Division I
St. Xavier Cruises to Division I State Title
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Everything went right early for Cincinnati St. Xavier as the Bombers set an OHSAA Division I football state championship game record with 30 points in the first quarter on their way to a 44-3 win over defending state champion Pickerington Central at Fortress Obetz.
It marks the fourth state championship for St. Xavier (2005, 2007, 2016, 2020). The Bombers were ranked sixth in the final Associated Press state poll, while Pickerington Central was No. 1 and finishes as state runner-up for the third time (2006, 2011, 2020) to go along with two state titles (2017, 2019).
In this 2020 season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Xavier finishes 10-2 and Pickerington Central finishes 11-1.
The Bombers recorded a safety, held Pickerington Central to six first downs, and gave up only 76 total yards in total offense, which is a Division I state championship game defensive record.
St. Xavier quarterback Brogan McCaughey and wide receiver Jalen Patterson hooked up for four touchdowns – all in the first quarter – which set a Division I state title game record for receiving touchdowns in a game and tied the state record for passing touchdowns. Patterson finished with five catches for 105 yards, while McCaughey went 25-for-39 for 291 yards.
The Bombers collected 22 first downs and 354 yards of total offense without a turnover. The second half was played with a running clock by OHSAA rule.
After Pickerington Central failed to get off a punt on the game’s first possession, St. Xavier took over with a short field and McCaughey threw his first of four touchdown passes, finding Patterson for 14 yards and a 6-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. A Garner Wallace sack in the end zone gave St. Xavier two more points for the safety, and then McCaughey found Patterson for a scoring strikes of 35 and eight yards to push the lead to 23-0. Patterson’s fourth touchdown grab came with 57 seconds left in the opening quarter effectively put the game out of reach.
In the second quarter, McCaughey scored on a one-yard run and Gabe DuBois returned a punt 58 yards for the Bombers’ final score. Mason Rohmiller was good on all six PAT kicks.
Grant Lyons led the St. Xavier defense with six tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Matthew DeVine and Brennan Bareswilt both had five tackles.
Division VII
New Bremen Shuts Out Warren JFK for First State Title
MASSILLON, Ohio – In its first trip to the state championship game, New Bremen shut out Warren John F. Kennedy, 31-0, Friday for the Division VII state title at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Prior to this season, New Bremen (10-2) had four playoff wins in school history, but the Cardinals won six playoff games this fall, which included wins over top-ranked and defending state champion Maria Stein Marion Local in a regional final and No. 4-ranked Lima Central Catholic in the state semifinal.
The state title is the 36th football championship for the Midwest Athletic Conference, the most of any conference in OHSAA history. It is the 137th state title overall for the MAC.
JFK (9-3) had a big advantage in time of possession (29:22 to 18:38), but the Eagles lost two fumbles and gave up a punt return for a touchdown.
Neither team put up big offensive numbers. New Bremen totaled 247 yards of offense on 166 yards rushing and 81 yards passing. The Cardinals held JFK to 133 yards and had three quarterback sacks.
New Bremen sophomore Hunter Schaefer rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. After a scoreless first quarter, Schaefer’s scoring run came from 39 yards out with 8:19 left in the first half that gave the Cardinals a 7-0 lead that would remain the same at halftime.
New Bremen broke it open in the third quarter when senior quarterback Mitchell Hays had a one-yard TD run with 9:09 left, junior Owen Gabel kicked a 20-yard field goal at 6:02 and sophomore David Homan returned a punt 45 yards for a score with 1:44 remaining that put the Cardinals up 24-0. Homan caught a 19-yard pass from Hayes with 10:49 left in the fourth quarter to finish the scoring.
Hayes was 5-for-6 passes for 81 yards. He also rushed for 60 yards on 18 carried.
JFK quarterback Cam Hollobaugh was 8-for-15 passing for 72 yards. The Eagles take home their fourth state runner-up trophy to go along with state titles in 1991 and 2016.
Division II
Hoban Tops Massillon Washington 35-6 for Fifth State Title
MASSILLON, Ohio – Akron Archbishop Hoban jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held Massillon Washington to 136 total yards on the way to a 35-6 win Friday night in the Division II state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
The state title is the fifth for Hoban, all coming in the last six years. These two teams met in the 2018 state championship game, with Hoban winning 42-28, but Massillon knocked Hoban out of the playoffs last year in a regional final. Massillon has taken home the state runner-up trophy the last three years.
The game was played on Massillon’s home field after the OHSAA moved the games out of Columbus Thursday due to a health advisory in Franklin County due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All six state championship games this weekend are being played in Massillon, which was a host for the state finals from 1990-2013.
Hoban posted a big lead in time of possession, 29:44 to 18:16, and totaled 350 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Shane Hamm was 9-for-10 passing for 172 yards and four touchdowns. Senior running back Victor Dawson rushed for 145 yards on 21 carries.
Hoban put together two long scoring drives in the first quarter. Hamm scored on a two-yard run on the Knights’ first drive and then found senior Kharion Davis on an 11-yard pass to cap off the second drive and put Hoban up 14-0.
Massillon got back into the game just before halftime when senior quarterback Zach Catrone hit senior Caiden Woullard on a 16-yard scoring pass with 21 seconds left before the intermission. The extra point was no good and Hoban led 14-6 going into the locker room.
Hamm threw three TD passes in the second half to put the game out of reach. He found Davis on a 62-yard scoring play with 8:48 left in the third quarter, then junior Tyson Grimm hauled in a 36-yard pass with 9:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. A 12-yard pass to senior Chances Carter-Hill with 3:10 finished the scoring for Hoban.
Senior Darryl Peterson had two and a half quarterback sacks for Hoban and senior AJ Kirk had three tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Division V
Kirtland Shuts Out Ironton for Three-Peat and Sixth Title
MASSILLON, Ohio – Top-ranked Kirtland won its 41st-consecutive game and rolled to its third-consecutive state title Saturday, shutting out second-ranked Ironton, 38-0, in the Division V state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. It is the sixth state title overall for Kirtland, which as played in the state championship game nine of the last 10 years.
It was a rematch of last year’s Division V state championship game that Kirtland won 17-7 in Canton. This year, Kirtland (11-0) piled up 408 yards of offense and held Ironton (11-1) to only three first downs and 58 total yards, including seven yards in the second half when Ironton turned it over on three its four possessions.
Ironton was making its 10th state championship game appearance and now has eight runner-up trophies to go along with state championship trophies in 1979 and 1989.
Kirtland led 10-0 at halftime and then scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the second half to put the game out of reach.
Senior Mason Sullivan rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Gage. Senior quarterback Liam Powers was 9-for-14 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Senior Anthony DeMarco rushed for 79 yards and a score on 17 carries.
A 30-yard field goal by senior Mario Rodin got the scoring started for Kirtland with 1:32 left in the first quarter. A one-yard TD run by Powers with 3:34 left before halftime gave the Hornets a 10-0 lead at the intermission. In the third quarter, Mason Sullivan scored on a 17-yard run at 9:09, then he threw a 50-yard TD pass to his brother, Gage, at 8:17. DeMarco scored on an eight-yard run at 4:55 and Power capped off the scoring early in the fourth quarter with an 18-yard pass to senior Danny Davidson.
The Kirtland defense held Ironton’s Reid Carrico to 30 yards rushing on 11 carries. Junior Joseph Coleman led the Hornet defense with 5.5 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss and a quarterback sack.
Division III
Chardon Takes State Title In Double-Overtime Over DeSales
MASSILLON, Ohio – In double-overtime, Chardon junior kicker Nathan Tager’s 33-yard field goal proved to be the game-winner after Columbus St. Francis DeSales then missed its own field goal attempt, giving Chardon a 31-28 win in the Division III state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
It marked the second state title for Chardon (12-0), with the other coming in 1994. The Hilltoppers trailed by 14 points (28-14) midway through the fourth quarter, which tied the Division III championship game record for largest deficit overcome to win. Chardon scored the final 17 points of the game.
DeSales (9-2) takes home its sixth state runner-up trophy to go along with state titles in 1985, 1997 and 1998.
It marked the second-consecutive year that the Division III championship game went into overtime. Last year in Canton, Trotwood-Madison topped Mansfield Senior, 14-7, in overtime.
In the first overtime period, both teams had fourth-down field goal attempts blocked. In the second overtime period, Chardon had the ball first and Tager’s successful field goal attempt on fourth down gave the Hilltoppers the lead. On its possession, DeSales’ game-tying field goal attempt went wide left to end the game.
DeSales senior running back Quinn Quintell rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He scored DeSales’ first three touchdowns on runs of 74, 15 and 60 yards and when junior Whit Hobgood hit senior Jordan Johnson on a 31-yard touchdown pass with 2:07 left in the third quarter, DeSales was up 28-14.
But in the fourth quarter, Chardon senior quarterback Drew Fetchik hooked up with senior Blake Barker on a 36-yard scoring pass with 6:09 remaining, and then senior Evan Ash scored on a nine-yard run with 2:13 left, with Tager’s extra points tying the game at 28-28.
Barker caught two TD passes in the game, with the first coming on a 63-yard play from Fetchik with 11:04 left in the third quarter that tied the game at 14-14.
Fetchik was 9-for-14 passes for 249 yards and two scores. He also rushed for 87 yards and a score on 19 attempts.
Freshman Max Shulaw had a game-high 12.5 tackles to lead the DeSales defense.
For Chardon, Barker had 4.5 tackles, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Senior Vince Ferrante led Chardon with six tackles.
Division IV
Van Wert Wins First State Title with Last-Second Win over Mentor Lake Catholic
MASSILLON, Ohio – On his first varsity field goal attempt, sophomore Damon McCracken kicked a 25-yard field goal in the rain with nine seconds left to send Van Wert past Mentor Lake Catholic in the Division IV state championship Sunday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
It marks the first football state championship for Van Wert (11-1), which was the state runner-up in 2000. The Cougars trailed 21-7 in the third quarter, but the last five times they had the ball they scored three touchdowns and kicked the game-winning field goal. The 14-point come-from-behind win ties the Division IV state championship game record for largest deficit overcome to win.
Lake Catholic (8-3) takes home the state runner-up trophy after winning state titles in its three previous trips to the final (1991, 1992 and 2001).
Neither team was ranked in the final Associated Press state poll and both had to win regional playoff games on the road, as Van Wert was the No. 5 seed and Lake Catholic was a No. 12 seed. Van Wert beat state-ranked Bellevue (No. 4) and Shelby (No. 8) in the regional playoffs and No. 3 Cincinnati Wyoming in the state semifinal. Lake Catholic beat No. 5 Carroll Bloom-Carroll in the state semifinal.
Van Wert senior quarterback Owen Treece was responsible for all four of his team’s touchdowns. He completed 27-of-44 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 68 yards and a score on 19 carries. His passing touchdowns came from two yards out to Maddix Crutchfield early in the second quarter, from 42 yards out to Connor Pratt early in the fourth quarter and then from 15 yards away to Nate Jackson with 2:30 left in the game that tied the score at 28-28.
After Van Wert tied the game, Lake Catholic threw an interception, giving the ball back to Van Wert near midfield with 1:09 left in the game. Treece completed two passes for 15 and 12 yards, respectively, and then ran it twice for gains of 13 and seven yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
Lake Catholic quarterback Joe Malchesky totaled 219 yards rushing on 30 carried and had touchdown runs of 53 yards in the third quarter and 50 yards in the fourth quarter. He also led the defense with 11.5 tackles, a forced fumble, 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and an interception.
For Van Wert, junior Turner Witten, junior Ty Jackson and sophomore Aidan Pratt led the way with seven tackles apiece. Treece and senior Dru Johnson both notched interceptions.
Division VI
Coldwater Wins Thriller Over Springfield in Division VI Title Game
MASSILLON, Ohio – In a game that had 11 ties or lead changes, senior Brady Klingshirn kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired to give top-ranked Coldwater a 38-35 win over No. 4 New Middletown Springfield Sunday in the Division VI state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
The two teams combined for 878 yards of total offense and neither team led by more than one score throughout the game. It was a thrilling end to the OHSAA state championship games, which were moved to Massillon 24 hours before they started due to a new health advisory in Franklin County due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatened continuation of the fall sports seasons throughout the fall.
The win gives Coldwater (12-0) its seventh state championship and first since winning four in a row from 2012-15. It is the second football state championship this weekend (New Bremen in Division VII), and 37th overall, for the Midwest Athletic Conference, the most of any conference in OHSAA history. It is the 138th state title overall for the MAC.
Springfield (11-1) takes home the state runner-up trophy for the second consecutive year after falling to another MAC member, Anna, 48-14 last year in Canton.
Springfield junior quarterback Beau Brungard rushed for 261 yards on 20 carries (13.1 average) and tied a Division VI state championship game record with four rushing touchdowns. He was 10-for-18 passing for 121 yards and another touchdown.
Senior quarterback Myles Blasingame was responsible for all five Coldwater touchdowns. He was 11-for-20 passing for 185 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
Coldwater's Zach McKibben totaled 366 all-purpose yards on 82 yards rushing, 76 yards receiving, 121 yards on punt returns and 87 yards on kickoff returns. His 75-yard punt return with less than a minute left in the game set up the Cavaliers' game-winning field goal.