There were plenty of stars on the field Friday night when Beechwood opened its 2026 football season against Indian Hill in Fort Mitchell.
There was Tyler Fryman, the senior standout and University of Kentucky football and baseball commit. On the other sideline was Indian Hill senior quarterback Devlin Daniel, a Mississippi State baseball commit and one of the area’s most athletic signal callers.
But perhaps the player who stole the show was also one of Greater Cincinnati’s most under-the-radar talents.
Nathan Pabst made sure that might not remain the case for much longer.
Pabst scored three touchdowns and helped ignite an explosive Beechwood attack as the Tigers rolled to a 42-0 victory. The performance earned Pabst the Skyline Chili Crosstown Game of the Week chain afterward, a piece of hardware he said ranks among the more impressive pieces of hardware he has received during his football career.
“Besides a state championship trophy, I’d say so,” Pabst said.
And if Friday night was any indication, Beechwood took a convincing first step toward putting itself back in that conversation.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
The Tigers dominated in all three phases from the opening kick. Literally.
Pabst returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, immediately setting the tone for a night in which Beechwood rarely gave Indian Hill an opportunity to breathe.
“He’s one of the best players in Greater Cincinnati,” Tigers coach Noel Rash said. “Not just because of this game. He’s that kind of kid. But he’s 5-foot-7 or whatever and not 6-foot-2 so immediately everything sloughs off of him.”
Pabst added two rushing touchdowns, including a 14-yard score in the second quarter in which he broke through numerous tackles on his way to the end zone. That touchdown pushed Beechwood’s lead to 35-0 before halftime and put the running clock into effect.
In the first half alone, Pabst accounted for 77 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards, in addition to the opening kickoff return touchdown. It was the kind of all-around performance that showed why Pabst deserves more attention.
“We’ve got big-time players all around and sometimes I feel like some of the other players are overlooked,” Pabst said. “It just lights another fire.”
And Pabst was hardly the only Tiger making explosive plays.
Fryman scored twice, first breaking loose for a 47-yard rushing touchdown before hauling in a 55-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter to give Beechwood its final 42-0 advantage. So much for any rust coming off a bye week in the opening week of the season.
“Last week we didn’t play, but you know, we got better last week,” Fryman said. “We were working hard, we were in the film room and we were in the weight room and on the field. Just being together and finally being able to play as a team is amazing and especially under Coach Rash.”
Fryman finished the first half with 90 receiving yards to go along with his long rushing touchdown.
Bo Sowder also joined the scoring barrage with a 24-yard touchdown reception, while quarterback Emmett Queen was nearly flawless through the air in the first half, completing eight of nine passes for 110 yards.
All the stars seemed to align for Beechwood in its season opener.
For Rash, it marked a victorious return to the Tiger sidelines after three seasons away. His team looked ready from the opening kick and showed the kind of balance that can make Beechwood difficult to deal with this season.
“I know the scoreboard shows a dominating performance, and it was for the most part,” Rash said. “But we’ve got things to fix, and never, never, never satisfied.”
But as impressive as the offensive fireworks were, the Tigers’ defensive performance may have been just as significant.
“We love bagels. We’ll eat the bagels all day long,” Rash said. “But again, I know it looked good, but there’s some things we still got to get cleaned up. And we will.”
Indian Hill came into the matchup with Daniel at quarterback, an athletic senior capable of creating problems for opposing defenses. Instead, Daniel and the Braves spent much of the night watching Beechwood control the game.
Indian Hill finished with less than 100 yards of total offense and crossed into Beechwood territory just three times all night.
For all the big plays the Tigers produced on offense and special teams, the defense made sure none of them were necessary to overcome a competitive game.
Instead, what was expected to be one of the better matchups in the area quickly turned into a Beechwood statement.
Next up, Beechwood will host Dixie Heights in Fort Mitchell.
TIGERS 42, BRAVES 0
INDIAN HILL — 0-0-0-0 — 0
BEECHWOOD — 21-14-7-0 — 42
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(B) Pabst 99-yard kickoff return (11:47) Mercer kick
(B) Fryman 47-yard run (8:36) Mercer kick
(B) Pabst 23-yard run (:01) Mercer kick
2nd Quarter
(B) Queen 24-yard pass to Sowder (7:18) Mercer kick
(B) Pabst 14-yard run (3:34) Mercer kick
3rd Quarter
(B) Queen 55-yard pass to Fryman (7:47) Mercer kick
Records: Indian Hill 1-1, Beechwood 1-0
