It was another big Friday night in the OHSAA football playoffs, with Urbana leading the way by rallying past CBC rival Kenton Ridge 27-20 to advance to the Division IV regional final.
The Hillclimbers came back from a 13-point deficit and scored the winning touchdown with 55 seconds left. Urbana will now face London, which beat Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 21-0.
Waynesville also advanced, upsetting top-seeded Graham 14-7 and ending the Falcons’ season. The Spartans will face Bishop Fenwick, a 27-13 winner over Williamsburg, in the Division V regional final. Mechanicsburg and Riverside saw their seasons end with losses to Deer Park and New Bremen.
Division IV – Region 16 (Regional Semifinals)
No. 5 Urbana (10-3) 27, No. 9 Kenton Ridge (10-3) 20
The full replay of the contest is available on-demand for free on PeakofOhioTV.com and on Roku.
Urbana pulled off an impressive playoff comeback Friday night, rallying from a 13-point deficit to defeat Central Buckeye Conference rival Kenton Ridge 27-20 and advance to the Division IV regional final.
The No. 5-seeded Hillclimbers improved to 10-3, avenging a regular-season loss to the No. 9 Cougars.
Kenton Ridge struck first, putting together a long opening drive that included a key fourth-down conversion. Facing fourth-and-nine from the Urbana 31-yard line, quarterback Bryndyn Parsons escaped the pocket and threw across his body to Brennan Shaffer for a 20-yard gain. A few plays later, Brody Runkle punched it in for a touchdown to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead.
Kenton Ridge added to its advantage early in the second quarter when Runkle scored again from six yards out. The extra point was missed, leaving the Cougars with a 13-0 lead.
Urbana had an opportunity to answer on its next possession, driving inside the Kenton Ridge 25-yard line. However, a pass from Grady Lantz went through the hands of Drew Dixon and was intercepted by Preston Smith.
The Cougars were unable to capitalize, and Urbana took over near midfield following a punt. This time, the Hillclimbers finished the drive, with Lantz using a designed quarterback keeper to score from five yards out. Urbana went into halftime trailing 13-7.
The Hillclimbers continued their comeback midway through the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-one from the two-yard line, Lantz kept the ball and followed a big hole created by his offensive line into the end zone. Kenton Ridge blocked the extra point, leaving the game tied at 13-13.
The Cougars regained the lead early in the fourth quarter when Runkle found a hole up the middle, broke toward the right sideline and outran the Urbana defense for a 44-yard touchdown. It was his third rushing score of the night, putting Kenton Ridge ahead 20-13.
Urbana responded with a methodical scoring drive. Lantz eventually found Braxten Spriggs on a nine-yard fade route for a touchdown, tying the game at 20-20 with 5:35 remaining.
After the Hillclimbers forced a quick punt, Lantz connected on several key passes to move Urbana into Kenton Ridge territory. The drive ended with another big play, as Carter Houseman got behind the defense on a 38-yard touchdown reception. Lantz delivered a perfect pass, and Houseman raced into the end zone to give Urbana its first lead of the night, 27-20, with just 55 seconds remaining.
Kenton Ridge wasn’t finished, as Parsons completed several passes to move the Cougars down to the Urbana 25-yard line with one second left. However, Urbana’s defense came up with the final stop, as a fourth-down pass falls incomplete to seal the victory.
Lantz finished with 261 passing yards and two touchdown passes while adding 80 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Runkle led Kenton Ridge with 147 rushing yards and all three of the Cougars’ touchdowns.
Urbana now advances to the regional final, where it will face another CBC opponent, the London Red Raiders. London defeated Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy in the regional semifinals and beat Urbana 59-18 during the regular season.
The Hillclimbers have completed an impressive turnaround under first-year head coach Geron Stokes, improving from a 3-7 record last season to a regional final appearance in his first year back in his hometown, and will be looking for more history next week.
Division V – Region 20 (Regional Semifinals)
No. 4 Waynesville (10-2) 14, No. 1 Graham (10-2) 7
The full replay of the contest is available on-demand for free on PeakofOhioTV.com and on Roku.
Waynesville knocked off top-seeded Graham 14-7 Friday night, ending the Falcons’ playoff run and advancing to the Division V regional final.
The No. 4-seeded Spartans improved to 11-2 and will make their second regional final appearance in the last four years. Graham also finished the season at 10-2.
Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm early, trading punts through much of the first quarter. Graham finally broke through early in the second when Jakob Hoke bounced off several tackles and powered his way to a 32-yard touchdown run. The Falcons took a 7-0 lead with 10:56 remaining in the half.
Turnovers became a major storyline from there. Graham lost a fumble on a pitch play, and Waynesville eventually got another opportunity when Hudson Back intercepted a Gage Stull pass and returned it to the 11-yard line with less than 30 seconds before halftime.
On the next play, John Baker broke through several tackles for an 11-yard touchdown run to put the Spartans on the board. A low snap on the extra-point attempt turned into an unexpected two-point conversion, as kicker Bennett Post caught a pass near the end zone and dove across the goal line. Waynesville took an 8-7 lead into halftime.
The Spartans extended their advantage on their opening possession of the second half. A pass to Tyce Rutledge went for 83 yards down to the Graham five-yard line before Waynesville settled for a 24-yard field goal from Post, making it 11-7.
Waynesville’s defense took over from there, consistently shutting down Graham’s running game and disrupting the Falcons’ passing attack.
The Spartans added some insurance late in the fourth quarter with another field goal, this time from 27 yards out, extending their lead to 14-7 with 3:51 remaining.
Graham had one final opportunity, but Waynesville’s defense delivered a crucial fourth-down stop deep in Falcons territory. The Spartans forced a turnover on downs when Cason Layne broke up a fourth-and-23 pass attempt with just over three minutes remaining.
Graham’s defense came up with a stop on the next possession, keeping the Falcons’ hopes alive after Post missed a 27-yard field goal. Graham got the ball back and moved toward midfield, but faced a critical fourth-and-one with less than a minute remaining.
On third down, Danny Hoke came up just short of the first-down marker on a pass play. Officials stopped the clock to confer on the spot before Graham lined up for the deciding fourth-down play. Stull threw a pass down the sideline that sailed out of reach of Brody Jenkins, sealing the turnover on downs and the Waynesville victory.
Waynesville now advances to the regional final, where it will face No. 6-seeded Bishop Fenwick, who pulled off a 27-13 upset of No. 2 Williamsburg. The Spartans will look to continue their playoff run after knocking off the top-seeded Falcons.
Division VI – Region 24 (Regional Semifinals)
No. 2 Deer Park (11-1) 50, No. 6 Mechanicsburg (10-3) 28
Mechanicsburg’s playoff run came to an end Friday night with a 50-28 loss to No. 2-seeded Deer Park in the Division VI regional semifinals.
The No. 6-seeded Indians finished the season with a 10-3 record, while Deer Park improved to 11-1 and set a school record for wins in a season.
Deer Park took an early 7-0 lead with a touchdown pass in the first quarter before adding another score on the ground early in the second to go up 14-0.
Mechanicsburg answered with a big play, as Matthew Davis broke loose for a 73-yard touchdown run to get the Indians on the scoreboard. However, Deer Park responded with another rushing touchdown to take a 20-7 lead into halftime.
The Wildcats extended their advantage early in the third quarter with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Miles Osborne and a successful two-point conversion, making it 28-7.
Davis added another touchdown for Mechanicsburg on a four-yard run, but Deer Park continued to pull away. Tink Sellers broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run before David Petrosky connected with Titus Sayers on a 20-yard scoring pass to make it 41-14.
Aidan O’Neal added a 13-yard touchdown run for the Indians early in the fourth quarter, but Deer Park answered with a 55-yard touchdown run by Morgan Brown to extend its lead to 50-21.
Mechanicsburg added one final score on a 20-yard rushing touchdown, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
The loss ends a strong season for the Indians, who reached the regional semifinals and finished with 10 victories.
Division VII – Region 28 (Regional Semifinals)
No. 7 New Bremen (8-5) 40, No. 3 Riverside (9-3) 33
Riverside’s season came to an end Friday night as the No. 7-seeded New Bremen Cardinals pulled away late for a 40-33 victory in the Division VI regional semifinals.
The No. 3-seeded Pirates finished their season with a 9-3 record, while New Bremen improved to 8-5 and advanced to the regional final.
Riverside opened the scoring in the first quarter when Gunner Carpenter scored on a three-yard run. New Bremen answered with a 26-yard field goal from AJ Rismiller to make it 7-3.
The Pirates extended their lead early in the second quarter when Dylan Trimble broke loose for a 17-yard touchdown run.
New Bremen responded with a three-yard touchdown run by Gavin Dicke and another field goal from Rismiller to pull within 14-13.
Riverside answered just before halftime, as Trimble scored his second touchdown on a five-yard run. The extra point was missed, giving the Pirates a 20-13 halftime advantage.
The Cardinals grabbed their first lead in the third quarter. Jacob Kelly broke free for a 47-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 20-20. Kelly later scored again from one yard out, but missed the extra point to give New Bremen a 26-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Riverside continued to battle. Carpenter scored his second touchdown on a two-yard run, putting the Pirates back in front 27-26. After New Bremen turned the ball over on downs at their own 42-yard line, Trimble added his third touchdown of the night on a one-yard run with just over five minutes remaining, extending the lead to 33-26. The Pirates missed the extra point.
However, New Bremen answered with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dicke to Joel Lozier. The Cardinals were down 33-32 and decided to kick the extra point with 3:29 left in the game. The snap was high and the holder quickly attempted a 2-point conversion. He completed the pass, but the runner was knocked down out the 1-yard line. With Riverside leading 33-32, New Bremen decided to go for an onside kick. The ball took high bounce off a Riverside player’s should pads and New Bremen recovered at the Riverside 48. The Cardinals marched down the field and Dicke connected with Lozier again, this time for a 24-yard touchdown, then found Darren Ross on the two-point conversion to make it 40-33 with 42 second left in the game.
Riverside would get to the New Bremen 35 and had two shots at the end zone which came up incomplete to end the game.
Riverside finished with 428 total yards, including 395 rushing yards.
Carpenter led the Pirates with 176 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Justin Mazariegos added 121 yards, while Trimble finished with 94 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
New Bremen was led by Kelly, who rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Dicke accounted for three total touchdowns, while Lozier caught seven passes for 97 yards and two scores.
The game had many amazing stats including the rarity of neither team punting the football.
The loss ends another strong season for Riverside, which finished with nine wins and a trip to the regional semifinals.
CBC
No. 3 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 0
No. 2 London 14 (D4, R16)
MAC
No. 4 Minster 9
No. 1 Marion Local 27 (D7, R28)
No. 12 Versailles 14
No. 9 St. Henry 38 (D6, R24)
No. 10 Coldwater 26 (D5, R18)
No. 3 Eastwood 7
