To pinpoint why Taft High School football has become one of Ohio’s four remaining Division IV teams, fans can look to Cincinnati’s representative in the Division II top four.
Since Tyler Williams came on board as the Senators’ head coach four years ago, he’s arranged a preseason scrimmage with Evan Dreyer’s undefeated Anderson Raptors, a team that so far has outscored opponents 685-128. Williams said Taft is unlikely to see a team better than Anderson in DIV, so what better way to get his college-level talent prepared for big games than against one of the state’s top teams?
The Senators (12-2) will test this method in the Ohio High School Athletic Association DIV state semifinals ‒ the first time in school history ‒ at 7 p.m. Friday at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus.
“I knew that we had to be more mentally strong,” Williams said. “There were times when we had a tough practice in the heat, then we had to watch film and then we had to lift weights. Being able to make it through those times, I knew these kids were ready for these types of moments.”
Williams said their summer program pushes players to step outside their comfort zone when it’s hot or cold, making sure they have the mental fortitude to keep pushing when adversity strikes or conditions are tough.
The Senators will have their work cut out for them against the Gnadenhutten Indian Valley Braves (14-0) and star junior running back Grady Kinsey, who has rushed for 2,844 yards (12.3 yards per carry) and 42 touchdowns so far this season. Regardless of what happens over the next game or two, this is a run people at Taft will remember for a long time.
New QB? No problem
Most high school football coaches will tell you, the season after losing a star quarterback to graduation is usually tough. In 2023-2024, then-senior quarterback Armoud Seals led Taft’s offense with more than 3,000 yards and 33 total touchdowns.
The Senators’ offense rebounded to the tune of 574 points (41.0 points per game) so far this season. Since the team’s last loss on Sept. 28, 19-14, to DII Withrow, Taft has won eight straight, scoring more than 44 points in six of those games, putting up more than 70 points twice this season.
Williams said he didn’t expect his offense to miss a beat this season. When he took over four years ago, he was tasked with working with Taft’s middle school team as well. Back then, he could tell the crop of seventh-graders, now sophomores, were special athletes.
A big part of that offensive success has been sophomore quarterback Monsanna Torbert. Torbert didn’t play in three games in the middle of this season, but he has still managed more than 2,500 total yards and 33 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
“I’m not going to say I knew he was going to be this electrifying,” Williams said. “But I knew he’d be able to get the job done as a sophomore. He’s a brilliant kid. He’s a great leader and he gets this team going.”
Torbert spent the summer in a quarterback competition with his younger brother, Key’Sean, who finished fifth in the Central Metro Athletic Conference with 13 touchdowns, mostly thanks to the eight he threw in a 72-0 win over Thurgood Marshall when Monsanna didn’t play.
Five Taft receivers have recorded more than 350 yards this season, including sophomore Eddie Holloway, who has caught 42 passes for 765 yards and 10 touchdowns. Holloway already has an offer from Toledo.
Taft normally runs a spread offense, an attack mainly focused on passing and stretching the defense thin. In the regional final last week against Kettering Alter, the Senators only threw the ball two times in a 26-6 win.
“We know how to run a few different types of offense because we don’t want to be boxed in and we want to be able to attack a defense the best way we see fit,” Williams said. “We can run spread, two tight (end), power I (one of the oldest offensive formations still in use today, and about as far from spread as you can get). We can run triple-option. It might be boring if we run the ball 45 times, but at this point, we’re trying to win games.”
Yellow and green defensive machine
The Taft defense has been sensational this season, too. Despite playing more games than any other team in their conference, the Senators still lead the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference with the fewest points allowed, 100. That averages out to about a touchdown per game. In their last seven games, the Senators have allowed 27 points and have posted four shutouts. The unit is loaded with future FBS players.
Linebacker Aaron Dowdell Jr., who has offers from about half of the Mid-American Conference and Temple, has led the way with 123 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and an interception.
Defensive end Bryce Brewster has recorded 114 tackles and 20 sacks. He sacked the quarterback 3.5 times in the regional semifinal against Indian Hill. Wisconsin commit Drayden Pavey has recorded 87 tackles and 11.5 sacks, and defensive tackle Chayse Mack has dropped the quarterback 12 times himself. Both Brewster and Mack have offers from UMass. Bowling Green commit Jahvion Jarmon has five interceptions.
Scouting report on Indian Valley
Taft doesn’t have an easy road to earn its first state title. Indian Valley has scored at least 40 points in every game this season. Kinsey hoping to eclipse 3,000 rushing yards on the season against Taft’s defensive line loaded with future Division I players will be an extremely interesting matchup to watch.
“He’s not their whole team,” Williams said. “They’re really good all around. But I will say that he’s not the only great running back we’ve faced this year.”
The Senators held Division IV player of the year Devlan Daniel, who ran for 2,260 yards and 8.8 yards per carry over this season, to 81 yards and 3.4 yards per carry in the regional semifinal.
If the Senators come out on top of the game against Indian Valley, they’ll face either Sandusky Perkins (13-1) or two-time reigning state champ Cleveland Glenville (10-3) in the state championship.
Either way, Taft has already had an unforgettable season. Over the next few years, the Senators will fan out in all directions across the football landscape.
“When we started in the summer, we all talked about it and said, ‘Hey, we’re committing to this grind for 16 weeks,'” Williams said. “It’s so hard to make it to state because you pretty much have to be perfect. We made that commitment with each other to be perfect.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Taft football’s mentally prepared for OHSAA DIV Final Four
