Climbers, Indians dominate in first round victories; regional quarterfinal stage is set in local high school football

It was a busy Friday night for local high school football teams as a pair of area squads took the field for first-round playoff action. Urbana and Mechanicsburg both came away with convincing wins to advance to the regional quarterfinals.

Two other local teams also learned their next opponents after earning first-round byes and will now prepare to begin their playoff runs next week.

Division IV – Region 16

No. 5 Urbana (8-3) 42, No. 12 Clinton-Massie (3-8) 3

The full replay of the contest is available on-demand for free on PeakofOhioTV.com HERE and on Roku.

Urbana dominated from start to finish Friday night, rolling past Clinton-Massie 42-3 to advance to the next round of the Division IV Region 16 playoffs.

The Hillclimbers improved to 8-3 and will travel to Cincinnati to face No. 4 North College Hill (9-1) in the next round.

Urbana wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. After the defense forced an early stop, quarterback Grady Lantz connected with Carter Houseman on a screen pass, and Houseman raced 65 yards for a touchdown on the Hillclimbers’ first offensive play. Urbana quickly took a 7-0 lead.

Clinton-Massie answered with a 27-yard field goal with 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter to make it 7-3.

But Houseman immediately responded on the ensuing kickoff. He fielded the ball at his own 15-yard line, found a big opening up the middle, broke a tackle, and raced 85 yards for a touchdown to extend Urbana’s lead to 14-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Hillclimber defense continued to shut down the Falcons, forcing another three-and-out. Urbana took advantage as Lantz connected with Houseman on a beautifully thrown 61-yard touchdown pass down the field. The score gave Houseman three touchdowns on his first three touches of the game and put Urbana ahead 21-3.

The Hillclimbers added another score just before halftime when Lantz found Carson Stokes on a 12-yard out route just past the goal line. Urbana carried a commanding 28-3 lead into the locker room.

Urbana kept the momentum going in the second half. Less than a minute into the third quarter, Lantz connected with his brother, Tate Lantz, on a 25-yard fade route in the end zone to make it 35-3.

The defense continued to keep Clinton-Massie in check, and Houseman added one more touchdown to cap off a remarkable night. He caught a five-yard curl route, broke a tackle from his defender and raced into the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown.

Urbana finished off the 42-3 victory to secure its place in the next round.

Grady Lantz had an outstanding night under center, throwing for 280 yards and five touchdowns.

Houseman turned in a career performance with four total touchdowns, including 205 receiving yards and three receiving scores. He also added the 85-yard kickoff return touchdown.

The Hillclimbers will now turn their attention to North College Hill as they look to continue their playoff run.

Division VI – Region 24

No. 6 Mechanicsburg (9-2) 55, No. 11 St. Bernard-Elmwood Place (7-3) 21

Mechanicsburg used a strong second-half performance and several big plays to pull away from St. Bernard-Elmwood Place for a 55-21 victory Friday night in the Division VI Region 24 playoffs.

The Indians improved to 9-2 and will advance to face No. 3 Zane Trace (9-1) in the next round.

Mechanicsburg got things started on special teams in the first quarter. Around the eight-minute mark, the Indians’ punt rush broke through and blocked a kick. Aidan O’Neal scooped up the loose ball at the 32-yard line and returned it for a touchdown to give Mechanicsburg a 7-0 lead.

St. Bernard-Elmwood Place answered with a scoring drive but missed the extra point, making it 7-6 with 2:22 remaining in the first quarter.

The Indians extended their lead early in the second quarter when quarterback Matthew Davis kept the ball and raced 28 yards for a touchdown, lowering his shoulder to finish the run and put Mechanicsburg ahead 14-6.

The Titans responded on the next possession when a defender stripped the ball from Davis as he crossed midfield. St. Bernard-Elmwood Place returned the fumble for a touchdown and converted the two-point attempt with a jump pass to tie the game at 14.

Mechanicsburg answered with a strong drive of its own. O’Neal found the end zone on a 13-yard rushing touchdown to put the Indians back in front 21-14.

Davis then connected with his top target, Camryn Runyon, on a 62-yard touchdown pass. Runyon won the race to the pylon to extend the lead to 28-14 heading into halftime.

The Indians continued to take control after the break. O’Neal scored on a one-yard run during Mechanicsburg’s opening possession of the second half. A missed extra point left the score at 34-14 midway through the third quarter.

Mechanicsburg added another touchdown on fourth down when Davis kept the ball on a designed quarterback run and raced 37 yards up the middle with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter. The score pushed the Indians’ advantage to 41-14.

The Titans managed one more touchdown late in the third quarter to make it 41-21, but Mechanicsburg answered with two additional scores to put the game away.

O’Neal recorded his third rushing touchdown of the night, and freshman Drew Hurst added a memorable moment by scoring his first varsity touchdown on his 12th carry of the season.

The Indians finished with a convincing 55-21 victory and will now prepare for a matchup with Zane Trace as they continue their postseason run.

Other Results

In Division VII, Region 28, No. 3 Riverside (8-2) will host Cincinnati Country Day in DeGraff. The Nighthawks advanced with a 41-34 win over Upper Scioto Valley. The Riverside game will be broadcast on 98.3 WPKO and Peak of Ohio TV.

In Division V, Region 20, No. 1 Graham (9-1) will host the Arcanum Trojans in St. Paris. Arcanum advanced with a 50-20 victory over Dayton Christian. That game will be available on Peak of Ohio TV.