CANTON, Ohio - Christian Moulton caught three touchdown passes and Jake Struck accounted for 197 all-purpose yards and a score to lead Powell Olentangy Liberty (14-2) to a 28-14 win over Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (14-2) in the Division I state championship game.
Olentangy Liberty wins its first state title in its first trip to the state championship game and completes a postseason run in which it held all six opponents to 14 points or fewer. Moeller finishes as state runner-up for the fifth time to go along with nine state titles.
Olentangy Liberty opened the scoring on its second possession and never trailed.
After the Olentangy Liberty defense stopped the Moeller offense on downs near midfield on its initial possession, Struck and quarterback Andrew Leonard quickly moved the Patriots down the field. Two plays after the duo connected for 13 yards on third-and-5, Leonard found Struck up the seam for 25 yards to the 1-yard line. Struck scored from there on the next play.
Struck’s 24-yard punt return in the second quarter set up the Olentangy Liberty offense at the Moeller 16-yard line. After a penalty and a sack, Leonard hit Christian Moulton on a post route for a touchdown on third-and-14 from the Moeller 20. The extra point gave the Patriots a 14-0 lead with 7:24 left in the half.
The defense got Moeller on the scoreboard in the waning moments of the first half. On fourth-and-1 from the Moeller 20, Struck took a direct snap and ran into the middle of the line. The ball popped loose, Moeller’s Cooper Gearhart scooped it off the turf, and he returned it 80 yards for a touchdown with just 23 seconds remaining before halftime.
Moeller fumbled after driving into the Olentangy Liberty red zone on the opening possession of the second half, and two plays after the turnover Leonard hit Moulton in stride behind the defense for a 61-yard score.
Moeller then went three-and-out, and Olentangy Liberty covered 56 yards in seven plays, the last of which was a 14-yard touchdown pass from a scrambling Leonard to Moulton on second-and-9. The extra point gave Olentangy Liberty a 28-7 lead with 1:39 left in the third quarter.
Moeller’s offense closed the scoring early in the fourth quarter. Matt Ponatoski tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Landen Adams to cap a 10-play, 62-yard drive that included a pair of third-down conversions. Olentangy Liberty took possession with 7:36 remaining after the kickoff and never relinquished the football.
Leonard completed 17 of 23 throws for 272 yards and three touchdowns for Olentangy Liberty. Moulton caught eight passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns, while Struck ran 17 times for 99 yards and a score, caught four passes for 74 yards and had the 24-yard punt return that set up his team’s second touchdown.
Ponatuski completed 16 of 30 passes for 112 yards for Moeller. Seven different players caught a pass, led by Jovan Love’s four catches for 31 yards.
Avon capped a perfect 16-0 season with its first state title, while Anderson (15-1) finished runner-up for the second time (2008) to go along with a state title in 2007.
Avon posted 437 yards of offense in the wintry conditions, and the Eagles’ defense came up with two fourth-quarter stops to seal the win.
Quiante’ Smith scored on a 10-yard run with 3:54 left in the third quarter to give Avon a 20-13 lead, and Anderson drove inside the Avon 10-yard line on the ensuing possession. A goalline stand by the Eagles’ defense included a fourth-down stop at the 2-yard line and gave Avon the ball back with 10:18 remaining.
Avon moved the ball inside Anderson’s 20-yard line and drained nearly six minutes off the fourth quarter clock, but an interception ended the drive and Anderson took over at its own 3-yard line with 4:28 left. Eighteen plays later, Anderson faced fourth-and-9 from the Avon 22 with 8 seconds left; a throw into the end zone was broken up as time expired.
Good scored on a 71-yard run on third-and-10 on the game’s opening possession and Avon took an early 7-0 lead. Avon punted on its second possession, and Anderson embarked on a 14-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in a 12-yard scoring pass from Justice Burnam to Aiden McClanahan. Lucas Callahan’s point-after tied the score at seven with 6:01 remaining in the first half.
Avon regained the lead less than three minutes later when Good connected with Matt Maxey on a 44-yard touchdown pass. Maxey caught the pass in stride at the five, shook off a tackle and dove across the goal line for the score.
The teams traded touchdowns to open the second half. Anderson drove 87 yards in 13 plays with the second half kickoff, and Burnam scored on a 6-yard run. The extra-point kick was blocked. Avon then answered with Smith’s 10-yard run.
Good’s 190 rushing yards came on 19 carries, while he completed 8 of 15 passes for 143 yards. Maxey caught three passes for 83 yards and a score.
Burnam ran 32 times for 148 yards and completed 19 of 33 throws for 150 yards and a score for Anderson. Trace Jallick caught six passes for 52 yards and McClanahan had five receptions that covered 50 yards.
CANTON, Ohio - Columbus Bishop Watterson scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including Drew Bellisari’s 9-yard run with 1:29 remaining, to rally past Toledo Central Catholic, 19-14, in the Division III state championship game.
Watterson finished the season a perfect 16-0 and claimed its third state title in school history (2002, 2010). Toledo Central Catholic (14-2) finished runner-up for the second time (2015) to go along with five state titles.
A low-scoring opening half gave way to a back-and-forth second half that saw the teams trade big plays.
Leading 7-0, Central Catholic drove the second half kickoff to the Watterson 9-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Watterson answered with a 10-play, 90-yard drive that culminated in Zack Weber’s 28-yard touchdown run; Weber carried eight times for 61 yards on the drive.
Jeremiah Fuller immediately put Central Catholic back in front, returning the kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. The point-after gave the Irish a 14-7 lead with 51 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Watterson faced fourth-and-1 from its own 48-yard line on the ensuing possession, but Bellisari found Dominic Theado wide-open behind the defense for a 52-yard touchdown. The point-after was blocked, and Central Catholic maintained a 14-13 lead with 10:28 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Watterson defense forced a punt, and the offense took over at its own 20-yard line with 7:17 remaining. Watterson converted both a third-and-1 and a third-and-3 before facing fourth-and-13 from its own 40; on that snap, Dominic Theado made a leaping catch of a Bellisari throw over the middle to keep the game alive. Five plays later, Bellisari wove his way through the Central Catholic defense and into the end zone for the go-ahead 9-yard touchdown run.
Watterson’s defense forced a turnover on downs, and Bellisari kneeled once to run out the clock.
Central Catholic quarterback Ali Beydoun scrambled for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal in the opening quarter, and the Irish defense forced Watterson to punt on each of its five first-half possessions.
The game turned in the second half as Watterson scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and gained 141 of its 280 total yards in the fourth quarter alone. In the first half, Central Catholic ran 37 plays for 162 yards, compared to Watterson’s 44 yards on 19 plays; after halftime, Central Catholic totaled 102 yards on 24 plays while Watterson amassed 236 yards on 32 plays.
Weber ran 28 times for 134 yards and a touchdown for Watterson, while Bellisari ran 13 times for 63 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Bellisari also completed 5 of 9 passes for 88 yards and a score.
Beydoun completed 15 of 22 passes for 158 yards and ran for Central Catholic’s only offensive touchdown. Tyler Morgan rushed 22 times for 80 yards.
CANTON, Ohio - Grady Kinsey carried 36 times for 247 yards and scored five touchdowns to lead Gnadenhutten Indian Valley to a 37-36 win over Sandusky Perkins in the 2024 Division IV state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Indian Valley (16-0) was victorious in its first football state championship game appearance. Perkins (14-2) finished runner-up for the first time to go along with a state title in 1999.
The teams combined to score touchdowns on each of the game’s first 10 possessions—minus Indian Valley taking a knee to end the first half—before Indian Valley’s defense forced a turnover on downs deep in its own territory in the game’s closing minutes.
The offenses posted a combined 850 total yards, but in opposite fashions. Indian Valley rushed for 355 yards and passed for 54, while Perkins threw for 370 yards and rushed for 71.
Kinsey accounted for 34 of Indian Valley’s 37 points, setting a Division IV state title game record for most points by an individual. He rushed for four touchdowns, recovered his own fumble in the end zone for a fifth touchdown and converted a pair of two-point conversion attempts. Kinsey also completed a 50-yard pass to quarterback Ryker Williams in the third quarter.
Williams, meanwhile, ran for 112 yards on 15 carries and completed his lone pass attempt.
Perkins quarterback Sam Schweinfurth completed 18 of 24 passes for 370 yards and a Division IV championship game record tying five touchdowns. Braylon Collier caught eight passes for 207 yards—a D-IV record—and three touchdowns. Blake Parker caught four passes for 80 yards and two scores, while Isaac Bunts rushed 16 times for 71 yards.
The offenses essentially traded touchdowns for four quarters.
Parker scored on a 40-yard pass from Schweinfurth on the game’s opening possession, and Perkins led 7-0 just over four minutes into the game. Kinsey scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal on the first play of the second quarter, but the PAT was no good. Perkins fumbled the ball back to Indian Valley on the kickoff return, and four plays later Kinsey scored from 12 yards out. A two-point pass from Williams to Jaxon Burcher gave Indian Valley a 14-7 lead.
Perkins tied the game at 14 on a 50-yard pass from Schweinfurth to Collier, but Kinsey capped an eight-play, 80-yard march with a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:09 left in the half. Kinsey also ran in the two-point conversion to give Indian Valley a 22-14 lead; Schweinfurth and Collier connected on a 70-yard touchdown pass on the first snap following the kickoff, and a two-point pass to Bunts drew Perkins back even at 22-22.
Perkins recovered an onside-kick to open the second half and capitalized with a 26-yard scoring toss from Schweinfurth to Parker, who made a one-handed catch in the end zone on fourth-and-9. The extra point gave Perkins a 29-22 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter.
Backed up to its own 9-yard line following a penalty on the ensuing drive, Indian Valley turned a throwback pass from Kinsey to Williams into a 50-yard gain. Kinsey scored on a 2-yard run on second-and-goal, and the point-after tied the score at 29-29 with 3:34 left in the third quarter.
Perkins regained the lead 100 seconds later. Schweinfurth hit Collier on a 53-yard scoring toss, and Danny Buda’s fourth point-after put Perkins back in front 36-29.
Kinsey scored his fifth touchdown, in unconventional fashion, on Indian Valley’s next drive. Kinsey carried on second-and-goal from the 2, fumbled at the one, and corralled his own fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. He also ran in the two-point conversion to give Indian Valley the 37-36 advantage.
Perkins drove deep into Indian Valley territory on the next possession, but Carsen Hostetler broke up a pass on fourth-and-3 from the 9 to keep Perkins out of the end zone. Indian Valley regained possession with 4:16 left, gained four first downs and ran out the clock.
CANTON, Ohio - Ironton’s Shaun Terry caught 10 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, ran for a 67-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, and intercepted a pass to end Liberty Center’s final possession as Ironton claimed a 28-17 win in the Division V state championship game.
Ironton won its third state championship (1979, 1989) in school history. Liberty Center is runner-up for the second straight year and fourth time overall to go along with a 1997 state title.
Terry took control of the game early, catching touchdown passes on both of Ironton’s first two possessions.
Ironton drove the field with the opening kickoff and converted three third downs, the last of which was Terry’s 35-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Quarterback Braden Schreck hit Terry on a slant route, who leapt over a diving tackler and ran untouched into the end zone.
Liberty Center punted and pinned Ironton at its own 5-yard line to open the second quarter, but Ironton covered the 95 yards in 11 plays and Schreck scored for a second time. On second-and-9 from the Liberty Center 46, Terry motioned to his left before the snap, caught a push pass in the backfield, broke two tackles past the line of scrimmage, and reversed course to the far right side of the field on his way to the end zone. Schreck and Terry hooked up for a 15-yard gain on third-and-12 three plays before the touchdown to keep the drive alive.
Liberty Center responded with a nine-play, 70-yard drive that Waylon Rentz finished off with a 1-yard scoring plunge. All nine plays were runs; Garrison Kruse’s 35-yard carry to the 1 set up Rentz’s touchdown.
Ironton went three-and-out, and Liberty Center’s Max Walker converted a 39-yard field goal on the final play of the half to draw Liberty Center within five points, 14-9.
That score held until the fourth quarter, when Ironton covered 93 yards in nine plays to stretch its lead to two scores. On second-and-10 from the Ironton 37, Schreck, under pressure, threw deep to Terry who made a diving catch at the Liberty Center 17. Schreck scored on a 4-yard run two plays later, and Ironton led 21-9 with 5:25 remaining.
Liberty Center answered, with Kaiden Kreinbrink throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kruse with 1:52 remining, and the extra point drew LC within 21-17. Ironton fumbled the ball back to Liberty Center two plays after the kickoff, but Liberty Center fumbled on third down from the Ironton 32 and Ironton recovered.
Terry provided the exclamation point, out-running the defense for a 67-yard touchdown in the final minute and intercepting a pass on the next snap to secure the win for Ironton.
Terry finished with 291 all-purpose yards (148 receiving, 75 rushing, 35 punt return, 33 interception return) on 14 total touches. Schreck completed 15 of 21 passes for 171 yards and the two touchdowns to Terry, and he rushed for 43 yards and a score.
Kruse led the Liberty Center offense, rushing for 86 yards and catching four passes for 43 yards and a score. Kreinbrink and Grady Miller combined to complete 12 of 19 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown for Liberty Center.
CANTON, Ohio - Baylen Blockberger completed 8 of 12 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns, Miles Potkotter ran for 127 yards and a score, and Coldwater defeated Kirtland, 31-7, in the Division VI state championship game.
Coldwater (15-1) claimed its eighth state title, becoming the sixth school with at least eight OHSAA football state championships. All eight of Coldwater’s titles have come since 2005.
Kirtland (15-1) finished runner-up for the sixth time. The Hornets have played in 13 state championship games in the last 14 years and are 7-6 in those games.
Coldwater built a 21-0 halftime lead on the strength of three consecutive scoring drives that each covered at least 70 yards.
Potkotter scored first, a 14-yard run late in the first quarter that capped a 5-play, 77-yard drive that was jump-started by a 55-yard throw from Blockberger to Cadin Obringer on the first play.
Kirtland punted, and Coldwater covered 70 yards in 10 plays with Blockberger tossing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Mason Welsch on third-and-2. Potkotter’s 23-yard run was the biggest play of the drive.
On its next possession, Coldwater faced first-and-25 from its own 34-yard line after a pair of penalties. It was third-and-15 when Blockberger hit Obringer for 39 yards, and on the next snap the Blockberger-to-Welsch connection clicked for a 17-yard touchdown pass as the first-half clocked ticked under a minute.
Coldwater added a defensive score midway through the third quarter. Kirtland mishandled the ball deep in its own territory, and Noah Welsch recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
Bryce Couchot, who also converted all four of his extra-point attempts to improve to 82 for 84 on the season, tacked on a 25-yard field goal for Coldwater on the final play of the third quarter to stretch the lead to 31-0.
Quarterback Jake LaVerde scored Kirtland’s lone touchdown, an 11-yard run with 7:42 remaining that capped an eight-play, 76-yard drive.
CANTON, Ohio - Maria Stein Marion Local extended its state-record winning streak to 64 games and won its 15th state championship—most of any school in state history—by defeating Jeromesville Hillsdale, 74-0, in the Division VII state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Marion Local completed its fourth consecutive 16-0 season. Hillsdale finishes 14-2 after advancing to its first state championship game.
It marks the sixth time a school has won at least four straight football state titles, joining Newark Catholic (1984-87), Cleveland St. Ignatius (five straight, 1991-95), Marion Local (2011-14), Coldwater (2012-15) and Akron Archbishop Hoban (2015-18).
Parker Hess carried the ball five times for just 36 yards in the first half, but scored four touchdowns on runs of 4, 3, 1 and 3 yards to tie a Division VII state championship game record.
Victor Hoelscher caught a 37-yard touchdown pass and returned a punt 66 yards for a score as part of Marion Local’s 33-point first quarter, the second-most points scored in a quarter in state championship game history regardless of division. Hoelscher’s punt return was the longest for a score in Division VII history, breaking his own record set in 2023.
Ethan Heitkamp scored on runs of 1 and 12 yards and finished with 57 yards on six carries. Justin Knouff was Marion Local’s leading rusher—all 60 of his yards came on a touchdown run in the second quarter—and he completed 4 of 6 passes for 94 yards and the touchdown pass to Hoelscher.
Marion Local finished with 345 total yards on 33 plays while holding Hillsdale to 75 total yards. The Flyers’ 74 points set a Division VII title game record and rank second in state championship game history across all divisions.