CINCINNATI —

It was expected to be a back and forth battle Friday night at the Pit at Elder High School, as the #1 ranked Panthers hosted #5 Highlands in a matchup of Top 5 teams.

The Panthers took the suspense out of the game early, however, in cruising to a 40-16 victory over the Bluebirds in Price Hill. Advertisement

Highlands took an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Malaka Anderson, and it was the last lead they would see all night, as Elder would reel off 20 unanswered points – two touchdown runs by back Tommy Becker and an 83-yard pick-six by defensive back Mason Chumbley to take a 20-3 halftime lead.

The second half was more of the Tommy Becker show, as the GCL’s second leading rusher ran for his third score of the night, extending Elder’s lead to

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