CINCINNATI — Elder scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and beat Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 31-21 on Friday night, Oct. 16, at The Pit, the Panthers’ second straight win over a top regional opponent. Chatard arrived as the No. 9 team in Indiana with a 7-1 record, and the Trojans had not given up more than two touchdowns in any game all season.
The win continues a sharp midseason turnaround. Elder opened 5-0 and blasted every opponent by 31 or more points, then dropped back-to-back Greater Catholic League-South games — a last-second loss to St. Xavier and a back-and-forth loss to Moeller. The Panthers answered last week by knocking off Highlands on a walk-off field goal, and they carried that momentum into Friday night.
Elder’s offense wasted no time. The Panthers ran in a touchdown on their opening drive, threw for a score on their second drive, then raced down the field in under a minute to punch in another rushing touchdown on their third possession. It was exactly the kind of start head coach Doug Ramsey knew his team would need against a Trojans squad built on a strong running game and a stingy defense.
Senior quarterback Kaden Estep orchestrated the performance, throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown to Chase Walpole while rushing for 75 yards and two scores. Ramsey had not hidden his respect for the opponent beforehand. “I was very worried about this game,” Ramsey said. “That’s a quality team. Their run game is really good, and they’re good defensively.”
Elder’s defense told the game’s second story. In the first half, the Panthers had multiple chances to get off the field but could not come up with a third-down stop on back-to-back Chatard scoring drives. After halftime, the adjustments showed: Chatard’s final four possessions produced one score, two punts and an interception. “First half, I wasn’t happy,” Ramsey said, “but I thought much better in the second. If you make plays and get off the field on third down, you give the offense another chance.”
With the regular season down to its final week, Elder again looks like one of the Cincinnati area’s most dangerous playoff teams. Week 9 thinned the ranks around the Panthers — Greater Cincinnati went from eight undefeated teams to four on Friday night, with Deer Park, Goshen, Hughes and Dayton all taking their first losses — and Elder’s back-to-back wins over Highlands and a top-10 Indiana team stand out on any resume in the region.
Elder closes the regular season in Week 10 with its playoff positioning at stake, while Chatard returns to Indiana to finish its own regular season. For the Panthers, Friday’s formula was a familiar one at The Pit: start fast, lean on their senior quarterback, and let a second-half defense close the door.