lammers interception set up Becker's second touchdown. Then Estep ran a QB keeper in from 24 yards out to make it 27-7 in the blink of an eye. Estep, who had run for 879 yards in 12 games, had 54 of the Panthers' 82 first-half yards on the ground.
Elder Panthers quarterback Kaden Estep (10) scores a touchdown in the first half of Division I regional final high school football game between the Elder Panthers and St. Xavier Bombers, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.The Bombers never broke, though. After a Kobe Clapper interception, Frey conducted a four-play, 36-yard drive that ended when he found Von Holle in the corner of the end zone. On the ensuing drive, Clapper got through to block a punt that Chad Perkins picked up at the 11-yard line and rumbled into the end zone to make it 27-21 Elder at the half.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"When you face adversity, you gotta dig deep and that's when you find God. That's really where, the more you dig and struggle and fight, you're gonna find something good coming out of all that, and they didn't quit," Specht said.
3 keys to St. Xavier's regional fin win over Elder
A comeback completed: When the Panthers went into RDI Stadium and beat St. X in Week 6, they got out to a 16-0 lead and scored a late touchdown to cement a 23-13 win.
Even when Elder got an interception from Mason Chumbley and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Estep to Bier to take a 34-21 lead, the Bombers never flinched. It was their first real test of adversity this season, and they did just enough to survive and advance.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Our team motto is 'Finish', and that's what we did," Frey said.
St. Xavier Bombers celebrate a 42-34 win against the Elder Panthers, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.St. Xavier outgained the Panthers 224 yards to 97 yards in the second half, and they gave up a net of 25 yards of offense after Bier's touchdown.
With Elder leading 34-21, a bad snap on fourth down forced Estep to throw an incompletion from the back of his own end zone, giving St. Xavier the ball on the Panther 20-yard line. Four plays later, St. X took the lead for good.
"They made plays and we couldn't stop the momentum. We came out (of the half) and scored right away, but then they scored and after that, we just couldn't get the momentum back," Elder head coach Doug Ramsey said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn the ensuing drive, Elder went three-and-out, giving the ball back to the Bombers at midfield. They needed just nine plays to score the game's final touchdown.
Turnovers: Also in Week 6, St. Xavier lost two fumbles. While the Bombers didn't win the turnover battle in the rematch, they did keep it even thanks to interceptions from Clapper and Brayden Reilly. The latter came as Elder was driving with two minutes left and looking to tie the game.
St. Xavier Bombers defensive back Brayden Reilly (2) intercepts a pass made to Elder Panthers wide receiver Jackson Ruth in the second half of Division I regional final high school football game between the Elder Panthers and St. Xavier Bombers, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. Bombers won 42-34."That was all-out effort, playing for each other and doing what they're coached to do," Vollmer said.
And when you think about it, the difference in the game was Clapper's blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe ground game: Elder came into the game on a hot streak on the ground. Becker had run for over 100 yards in four of the last five games. Estep was coming off a 113-yard game against Princeton. After combining for all 82 rushing yards in the first half, they actually totaled -3 yards in the second half.
By contrast, Frey and Vollmer combined to run for 107 yards after halftime. Vollmer scored the final two touchdowns and Frey picked up two fourth-down conversions on two different drives with his legs. Both of those conversions led to touchdowns.
"This year, we've been able to do the read option, which you may not be able to see from the stands, but it is something that takes away a defender, so having a quarterback who can do that on a consistent basis and make the right decisions has really helped with the run game," Vollmer said.
Senior recognition
Elder's senior class helped the Panthers win 35 games in four years.Elder's best season since 1991 wouldn't have been possible without its 32 seniors: Becker, Lammers, Chumbley, Alex Dugan, Brian Turner, Jackson Ruth, Derek Uran, Jake Schwetschenau, Aidan Sullivan, Brody Kremm, Jimmer Willig, Kenny Baker, Carter Carrithers, Bradley Kammer, Adi Divanovic, Joey Carter, Tyler Schroer, Jayden Hutchinson, Jayven Hutchinson, Dylan Wullenweber, Joe Peters, Edwin Gabriel Juarez, Carson Kafel, Seb Hignite, Noah Schott, Landon Casey, Caleb Broxterman, Tyrell Scott, Aeden McKenna, Joshua Walter, Adam Re and Henry Fortkamp.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"As freshmen, they won maybe two games. It's funny; I had a coach reach out to me a few weeks ago who said, 'When we played you guys, we killed you twice. What happened? What did you guys do?' I think that's because these guys just continued to get better," Ramsey said.
Who will St. Xavier play in the Division I state semifinals?
St. Xavier will face Middletown on Nov. 28 at a site to be determined. The Middies pulled off some late-game magic to defeat Huber Heights Wayne, 21-14, and will play in the Final Four for the first time.
"It'd be great if we could play it (at Paycor Stadium)," Specht said with a laugh. "We saw a little bit of Middletown against Lakota East, but other than that, we really don't know much about them, so it'll be a fun week to prepare."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSt. Xavier 42, Elder 34
St. Xavier: 7 14 7 14 - 42
Elder: 13 14 7 0 - 34
E: Becker 1 run (kick failed)
SX: Von Holle 54 pass from Frey (Taylor kick)
E: Wauligman 74 pass from Estep (Re kick)
E: Becker 2 run (Re kick)
E: Estep 24 run (Re kick)
SX: Von Holle 12 pass from Frey (Davidson kick)
SX: Perkins 11 punt return (Davidson kick)
E: Bier 21 pass from Estep (Re kick)
SX: Von Holle 8 pass from Frey (Davidson kick)
SX: Vollmer 2 run (Davidson kick)
SX: Vollmer 2 run (Davidson kick)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: St. Xavier overcomes 20-point deficit, defeats Elder in regional final
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