Princeton climbed to No. 2 in the Associated Press Ohio Division I football poll released Tuesday, Sept. 22, after beating Lakota West to stay unbeaten.

The Vikings (5-0) collected 129 points and one first-place vote, up from No. 3 a week earlier. Cincinnati Elder (5-0) held the top spot with 148 points and 13 of 15 first-place votes. Lakewood St. Edward (4-1) dropped to No. 3 with 105 points and one first-place vote, according to the Journal-News.

The jump followed Princeton's 27-24 win over Lakota West on Sept. 18 at Lockland's Roettger Field. The Vikings trailed late in the fourth quarter before running back Jordan Hall scored on a go-ahead 3-yard run with 3:20 remaining, as TriStateFootball first reported.

Princeton's ground game carried the night. Monsanna Torbert rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, including a 51-yard scoring run. Hall added 83 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. The Vikings totaled 279 rushing yards on 32 attempts.

The win was far from clean.

Princeton committed six turnovers, five of them in the first half, and Lakota West controlled possession for more than 29 minutes without turning the ball over once.

"We won ugly," head coach Andre Parker said after the Sept. 18 win. "You don't have six turnovers and win a game. You have to be a special team to do that."

The state poll is one of two rankings that moved in Princeton's favor. WLWT's Blitz 5 Top 25 placed the Vikings at No. 1 in its regional poll entering Week 6. The poll noted Princeton has been penalized 51 times for 478 yards and carries a minus-5 turnover margin over the last four games.

Princeton's next test comes Friday, Sept. 25, when the Vikings travel to Lakota East (4-1, 3-1 Greater Miami Conference). As we reported Tuesday, Sept. 22, the Thunderhawks present a stiff challenge. Lakota East seniors Braxton Thurman (674 all-purpose yards) and Carter Jones (662 all-purpose yards) have combined for 1,336 all-purpose yards on the season, per WLWT.

A win would keep Princeton (4-0 GMC) in sole control of the conference race heading into the second half of the schedule.