Desales advances to state title matchup
Quintell Quinn rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, helping Desales beat Kettering Alter 2313 in a Division III football state semifinal Friday at London.
The win sent Desales (9-1) to its ninth championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Fortress Obetz against Chardon (11-0). The Hilltoppers beat Tiffin Columbian 47-7 in the other semifinal.
Quinn scored on TD runs of 6, 10 and 21 yards as the Stallions rushed for 240 yards on better than 6 yards per carry.
“We came out and played physical football,” Quinn told Thisweek Newspapers. “We knew our assignments and went out and played hard like we have in every game."
Quinn's second TD gave Desales a 16-7 lead with 12 seconds left in the third quarter. Alter then fumbled the kickoff and the Stallions' Jason Velazquez II recovered at the Knights' 24-yard line.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Quinn scored to boost the Stallions' lead to 23-7.
“We knew we had to win up front with the way they ran the wishbone and option,” Desales coach Ryan Wiggins said. “We played assignment football and made the key plays when we needed to make them.”
Running back Branden Mcdonald rushed for 92 yards on 20 carries with touchdown runs of 1 and 10 yards for the Knights (8-3). Quarterback Brian Shane rushed for 95 yards on 15 carries.
Desales quarterback Will Hobgood supported Quinn with 69 yards rushing on six carries.
The Stallions outgained the Knights 284-250, with both teams' success coming primarily on the ground.
WARREN JOHN F. KENNEDY 20, NEWARK CATHOLIC 13: Cam Hollobaugh rushed for 122 yards and scored three touchdowns, leading Warren Kennedy past Newark Catholic in a Division VII state semifinal at Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium on Friday.
Hollobaugh scored on runs of 3, 2 and 3 yards for JFK (9-2), which will face New Bremen (9-2) at 2 p.m. Friday at Fortress Obetz in quest of a third state title.
Newark Catholic (7-4) made a game of it late, scoring with 16 seconds remaining on a 9-yard pass from Cole Canter to Brandon Buchanan and then recovering an onside kick. After a Canter-to-buchanan pass play covered 19 yards to the Eagles 22, a pass into the end zone fell incomplete as time expired.
"The kids put everything out there on the line," Newark Catholic coach Ryan Aiello told the Newark Advocate. "They played with heart, which is all that I want from my kids in this scenario."
Canter passed for 181 yards to lead the Green Wave. Tanner Elwell made five receptions for 92 yards.
"We were able to capitalize on some opportunities late, but it was too late," Aiello said. "Against a good team, you can't put yourself in a terrible position like that."
The futile rally began with 2:00 remaining after a blocked punt.
"It's amazing right now that we were able to pull that out," JFK coach Dominic Prologo said. "We shouldn't have been in that situation with 16 seconds. At the end of the day, our kids are resilient. They battled, and it was a great job by our safety, knocking that ball down."
CITY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP WALNUT RIDGE 14, EASTMOOR ACADEMY 6: Javarus Leach rushed for 183 yards and had two short touchdown runs as Walnut Ridge (6-3) downed Eastmoor Academy (5-1) in the City championship game at Africentric on Saturday.
Leach's game-winning score and two-point conversion run with 7:01 remaining was set up by an Eastmoor fumble at the Warriors' 4-yard-line. Jamarius Dinkins made the recovery. It was one of three fumbles by Eastmoor.
Eastmoor scored on an 85-yard pass from Ahmad Armstrong to Isaiah Pressley in the second quarter. The Warriors had another apparent long TD pass wiped out by a false start penalty.
Walnut Ridge avenged a 25-19 overtime loss to City South rival Eastmoor during the regular season.
"Our thought was potentially a state championship, but this is the next best thing for these kids," Walnut Ridge coach Byron Mattox told Thisweek Newspapers. "This is the way I envisioned these guys coming in and winning something big."