CINCINNATI — When it comes to the high school football Region 4 Championship, defending champion Moeller is once again taking on Lakota West, who have fallen to the Crusaders the past two years.  

What You Need To Know

  • Lakota West is facing Moeller for the third time in Region 4 finals

  • Lakota West's record is 11-2

  • The Firebirds have had four shutouts this year, led by senior defensive lineman Elijah Davis

 The Firebirds are hoping their third attempt is a charm.

“Let's hope that saying holds true that three times is a charm,” said head coach Tom Bolden.

His players and fellow coaches will tell you, Lakota West has been a charmed program ever since he joined the Firebirds four years ago,

“It's been a tremendous change since 2019,” said assistant coach Jeff Wadl, who has been with the program since it began in 1997. “I think what Bolden brought to the table is the idea that you're going to work, you're going to get your work done, you're going to be successful because of that work ethic and you can't beat the grind.”

“Coach B just gets us goin’,” said senior defensive lineman and captain Elijah Davis. “He’s been doing this for a long time and he’s been doing pretty good so we just listen to what he said and he gives us the right job to do.”

Davis will be playing for the University of Akron next Fall, one of many strong players who built an 11-2 season with four shutouts.

The Firebirds have also put up some impressive numbers on offense, dominating teams like Oak Hills, 59-7. 

“That game, we came out there and I felt like we had the juice and the energy,” Davis said. “We just came and balled out and it just shows how dominant we can be against teams.”

It’s a culture of hard work and good results that Bolden built after making the difficult decision to leave Colerain where he’d led the Cardinals to 12 straight conference titles,

“One of the hardest decisions I ever made was to leave Colerain High School being there forever,” Bolden said. “I grew up there, played there and was an assistant and then head coach there for a long, long time. But, you know, I'm so, so glad that I came here to this community. These people, this school, the staff, this administration, this athletic crew, just everybody, these families (have) been so accepting, so awesome."

What Bolden and his team think would be really awesome: earning a banner in the school’s hall of champions, touting big wins in everything from acting and mock trial to golf and basketball.

“It would mean a lot,” Bolden said. “You go through the school entrance and you see all those banners from the academic to the athletic, all those great, great, great individuals and teams that have come before and all that."

"It would be school history, and I feel like it would be cool to be known for that as the first time in school history that we brought home the regional championship,” Davis said.

Wadl agrees and he also sees it as something more than a milestone to work toward.

“I think for these kids it's about the journey. It's about getting here to this point and what are you going to do from this point on?" Wadl said.

The Firebirds said they’re ready to show they can finally take the regional title.

‘That would be such a proud moment for me and how elated I'll feel for these kids,” Bolden said. “That's something that they can cherish and take with them forever.”