Cincinnati - The Elder High School football team delivered one of the most unforgettable comebacks in the rich history of "The Pit," rallying from a 23-point third-quarter deficit to stun Princeton 32-30 Friday night in the Division I, Region 4 semifinals.
For a program that has made tradition an art form, this one felt written straight into Elder folklore. A cold November playoff night turned into pure chaos, joy, and disbelief as the Panthers erased what once looked like an insurmountable hole, thanks largely to junior quarterback Kaden Estep's late-game heroics.
A Night That Began All Wrong
The game began about as poorly as anyone on the purple side of Price Hill could have imagined. Princeton came in 9-2 and athletically loaded, their defense built on speed and physicality, and in the early going, every bounce seemed to tilt red.
Elder's opening series ended in a sack, and Princeton struck quickly. The Vikings' Andrew Wells returned a first-quarter punt deep into Elder territory, setting up an early touchdown. An additional field goal by kicker Nate Messer and an 11-yard run by Zion Satterwhite had the visitors up 17-0 at halftime.
When Princeton's Antonio Thomas opened the third quarter with a stunning 73-yard kickoff return touchdown, stretching the lead to 23-0 only 11 seconds into the half, an uneasy hush fell over the home stands that minutes earlier had been deafening.
The Panthers - a perfect 11-0 to that point - had not experienced a moment like this all season. Suddenly, they trailed by three scores with their entire season unraveling.
The Spark That Changed Everything
Elder head coach Doug Ramsey, now with more than two decades of purple-and-white playoff adrenaline in his veins, didn't panic. He leaned on his offensive line - Tyrell Scott, Caleb Broxterman, Nick Cassaro, Carson Kafel, and Aedan McKenna - and especially on his junior quarterback.
With 7:53 left in the third quarter, Estep finally broke free. Just when Elder needed a reason to believe, he sprinted 44 yards for Elder's first touchdown. Senior tailback Tommy Becker powered through for a two-point conversion to make it 23-8. At last, the crowd had life.
Momentum is a fickle thing, and on this chilly Cincinnati night, it changed sidelines violently. Late in the third, Estep engineered another drive, finishing it himself with an 11-yard scoring dash. Kicker Adam Re chipped in the extra point. What once looked hopeless was now a one-possession contest, 23-15, and the decibel level in the Pit rivaled any in recent memory.
The Defense Finds Its Backbone
While Estep grabbed the headlines, Elder's defense wrote its own redemption arc. Senior linebacker Derek Uran played everywhere - rushing, covering, even limping through cramps - to spark a group that had been gashed early. Sophomore linebacker Pete Fortkamp recovered a vital fumble to halt another Princeton drive, while Max Doogan and Jayven Hutchinson commanded the interior.
They held Princeton to negative net yardage through much of the fourth quarter and completely erased the Vikings' ground game after halftime.
Estep Puts on a Show
Early in the fourth, trailing by eight, Elder marched 80 yards in blistering rhythm. Every snap featured Estep or Becker: the quarterback gliding on quarterback draws, the senior back hammering between the tackles. With 6:31 remaining, Estep made his third house call of the night, cutting left and diving into the end zone from nine yards out. Becker again converted the two-point run - his second of the game - knotting the score at 23-23.
The improbable comeback felt complete. Yet, as Elder fans would quickly learn, the roller coaster wasn't done.
The Gut-Punch and the Miracle
Moments later, Princeton blocked a potential Elder field goal and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown. Wells, who had terrorized the Panthers all evening on kick returns, sprinted the other way to put the Vikings back ahead 30-23 with just over a minute remaining.
The Pit fell silent again - temporarily.
One play. That's all Estep needed to vaporize despair. On Elder's next snap from its own 25, Estep dropped back, saw senior receiver Jackson Ruth streaking downfield, and rifled a perfect spiral into stride. Ruth caught it at midfield and outraced everyone - a 75-yard lightning bolt that tied the game with 61 seconds left.
Ruth later described the moment as surreal, noting that once he looked back and saw no defenders behind him, he just focused on reaching the end zone.
Coach Ramsey, ever the gambler, opted for the go-ahead two-point conversion instead of the extra point. Becker appeared close, but Princeton's defensive front stuffed the try inches short, leaving Elder down 30-29 with barely a minute remaining.
Special Teams, Redemption Edition
Ramsey kept the hands team on the field, and what happened next belongs in Elder lore.
Re's onside kick was perfectly executed: a skidding low liner that hopped off Princeton's front line and soared straight up into the air. Senior defensive back Jared Lammers - the emergency long snapper pressed into duty after senior captain Kenny Baker left with a shoulder injury - leapt and secured the ball amid the pile. The Pit exploded.
Lammers said afterward that the successful onside kick was the result of constant practice and preparation, adding that the atmosphere was so loud he could barely think once he came down with it.
Re's Redemption
Elder drove inside the Princeton red zone and worked the clock to the final seconds. Out trotted kicker Adam Re, who earlier had endured the agony of seeing his 38-yard attempt blocked and returned for a Viking touchdown.
This time, from 22 yards out, the senior calmly drilled it through the uprights as time expired.
Elder 32, Princeton 30.
The stands erupted in pandemonium: students pouring toward the fence, alumni dancing on the terraces, and a grinning Coach Ramsey hoisted by his players near midfield.
Ramsey reflected afterward that this group displayed remarkable toughness and focus, noting how they ignored the scoreboard and kept playing true Elder football until the very end.
The Numbers Behind the Epic
Estep finished with 20 carries for 149 yards and three rushing touchdowns, plus 24-of-47 passing for 315 yards and a touchdown. Ruth was nearly unstoppable, catching 12 passes for 180 yards, including that unforgettable 75-yard score. Becker ran 16 times for 65 yards and added two successful two-point conversions.
On defense, seniors Mason Chumbley and Uran combined for double-digit tackles, while Fortkamp's fumble recovery and multiple stops by Brody Turner and Major Kittles helped seal the second-half shutout of the Princeton offense.
For Princeton, Satterwhite and Wells each scored on the ground, and Thomas's kickoff return felt like the dagger that never was. Yet the Vikings, plagued by penalties and cramping in the fourth, failed to protect what had once been a commanding lead.
The Cooper Electric Star of the Game
Friday's Cooper Electric Star of the Game is unquestionably Kaden Estep. The junior quarterback accounted for over 460 total yards and four touchdowns. When the season hung in the balance, Estep willed his team downfield again and again. His creativity under pressure - especially behind a reshuffled line losing veterans Alex Dugan and Baker - proved the difference.
A Night for the Ages
Halftime at The Pit carried a tense, uneasy quiet, with Elder trailing 17-0 and needing something - anything - to shift the momentum. What came next reverberated through Price Hill as the Panthers mounted one of the most electric surges the stadium has ever seen. From students shirtless in celebration to broadcast alumnus Bill Hemmer cheering from the stands on his birthday, the night transformed into something that felt equal parts miracle and movie script.
By the final whistle, the atmosphere inside the Pit had reached a level rarely matched - a roaring, unforgettable chaos that left the entire place buzzing long after the lights began to dim.
Up Next: A Familiar Foe
The reward for Elder's impossible comeback is a rematch with rival St. Xavier in next week's Regional Final. The Bombers defeated Moeller 17-13 on Friday at Welcome Stadium, setting up a titanic showdown between two Greater Catholic League heavyweights.
Elder defeated St. Xavier 23-13 in week 6 of the regular season, but none of that matters now. Everything resets, and both teams are 12 minutes of game film away from a trip to the state semifinals.
Kickoff is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at a site to be announced by the OHSAA.
The Legacy Grows
From the long history of Elder Football, one night now joins the pantheon of memorable matchups - the Miracle at Middletown against Centerville in 1999, the Colerain thriller of 2003, and now whatever name this one ultimately earns: Pandemonium in Price Hill? Perseverance in Price Hill? Or something still waiting to be written.
Elder's win didn't need explanations or speeches - the performance spoke for itself. On a night when nearly everything had to fall perfectly into place, the Panthers fought, clawed, and refused to break, turning every improbable moment into one of the most unforgettable victories The Pit has ever seen.
Final Score at The Pit: Elder Panthers 32, Princeton Vikings 30.
Next stop: the Regional Final.
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