Report: Bengals, Paycor Stadium to Host High School Playoff Game Between Powers St. Xavier and Elder

CINCINNATI – There will be a playoff game at Paycor Stadium this season after all.

Per multiple reports, Friday’s Division I Region 4 championship game between the Elder Panthers and St. Xavier Bombs is being moved from Mason High School to the home of the Cincinnati Bengals to accommodate the high demand for tickets.

FOX19's Joe Danneman was first to report the news.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association quickly sold out of tickets for Mason's 7,000-seat stadium, and because the organization put them on sale in the middle of the school day Monday, many students were unable to purchase them because they were in class.

This will be the first high school game at Paycor Stadium since 2018, per WCPO's Mike Dyer.

Elder is 12-0 for the first time in program history and coming off a 23-point comeback against Princeton last week.

St. Xavier is 9-2 after advancing with a 17-13 victory against Moeller.

The two teams met in the regular season on Sept. 26, with Elder prevailing 23-13.

Elder finished the regular season as the No. 1-ranked team in the AP poll, while St. Xavier came in at No. 8.

This will be the first playoff meeting between the two Greater Catholic League powers since 2021, when St. Xavier won 42-7

They also met in 2020, with St. Xavier winning 56-28.

The Panthers last playoff win against the Bombers was in 2019 in a 28-24 decision.

This will be the eighth postseason meeting all time between the schools, with the Bombers leading 4-3, according to the St. Xavier athletic department.

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