CINCINNATI — It’s been a season of epic proportions for the Winton Woods Warriors, making it back to the state championship since losing it in 2017. But for some of these players, they’re playing for more than just themselves. 

What You Need To Know

  • Winton Woods is back at the state championship game after losing it in 2017

  • For some of the players, they've dedicated the season to loved ones they've lost recently

  • Offensive Lineman Will Edwards lost his dad to cancer in May and said his dad would be so happy to see him playing in the state championship game

  • Running back Tyrek Spikes lost his grandmother two years ago and wears her ashes around his neck during games to keep her close

​​​Winton Woods is back at the state championship, but for two senior players, it’s bigger than that. For offensive lineman Will Edwards, he’s dedicated the season to his dad who passed away from cancer in May.

“This is special to me because he used to come to every game, but when he got cancer, he couldn’t come to many games," Edwards said. "So I’m always just playing for him.”

Edwards said his dad would brag to his friends and family about his son on the football field. Edwards knows his dad would have been so excited to see him play in the state championship.

“He would be happy," he said. "He would be ecstatic!”

And after senior running back Tyrek Spikes lost his grandma two years ago, he dedicated all of his games to her by wearing her ashes around his neck.

“It was rough losing her but that was my rock," Spikes said. "It was just always fun times with her.”

Both Edwards and Spikes said they know their loved ones are watching.

“It had rained before and I saw a double rainbow and I looked up and was like yeah, Pop’s is here. Yeah, I knew he was here," Edwards said.

“I hear her all the time running to the end zone — 'go, boy, go!'” Spikes said.

First-year head coach Chad Murphy said he can’t imagine what his team has gone through off the field.

“The strength of some of these kids to be able to handle some of the things they’ve had to deal with off the field with deaths and things like that it just shows — it’s a testament to what kind of young men they are," Murphy said. "What kind of strength they truly have.”

But for these players, they’re listening to what their loved ones always told them and hoping for a state championship win in their memory.

“My dad, all he’d say was go out and play hard and just hit somebody," Edwards said. "His favorite thing to say — 'hit somebody.'”

“I know she’s happy," Spikes said. "I know she’s up there smiling right now.”