Despite clinching its spot in the postseason, Ohio State Club Football still has one more hurdle to cross before hosting the Great Lakes Conference Championship Game.
The Buckeyes are set to host Cincinnati United Prep on Sunday, Nov. 9 at Lincoln Tower Park, putting their undefeated season on the line against a team that gave Ohio State all it could handle a season ago.
Ohio State defeated the Bulls 21-20 last season and needed a second-half comeback to do so. The Buckeyes trailed 14-0 at halftime and needed a stop on a Cincinnati United two-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
In the win last season, the Buckeyes accumulated just 264 yards of offense and the 20 points surrendered were the most the Ohio State defense gave up all of 2024.
A lot has changed since then.
In 2025, Ohio State is averaging 48.6 points per game and is surrendering just 9.2 points per contest. The Buckeye offense is averaging 220.8 yards passing per contest and 172.8 yards per game on the ground despite not playing a full game all season. Each of Ohio State’s NCFA wins have featured a second-half running clock and the win over Ohio Wesleyan’s JV team was played with 12-minute quarters.
Quarterback Niko Pappas is on pace to become the third player in program history to win NCFA Offensive MVP, as he leads the league in passing touchdowns (15), rushing touchdowns (11) and completions (75). He is second in passing yards with 1,029 and is third in the league in rushing yards (436). He needs just 172 yards to reach 1,000 career rushing yards, which would make him just the fifth player in program history to reach that milestone, and just the second quarterback.
The Buckeyes feature the most balanced wide receiver unit in the NCFA as Ricardo Washington, Charlie Harlow and Desean Bonte account for the top-three spots in the league in receptions. Washington leads the NCFA in receptions (20) and is tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions (5) through five games. Bonte has hauled in 17 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns while Harlow has caught 18 passes for 193 yards and a pair of scores.
Ohio State’s three-headed monster at running back – Milan Jackson, Ethan Young and Lucas Fenstermaker – has combined for 404 yards rushing and five touchdowns in five games. Up front, Ohio State finally got their starting offensive line together for the first time since Week 2 against Toledo and rushed for 221 yards against the Rockets.
Defensively, Ohio State is paced by a healthy mix of veterans and freshmen. Rookie linebacker Tyler Siegel leads the team in total tackles with 41 while fellow freshman cornerback Tommy Roberts III leads the team in pass breakups, and has accumulated 30 total stops in his first five games. Veteran linebacker Christian Allen has made his presence felt in recent weeks and has posted 24 total tackles and 2.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble in just four games. The program’s all-time leading tackler also blocked a punt in last week’s win over Toledo that set up a short field and Ohio State touchdown.
As for Cincinnati United, not much is known about the Bulls roster other than that it will feature plenty of talent. Despite a 58-20 loss to Toledo earlier this year, Cincinnati United threw for over 200 yards against the Buckeyes last season. The prep program is not currently affiliated with a higher education institution but aims to give young men in the Cincinnati area a chance to get film and financial assistance to pursue their goals of getting recruited to play college football. The Bulls are led by head coach Jared Ward, who also serves as an assistant coach at Taft High School, where the Senators just completed an undefeated regular season and earned a first-round bye in the OHSAA Div. IV Playoffs.
Kickoff between Ohio State and Cincinnati United Prep is set for Noon on Sunday, Nov. 9 at Lincoln Tower Park. Admission is free.
Senior Day
The Buckeyes will honor 15 seniors before their final regular season game at Lincoln Tower Park;
- No. 29 – DB, Troy Kesterson
- No. 47 – DB, Don Hannon
- No. 69 – OL, Hudson Reid
- No. 79 – OL, Nick Turner
- No. 54 – OL, William Feeley
- No. 3 – WR, Ricardo Washington
- No. 7 – WR, Charlie Harlow
- No. 11 – LB, Colm Damron
- No. 12 – QB, Niko Pappas
- No. 95 – OL/DL, Daniel Zirkle
- No. 53 – OL, Cameron Fries
- No. 55 – OL/DL, Daniel Sankiewicz
- No. 9 – DE, Trey Jones
- No. 0 – DE, Matthew Humphreys
- No. 21 – LB, Christian Allen
Ohio State Club Football 