D1 Semifinal Preview: St. Xavier Versus Middletown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><b>***Use Promo Code </b>BLACKFRIDAY2025 to get<b> 50% off your annual Prep Redzone subscription. THIS WEEK ONLY ***</b></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">This state semifinal game is a matchup between the two Cincinnati conferences with a lot of football tradition. Middletown hails from the Greater Miami Conference and St. Xavier from the Greater Catholic League South. The two schools have been two of the best teams in the Cincinnati area all season long. Both teams are loaded with top shelf talent. So let's break down the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">St. Xavier (10-2)</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Playoffs</strong></span><br>W 42-7 Lakota East (8-4)<br>W 17-13 Archbishop Moeller (8-4)<br>W 42-34 Elder (12-1)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">St. Xavier has had a strong season that has been bolstered by a great playoff run. There only 2 losses on the season came to GCL South opponents Moeller and Elder. The last two weeks the Bombers would enact their revenge by beating both Moeller and Elder to advance to the State Semifinals. Their strength has come from a strong senior class. Quarterback Jackson Frey has been on a upward progression all season long. You can see the confidence growing in him. He's quietly put together a season of 2,200 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with only 6 interceptions. Alex McClatchey and Cam Taylor are Frey's main targets. The defense is where the Bombers are so difficult to deal with. Their ability to get to the quarterback and pressure him from many different positions makes it extremely difficult on opposing quarterbacks and offenses. I've talked a lot about the linebacking trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1171271' first='Brayden' last='Reilly'], JaKobe Clapper, and [player_tooltip player_id='1892847' first='Aden' last='Reeder']. It's rare to find a linebacking unit with the range and playmaking ability that they provide.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Key Players</span></strong><br>2026 LB JaKobe Clapper 6'2 215 (Committed to Notre Dame)<br>2026 LB [player_tooltip player_id='1171271' first='Brayden' last='Reilly'] 6'3 210 (Committed to Clemson)<br>2026 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1163352' first='Daniel' last='Vollmer'] 6'2 220 (Committed to Vanderbilt)<br>2026 DB Jax Hendon 5'11 185<br>2026 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1178335' first='Jake' last='Britt'] 6'0 186<br>2026 LB [player_tooltip player_id='1892847' first='Aden' last='Reeder'] 6'3 215 (Committed to Michigan)<br>2026 QB Jackson Frey 6'3 205<br>2026 WR Cam Taylor 6'2 185<br>2026 DB Alex McClatchey 5'10 175<br>2026 OL [player_tooltip player_id='1314559' first='Grant' last='Hester'] 6'3 280<br>2027 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1210892' first='Alex' last='Walker'] 6'0 168<br>2027 DL [player_tooltip player_id='1622941' first='Josh' last='Fasbender'] 6'4 255<br>2027 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1256210' first='Aidan' last='Newdigate'] 6'3 215<br>2028 LB [player_tooltip player_id='1637941' first='Griffin' last='Lyons'] 6'1 220</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Keys To Winning</span><br>Offense-</strong> Keep Quarterback Jackson Frey clean and get the passing game established early.<br><strong>Defense-</strong> Continue their playmaking ways by creating negative plays and turnovers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><br><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Middletown 11-2</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Playoffs</span></strong><br>W 31-0 Lebanon (8-4)<br>W 14-0 Springfield (8-5)<br>W 21-14 Wayne (9-5)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">The Middies have a long and storied football tradition, but no team in program history has ever made it to the state semifinals. They've done it with a balanced team and a stable of talent on both sides of the ball. On offense [player_tooltip player_id='730786' first='Joseph' last='Ward'] is a dual threat QB who can hurt teams with his arm or his legs. He likes to stretch the field vertically in the passing game. In the run game he does a good job of operating the zone read game. Senior wide receiver Ace Cooper finished 5th in receiving yards in the GMC with 635 yards. He's a field stretcher who can get easy separation. Junior running back Demetrian James finished 5th in the GMC with 635 rushing yards. On the defensive side of the ball the Middies are led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='402342' first='Jordan' last='Vann'] and JD Singletary. Singletary is a game wrecker who's had a dominant season. He's a twitchy and physical player off the edge where he tallied 17 sacks and 26 TFL's for the season. Vann is a rangy and physical safety who's versatility can be a gamechanger in versus both the run and pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Key Players</span></strong><br>2026 WR Ace Cooper 5'10 170<br>2026 DL JD Singletary 6'2 220 (Committed to Rice)<br>2026 RB, DB [player_tooltip player_id='402342' first='Jordan' last='Vann'] 6'1 205( Committed to Michigan State)<br>2026 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='730786' first='Joseph' last='Ward'] 6'3 215 (Committed to Utah)<br>2026 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1309771' first='Elijah' last='Harris'] 6'0 175<br>2026 WR Zymir Reed 6'2 210<br>2026 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1568266' first='Laaren' last='Cornwall'] 5'11 170 Committed to Central Michigan)<br>2027 WR Will Gibson 5'9 165<br>2027 RB Demetrian James 5'10 170<br>2027 DL [player_tooltip player_id='503618' first='Jaiden' last='Davis'] 6'4 260<br>2027 OL Braylon Bryant 6'0 250</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><span style="text-decoration: underline"><strong>Keys To Winning</strong></span><br><strong>Offense-</strong> Hit some explosives plays. The Middies offense is going to have to hit some explosive plays because longer sustained drives versus a stout Bombers defense are going to be hard to come by.<br><strong>Defense</strong>- Play a physical brand of defense and force negative plays by the St. X offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->