Sycamore beat No. 17 Oak Hills 36-35 on Saturday, Oct. 10, snapping a 23-game losing streak on a touchdown pass with less than a minute to play.
Zachary Brandan hit Zeontay Smoot on a 10-yard scoring strike to cap the comeback at Oak Hills and ruin the Highlanders' homecoming in the Greater Miami Conference matchup, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
The Aviators hadn't won since Sept. 20, 2024.
Quarterback Ty Thomas set a career high with 363 passing yards, completing 27 of 38 attempts with three touchdowns and one interception. WLWT's TriState Football named Thomas a "Friday Night Star" for the performance.
Thomas found his targets all night. Smoot and fellow receiver Trenton Meadows combined for 242 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense in a game that stayed tight from start to finish.
Sycamore never trailed by more than six points and held the lead for most of the game, according to the Enquirer. The Aviators overcame two turnovers to pull off the upset.
The win carries real weight in the Division I, Region 4 playoff standings. Oak Hills entered the game at 4-3 and held the No. 10 seed in the OHSAA computer-points rankings. The loss drops the Highlanders squarely onto the playoff bubble, with games against GMC leaders Princeton and Lakota West still on the schedule.
Sycamore was shut out 41-0 by No. 9 Middletown in Week 6. Two weeks later, the Aviators topped another ranked opponent by a single point.
The OHSAA football playoffs begin Friday, Oct. 30. Sycamore has two regular-season games remaining.
