Cincinnati Bengals High School Football Coach of the Week

In his second season at the helm for Moeller, Coach Mark Elder guided the Crusaders to its first state Final Four appearance in seven seasons, and 17th overall in program history. Finishing the season 11-4, Moeller fell one point short of reaching the OHSAA Division I State Finals. Elder orchestrated quite the turnaround for the Crusaders, who had a combined five wins in the two seasons prior. 

Moeller started the season off strong defeating Lakota East 42-27 in Week 1, as senior quarterback Noah Geselbracht threw for 249 yards and had four total touchdowns. The Crusaders navigated through a difficult schedule, where they prevailed in back-to-back overtime thrillers against St. Ignatius and St. Edward in October. 

This is Elder's first Bengals Coach of the Week award, and sixth for Moeller.

Returning to his alma mater in 2019, Bryson Warner led the Rebels this season to its first winning record at the halfway point of the season in ten years. Boone County's first win of the season came in Week 2 when the Rebels traveled to Scott High School and left with a 27-7 win. Warner's squad jumped out to a 20-7 halftime lead, and never looked back. Quarterback Richard West rushed for 125 yards and had three total touchdowns, while Skylar Sears recorded an interception and a touchdown in the win. Sears finished the regular season tied for second among all Northern Kentucky area football players with four interceptions.

This is Warner's second Bengals Coach of the Week award, and third for Boone County.

In his eighth season, Coach Michael Engler guided Ryle to its first KHSAA 6A quarterfinals appearance since 2016, with the Raiders finishing the 2021 season 9-4. Ryle was tested in Week 3, as their county rival Cooper was searching for their first win over the Raiders in seven seasons. The Raiders jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a Lukas Colemire rushing touchdown, but that would remain the score until sophomore quarterback Logan Verax called his own number in the fourth quarter, to give Engler's squad a two-score lead. The Raiders defense held strong for the 14-7 win, as senior linebackers Gabe Savage and Jackson Belk each recorded double digits in sacks. The pair finished the season combining for 295 tackles and 27 tackles for loss for the Raiders, as Savage was named the KHSAA District 6 Player of the Year.

This is the second Bengals Coach of the Week award for Engler and third for Ryle.

Looking to start the season 4-0 for a second consecutive season, Mike Orlando's McNicholas Rockets defense showed up big in the second half holding Highlands to seven points over the final two quarters as the Rockets prevailed 27-21. Senior Will Reuss had a 70-yard pick-six as part of a 20-point second quarter, with senior quarterback Pierce Taylor leading the way offensively with 137 yards and two touchdowns on the night.

The Rockets offense on the season was special. Averaging over 32 points per game, the McNicholas offense was one of the best the football program had ever witnessed, with the 2001 team being the only season the Rockets scored more total points. Orlando led his team to an 11-2 finish, reaching the regional finals for the first time since 2010, and the 11 wins ties a program record with the 2010 and 1984 teams. In his 11th season, Orlando's 63 wins as Head Coach is tied for second all-time in McNicholas history.

This is the first Bengals Coach of the Week award for Orlando and second for McNicholas.

Coach Andre Parker's Vikings captured 11 wins for the first time in 31 years, as Princeton advanced to the Division I Regional Semifinal this season. Parker was named the Southwest Ohio All-District Coach of the Year in his first season with the Vikings.

The Vikings held off a late comeback by Fairfield in Week 5, as they took a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Senior Rodney Harris Jr. found the end zone twice, including a 68-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. The win propelled Princeton on an eight-game win streak. Senior linebacker Anas Luqman received first-team All-District honors, leading the Greater Miami Conference with 11 sacks this season. Luqman, senior linebacker Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace and senior defensive lineman Ty Carter brought the pressure for the Vikings, as the trio combined for 26.5 sacks on the season. Princeton's top two receivers, Harris Jr. (838 yards) was a first-team All-District player and junior Jaleel Engleman (647 yards) led the way in the GMC in receiving yardage, as the pair combined for 20 touchdowns. The quarterback was just 40-rushing yards shy of running for 1,000 on the season as the sophomore threw for over 1,200 yards and recorded 29 total touchdowns.

This is Parker's fifth Bengals Coach of the Week award, and first for Princeton.

In the midst of an eventual 11-game win streak, Ryan Knigga's Tigers came away victorious against Batesville 34-13 in Week 6. Senior Quarterback Garrett Yoon threw for 251 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns in the win. Senior receiver Dahya Patel was on the receiving end of two of Yoon's touchdowns, as Patel ended the night with 140-receiving yards.

Knigga led Lawrenceburg to an 11-2 finish, as they captured their third consecutive 3A Sectional Championship, and fell just two points short in the Regional Finals to the eventual state champions. The Tigers offense was electric during the 2021 season, posting 34 or more points ten times. Yoon (2,393-passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 129.5 QBR) and Patel (1,152-receiving yards, 15 touchdowns) were both named to the IFCA 3A Senior All-State team, as senior offensive tackle Ashton Craig is one of five finalists for the All-American Bowl's Man of the Year award. Craig has already been named to the IFCA Top 50 All-State players and was awarded Indiana's Offensive Line Mr. Football.

This is the second Bengals Coach of the Week award for Knigga and Lawrenceburg.

In week seven, Jason Krause's Indians relied on the run game as Fairfield rushed for nearly 200 yards as a team as they beat Mason in thrilling fashion. With 40 seconds remaining in the game, quarterback Talon Fisher called his own number and scored the game-winning touchdown giving Fairfield the 27-22 victory. The sophomore ended the night with four total touchdowns, three of them coming on the ground. The win over the Comets was a springboard for the Indians to finish the regular season with three straight wins, advancing to the playoffs where they squared off with Mason again, coming away victorious in another one-score game.

This is the fifth Bengals Coach of the Week award for Krause and second Fairfield.

After starting the season 0-2, Scott Clemmons rallied his team to a nine-game win streak that throttled the Cougars into the Division II Regional Semi-Finals. During their win streak, the defense never gave up more than 14 points, as the Cougars were perfect in the Southwest Ohio Conference. 

In Edgewood's Week 9 meeting with SWOC rival Ross, the Cougars utilized their stout defense, blanking the Rams 42-0. Junior defensive back Brice Barker scored a 97-yard fumble recovery, as the defense recorded its first shutout win since 2019. On offense, the Cougars relied heavily on the run game, scoring four rushing touchdowns. Junior Tavionne Crosby (1,278) and senior Jay Dailey (1,099) each rushed for over 1,000 yards on the season and combined for 41 touchdowns. Clemmons' offense torched opponents throughout the season, scoring 42 or more points seven times. 

This is the first Bengals Coach of the Week award for Clemmons and second Edgewood.

Wayne ended the regular season in dominating fashion over Centerville in a 42-21 win. Seniors Bryan Kinley and back Jordan Ward each scored three touchdowns as Roosevelt Muke's Warriors rushed for 456 yards. With the win, Wayne captured a share of the Greater Western Ohio Conference title for the first time since 2016. Ward finished the season rushing for over 1,200 yards, as he was one of five Warriors named to the GWOC first-team All-Conference list. 

Mukes' Warriors were lethal on offense this season, scoring 40 or more four times in the regular season, as five of their wins came by double digits. Mukes was named the GWOC Coach of the Year after leading the Warriors to eight wins in the regular season.  

This is the first Bengals Coach of the Week award for Mukes and Wayne.

Nick Osborne's Broncos entered the playoffs with one of the most prolific offenses in all of Division III. Western Brown averaged 50 points per game this season and never scored less than 33 points in any game this season, on their way to an 11-3 finish. When they met Beechcroft in the first round, Western Brown leaned on star quarterback Drew Novak, who rushed for four touchdowns on the Broncos way to a 63-6 win. Western Brown advanced to the Regional Finals and their first season of at least 10 wins since 2008.

Novak was named the Ohio D III Offensive Player of the Year and an Ohio Mr. Football finalist after passing for 5,269 yards and 56 touchdowns this season. The junior is the fourth quarterback in OHSAA history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season, as his 56 touchdowns are the most ever by an Ohio quarterback in a single season, breaking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's record of 54 set in 1999. Novak was stellar on the ground as well, rushing for 1,202 yards and 21 touchdowns. Drew's brother, senior Dylan Novak, was a reliable target for the quarterback, as the brothers both made first-team for D-III All-Ohio on offense. 

This is the first Bengals Coach of the Week award for Osborne and Western Brown.