Withrow blanked Aiken 33-0 at home Friday, Oct. 9, according to WLWT, posting the Tigers' second shutout of the season and improving their record to 5-3.
The conference win extended Withrow's winning streak to three games after a three-game losing skid in September. Head coach Anthony Berry's squad has outscored opponents 118-18 during the streak, which includes a 52-0 rout of Western Hills on Sept. 25 and a 33-18 win over La Salle on Oct. 2.
Aiken dropped to 2-6 with the loss.
The win helps Withrow’s playoff push for an OHSAA Division II playoff berth. Entering Week 8, the Tigers sat 13th in Region 8 with a 6.3 computer rating, one spot outside the 12-team playoff cutline. Fairborn held the 12th and final qualifying spot at 7.3714, according to ratings the OHSAA released on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
As of Oct. 12, OHSAA’s latest posted ratings were its Oct. 6 report.
The region's top four seeds earn a first-round bye when the playoffs begin Friday, Oct. 30. Cincinnati Anderson led Region 8 entering the week at 17.8786 with a 6-1 record, followed by Trotwood-Madison, Harrison and Troy. State championship games are scheduled for Dec. 3 through Dec. 5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
WLWT's Blitz recap listed Withrow at No. 19 in the tri-state poll, a separate ranking from the OHSAA computer ratings.
Withrow's three losses this season all came by a combined 22 points. The Tigers fell 23-13 to Springboro on Sept. 4, 22-13 to Harrison on Sept. 11 and 24-21 to McNicholas on Sept. 18.
Two regular-season games remain. Withrow hosts Hughes on Friday, Oct. 16, then travels to Taft on Saturday, Oct. 24.
