Division II
Toledo Central Catholic Staves Off Akron Archbishop Hoban’s Furious Comeback to Win Division II State Title
CANTON, Ohio –Fifth-ranked Toledo Central Catholic won its fourth football state championship in school history after defeating second-ranked Akron Archbishop Hoban in the Division II state title game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Thursday night, 28-21.
Central Catholic (14-1) overcame the record-setting performance of Hoban senior running back Lamar Sperling, who was named Ohio Mr. Football prior to the game and went on to set a new record for the most rushing yards in the Division II State Championship game in OHSAA history with 356 yards. The previous record was set in 2011 when Isreal Green rushed for 326 yards for Trotwood-Madison in a 42-28 win over Avon at Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Sperling also finished with all three scores for the Knights. Final attendance for the Division II game was 5,120.
2022 marked the fifth state title game appearance in school history for Central Catholic. Thursday’s game was the seventh for Hoban (14-1) in the state championship game. The Knights now have five state titles and two runners-up.
Central Catholic struck first to begin the game when senior quarterback Ty’Waun Clark plunged into the endzone from one yard out to take a 7-0 lead at the 6:56 mark first quarter. On the ensuing drive, Fighting Irish senior defensive lineman Deandre Ellis forced a fumble and senior teammate Tyler Jackson recovered the ball. Central Catholic scored three plays later when Clark rushed for his second touchdown of the night to give the Fighting Irish a 14-0 lead with 4:16 left in the first quarter.
The Fighting Irish defense continued to wreak havoc when junior defensive back Braden Awls intercepted Hoban quarterback Jacqai Long’s pass and went 92 yards for a score, breaking the OHSAA Division II state championship record for the longest pass interception returned for a touchdown (88 yards, Mike Elston St. Marys Memorial 1990). Central Catholic extended its lead to 21-0 early in the second quarter after the Awls interception return for a touchdown. Hoban got on the board when 2022 Ohio Mr. Football award winner and senior Lamar Sperling rushed for an eight-yard touchdown at the 6:37 mark in the first half to cut into Central Catholic’s lead, 21-7. However, the Fighting Irish scored just before the end of the half when Clark threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior Durye’a Hall at the 1:24 mark. Central Catholic took a 28-7 lead at halftime.
Sperling scored his second touchdown of the night for the Knights on a 49 yard-run to cut Central Catholic’s lead in half in the third quarter, 28-14, with 7:50 left in the third quarter. The Hoban defense held the Fighting Irish scoreless in the third quarter allowing Knights’ offense to stay within striking distance. Sperling scored his third touchdown of the evening at the 0:38 mark in the third quarter to bring the Knights within single digits heading into the fourth quarter, 28-21.
Both teams traded punts throughout the fourth quarter until Hoban turned the ball over on downs with 2:24 left in the game. However, the Irish went three-and-out having to punt with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Hoban got the ball back but threw an interception to end the game.
Clark accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing; one passing) and 139 total yards of offense (77 rushing; 62 passing). Fighting Irish senior running back Chris Edmonds ran for 104 yards on 22 carries and Awls led the team in receiving with three catches, 30 yards and a touchdown.
Division V
South Range’s 32-Point First Half Powers Raiders Past Ironton to Win First Football State Championship in Top-Ranked Matchup
CANTON, Ohio – No. 2 Canfield South Range (16-0) earned its first football state championship and kept its perfect season intact after beating No. 1 Ironton (15-1) in the 2022 Division V State Championship game on Friday morning at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, 53-27. The Raiders used five first half touchdowns to overpower Ironton and are the third team in OHSAA history to have a perfect 16-0 record (Chardon and Maria Stein Marion Local in 2021).
South Range senior quarterback Billy Skripac accounted for six total touchdowns (three passing; three rushing) and 388 total yards of offense (331 passing; 57 rushing). He and finished 13-fo-25 passing for the Raiders.
South Range scored touchdowns on all five possessions in the red zone. The Raider defense held Ironton to only 46 yards rushing.
The Raiders scored on their first offensive drive of the game when senior quarterback Billy Skripac rushed for a seven-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead at the 8:25 mark in the opening quarter. Just 12 seconds later, Ironton answered back with a 66-yard touchdown pass when senior quarterback Tayden Carpenter connected with senior tight end Lincoln Barnes to knot the game at seven apiece with 8:13 left in the first quarter. Later in the first quarter, the Raider defense turned over the Fighting Tigers’ offense on downs at the 1:58 mark. South Range quickly went 70 yards in five plays to score when Skripac found senior tight end JD Crouse on a 40-yard touchdown pass. The Raiders led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Ironton had the ball to start the second quarter but fumbled and the Raiders recovered the ball inside Tiger territory. South Range only needed two plays to score when Skripac found the endzone for the second time on the ground to extend the Raiders’ lead. The extra point failed so South Range led 20-7 with 11:14 left in the first half. On the ensuing drive, the Fighting Tigers went three-and-out and had a punt blocked by South Range senior defensive lineman Bailey Ryan and the Raiders recovered the ball on the Ironton eight-yard line. Skripac called his number again to score his third rushing touchdown of the game on an eight-yard run. The extra point failed again, but South Range led 26-7 with 8:56 left in the second quarter. Ironton shook off the offensive struggles when Carpenter threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Ty Perkins capping off an 11-play, 87-yard drive. Ironton pulled within 12 points of South Range, 26-14, with 5:19 left in the half. However, South Range scored on the next drive when junior running back Blake Ewert rushed for a 31-yard touchdown, increasing the Raider lead to 32-14 after a failed two-point conversion with 3:13 left in the first half. South Range went into the locker room with the lead, 32-14. Skripac was responsible for four of five Raider touchdowns (three rushing; one passing) and tallied 264 yards of total offense (232 passing; 32 rushing) in the first half.
Both teams traded turning the ball over on downs early in the third quarter until South Range scored its first touchdown of the second half when Skripac threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Shane Lindsrom to make it 39-14 in favor of the Raiders at the 6:01 mark. Shortly after, the Fighting Tigers found the endzone when Carpenter tossed a seven-yard touchdown reception to senior running back Amari Fielder to remain within striking distance of South Range, 39-21, with 4:46 left in the third quarter. South Range kept its foot on the gas when it conducted an almost-nine-minute drive that went 80 yards in 16 plays culminated by Skripac throwing an eight-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Dean DePizzo increasing the Raider lead to 46-21 with 7:57 left in the game. Ironton answered with a Carpenter 27-yard touchdown pass to Perkins but failed to convert the two-point conversion making it 46-27 in favor of South Range. The Raiders scored the final touchdown of the game when sophomore running back Aidan Dominguez scampered into the endzone from eight yards out to increase the South Range lead to 53-27 with 1:45 left in the game.
Ewert led South Range in rushing with 19 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown while Lindsrom was the leading receiver with six catches for 176 yards and a touchdown.
Carpenter went 21-for-36 through the air with 325 passing yards, five touchdowns and an interception for Ironton. Perkins led the Fighting Tigers in receiving with seven catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns while senior running back Jaquez Keyes carried the ball nine times for 22 yards. Final attendance for the Division V game was 6,393.
Division III
Canfield Claims First State Title in School History
CANTON, Ohio – No. 3 Canfield (14-1) earned its first state championship after defeating Carroll Bloom-Carroll (14-2) 35-14 in the 2022 Division III State Championship game Friday afternoon at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Canfield senior quarterback Broc Lowry led the Cardinals with three rushing touchdowns, one touchdown pass, and one receiving touchdown. This is Canfield’s second state final appearance and its first state championship. In 2005, the Cardinals fell to Toledo Central Catholic 31-29 in the Division II championship game.
Canfield outgained Bloom-Carroll in total offense 366-223 and converted touchdowns on all four of their redzone possessions.
The Cardinals scored on their first offensive drive of the game when Lowry rushed for a one-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead at the 4:18 mark. Lowry then rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 2:48 left in the first half. Canfield quickly responded right before halftime with an 18-yard pass from sophomore Ethan Thanthanavong to junior Jayse Rockwood to get a first down on Canfield’s 3-yard line. Thanthanavong then completed a 3-yard pass to junior Brodyn Bishop with 00:05 left on the clock. Canfield led Bloom-Carroll 14-7 heading into the half.
Halfway through the third quarter, Canfield senior Caden Kohout forced a fumble, which was recovered by Lowry. The Cardinals then drove nine plays for 51 yards, ending in a 2-yard touchdown rush by Lowry. This put Canfield up 21-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
An early fourth quarter 69-yard touchdown reception by Lowry, extended Canfield’s lead even further. With 6:06 left in the fourth quarter, senior Dom Marzano caught a 9-yard touchdown pass by Lowry. Bloom Carroll scored the final touchdown of the night, when senior Chase Plantz ran the ball in 1-yard with 3:50 left in the game, making the final score 35-14.
In the last five games, Bloom Carroll has averaged 270 rushing yards. Today, the Cardinals held them to only 69.
This was Bloom-Carroll’s first appearance in the state championship game. The Bulldogs reached the Division IV state semifinals the last two seasons before moving up to Division III this year.
Division I
St. Edward Wins Rematch of 2021 State Title Game to Secure Back-to-Back State Championships
Canton, OH – Top-ranked Lakewood St. Edward won its sixth football state championship in school history after defeating fourth-ranked Springfield in the Division I state title game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday night, 28-14.
St. Edward (15-1) was led by their defense as the Eagles' defense tallied nine sacks, a forced fumble, and 11 tackles for loss. Just as he did a year ago, senior defensive lineman Wyatt Gedeon led the game in sacks with 3.5.
The Eagles also were led by a strong rushing attack as St. Edward had 296 rushing yards as a team and had two players reach the triple digits mark. Senior running back Marvin Bell ran for 170 yards on 24 carries with two touchdowns and junior quarterback Casey Bullock rushed for 101 yards on 17 carries and one score.
Springfield (13-2) was the first team to get on the board as they took advantage of a turnover on downs by St. Edward and marched down the short field before junior running back Jayvin Norman ran it in from one yard out to make it 7-0.
However, Springfield was unable to convert any of their three other drives as St. Edward kept them to a total of 31 yards and sacked the Wildcats’ senior quarterback Bryce Schondelmyer three times.
St. Edward responded to going behind by scoring touchdowns on three straight offensive drives. The first came as a 24-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Casey Bullock to junior wide receiver Kyan Mason. The second was after a methodical drive that ends with a Bullock run of three yards to put the Eagles ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter. Their third touchdown of the half came with just over a minute left in the half as senior running back Marvin Bell dove into the endzone from a yard out after a 13-play, six-minute drive that saw the Eagles take a two-touchdown lead into the half.
The Eagles forced a fumble from Springfield on the second play of the third quarter but weren’t able to capitalize as they turned the ball over on downs near the Wildcats’ 30-yard line.
Springfield then went on an 18-play, 70-yard drive that took just over eight minutes to get within one score of the Eagles. Schondelmyer threw a 17-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Daylen Bradley late in the third quarter.
The Eagles answered with a methodical drive of their own where they drove 78 yards in 10 plays and just over four minutes to regain a two-score lead. After being sidelined earlier in the game, Bell came back in to run for a one-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 28-14 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing Wildcats’ drive, they were able to march all the way down near the Eagles’ twenty, before turning the ball over with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Division VI
Marion Local Jumps Divisions and Goes 16-0 for the Second Straight Year
CANTON, Ohio - Top-ranked Maria Stein Marion Local won back to back state titles, defeating Kirtland in the Division VI State Championship game Saturday morning 14-6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
The win gives Marion Local a perfect 16-0 record for the second straight year.
Marion Local kept Kirtland's explosive offense to only 161 yards of total offense on the day, 109 yards on the ground and 52 yards through the air.
Kirtland (15-1) and Marion Local both made it back to the state title game this year but in new divisions. Kirtland lost to Versailles 20-16 in the 2021 Division V title game and Marion Local beat Newark Catholic in the 2021 Division VII title game 42-7.
Marion Local senior running back Darren Meier started the scoring off with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to put the Flyers up 7-0 with 01:39 left in the first half.
Marion Local Senior safety Nathan Buschur gave the Flyers a 14-0 lead returning a 57-yard interception for a touchdown with 06:42 left in the third quarter.
Kirtland had a late surge when tight end Will Sayle caught a 10-yard touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Jake LaVerde leaving 03:34 in the third quarter.
Field position played a role during the game with the wind being at the back of the Flyers for the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth quarter senior punter Aidan Eifert had a 60-yard punt that was downed on the Kirtland's 2-yard line, giving the Hornets just 29 seconds to go 98-yards for a potential game tying drive.
Division VII
New Bremen’s Homan Breaks Two Championship Rushing Records; Leads the Cardinals to Second State Title
CANTON, Ohio – Seventh-ranked New Bremen (13-3) won its second state championship in school history after defeating top-ranked Warren John F. Kennedy (14-1) in the Division VII state title game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday afternoon, 38-6.
The Cardinals featured a big-play offense that included senior quarterback David Homan leading the way with 234 yards rushing on 25 attempts and a state championship record four rushing touchdowns. The previous record of three was set by Brandon Fleck of Maria Stein Marion Local in 2019.
The New Bremen defense tallied seven quarterback hurries, three tackles for loss and two interceptions. Senior linebacker Evan Eyink led the team with nine tackles and one interception.
New Bremen started with a methodical 13 play, 65 yard drive that was capped off with a 13-yard touchdown run from senior running back Hunter Schaefer.
JFK got back-to-back opportunities with the ball after New Bremen muffed an Eagles punt, but were unable to capitalize on the short field and turned the ball over on downs.
On the ensuing drive, Homan ran for the longest touchdown in a Division VII state championship game with a 67-yard scamper to the endzone to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead.
Later in the second quarter, JFK tried some trickery with a double pass, but it was intercepted by Eyink. Two plays later, Hoban took it 41 yards for a touchdown to make the score 21-0 in favor of the Cardinals.
Just before half, New Bremen again drove down the field, this time 57 yards in 12 plays to grab a field goal to go up 24-0 into the half.
Coming out of the break, JFK found some life. The Eagles marched right down the field with a 10 play, 65 yard drive that ended with a 27 yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Caleb Hadley to senior wide receiver Aiden Rossi. The two-point attempt failed, leaving the score at 24-6.
The Cardinals answered with a 14 play, 57 yard drive that ended in another Homan rushing touchdown, this time from seven yards out.
On the ensuing kickoff, JFK muffed the return and two plays later Homan would be in the endzone for a state championship game record fourth time with a 27 yard touchdown run.
The Cardinals sealed the victory with a late interception by senior defensive lineman Carter Elking, securing the 38-6 victory.
Division IV
Glenville Claims First State Title in School History
CANTON, Ohio –No. 1 Cleveland Glenville (15-0) claimed its first football state championship after defeating No. 2 Cincinnati Wyoming (15-1) 26-6 in the 2022 Division IV State Championship game Saturday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Glenville standout junior quarterback/running back D’Shawntae Jones led the team with three rushing touchdowns with 28 carries and 195 yards. This is Glenville’s third state final appearance and its first state championship. The Tarblooders fell to Hilliard Davidson 16-15 in the 2009 Division I championship game and to Loveland 41-23 in the 2013 Division II championship game.
Glenville outgained Wyoming in total offense 358-276, with 267 rushing yards. The Tarblooders’ defense forced three turnovers and allowed Wyoming senior running back CJ Hester only one touchdown and 98 total rushing yards. Hester had 48 touchdowns for the season and was a 2022 Ohio Mr. Football finalist.
Glenville took the lead early in the first quarter after senior linebacker Arvell Reese forced a fumble on Wyoming’s opening drive. Glenville senior quarterback Deonte Rucker had a 45-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Damarion Witten. The Glenville Tarblooders’ two-point conversion was no good, making the score 6-0 with 10 minutes left to play in the first quarter. Wyoming answered with an 81-yard touchdown run by Hester. The Wyoming PAT attempt was no good, making the score tied 6-6 with 4:45 left to play in the first quarter.
Tarblooders’ standout junior quarterback D’Shawntae Jones rushed for two touchdowns in the second quarter giving Glenville an 18-6 lead over Wyoming with 5:08 left to play in the first half. The Cowboys drove down the field for 12 plays and 66 yards, but Glenville’s Reese ended the half with an interception. Glenville led Wyoming 18-6 going into the half.
Halfway through the third quarter, Glenville’s Jones had his third rushing touchdown of the night with a 45-yard run. The Tarblooders two-point rush attempt by junior Micquan Gravely was good and gave Glenville a 26-6 lead with 9:42 left in the third quarter. With 5:20 left to play in the game, Wyoming drove the ball for 12 plays and 66-yards, until Glenville senior Warren Bloodworth intercepted a pass. Glenville ran eight plays as time ran out, making for a scoreless fourth quarter and the final score of 26-6.
This was Wyoming’s fourth state title appearance. The Cowboys now have two state runners-up and two state championships.