The ending fit the story Colerain and Elder football players crafted for four quarters and one overtime period Saturday night.

The top-seeded Cardinals outlasted No. 4 Elder 35-34 in a Division I, Region 4 semifinal at Nippert Stadium and advanced to take on No. 3 Moeller next Saturday in the regional final – likely at Nippert.

The game featured 885 total yards, seven lead changes, the tie at the end of regulation and many chances for either team to fold up in the face of adversity. Neither did.

“They don’t know any better and that’s what I love about them,” Colerain coach Tom Bolden said of his players. “They just play hard. We’ve been through some adversity and they handle adversity well.”

Senior quarterback Alfred Ramsby ran 20 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown on the first play of the second overtime possession and Colerain escaped an upset bid by the Panthers, who led from late in the second quarter until early in the fourth quarter.

Junior kicker Zach Gehner’s point-after kick following Ramsby’s long run clinched the win and sent Colerain players and fans into a wild celebration.

“Like a moment I’ve never dreamed of,” Ramsby said. “I had good blocking and I cut it up. I had a man in front of me and a man on side of me. I cut back to the side and he went past me. I ran into the end zone.”

Ramsby finished with 213 yards on 24 carries and Colerain edged the Panthers 452-433 in total yardage. Senior fullback Jackson Sorn added 111 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. 

Elder junior running back Chris Schroer had gone in from a yard out on a direct snap on the opening possession in overtime for Elder, but the Panthers' point-after attempt failed.

“I knew we were going to score,” Ramsby said. “There was no choice but to score and make the (extra point).”

The Cards didn’t waste any time and scored right away on what Bolden conceded was his best call of the night.

“I had to look at what I thought we had,” Bolden said. “We had a formation that I liked against them and it gave (Ramsby) a two-way go with it and obviously he made the right choice.

“I thought they’d think we’d come out in an unbalanced set and try to pound it at them with the fullback. We went with the spread look and got our guy out on the edge.”
Colerain seemed to be in control after two fourth-quarter touchdowns turned a 20-14 deficit to a 28-20 lead, but Elder made an improbable rally.

Senior receiver Joe Ramstetter sent the game into overtime when he jumped high to haul in a 30-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Josh Moore in the back of the end zone with 11 seconds to play on 4th down and long. He then jumped high again to catch the two-point conversion pass to tie the score at 28-28.

“It was scary,” Ramsby said.

It was Ramstetter’s third touchdown catch of the game and he finished with nine catches for 170 yards. Josh Moore was 20-for-28 for 305 yards in his final game.
“He’s one of the best receivers around,” Ramsey said. “He just makes plays and he made a bunch tonight.”

Colerain seemingly got the two big plays it needed in the fourth quarter before Elder rallied. With Colerain facing 3rd and 12 from the Elder 24 and trailing 20-14, Ramsby hit a leaping Tre Hudson in the end zone for a touchdown and a 21-20 lead with 9:53 to play in the game. Several minutes later, senior defensive back Lonnel Brown picked off Moore at his own 4 and sped 96 yards for what seemed to be a back-breaking touchdown with 3:41 to play.

But the Panthers did not fold.

“I didn’t know what to say here,” Ramsey said. “I’ll tell them for sure I’m proud of them. I don’t think anybody outside of us really gave us a chance tonight and we could have easily won this thing.

“We just did our thing and the guys on defense I thought did a really good job of tackling. The first drive was easy for them, but after that we had to make them earn everything. And I think we did that.”



Elder 6 14 0 8 6--34
Colerain 7 7 0 14 7--35

C-Sorn 10 run (Gehner kick)
E-Ramstetter 5 pass from Moore (kick failed)
E-Schroer 2 run (Murray kick)
C-Sorn 2 run (Gehner kick)
E-Ramstetter 46 pass from Moore (Murray kick)
C-Hudson 24 pass from Ramsby (Gehner kick)
C-Brown 96 interception return (Gehner kick)
E-Ramstetter 30 pass from Moore (Ramstetter pass from Moore)
E-Schroer 1 run (kick failed)
C-Ramsby 20 run (Gehner kick)

Records: C 12-0, E 8-4.