Here is a great article on Ohio HS Football by Steve Blackledge of the Columbus Dispatch.
The entire article is worth reading so go to the link and read it. I am especially proud of the assessment of two of my Senoir QBs
By one of the best sports writers in the State.
Raiders come up short 52 to 51
How the delays may or may not have affected the outcome remains to be seen. By the time Olentangy had pulled to 44-24 (before an interception return by Dez Cooper pushed the Raiders’ lead to 51-24), folks in the press box seemed in accordance that the game was far from over. When the Braves scored twice in a four-minute span to pull to 51-45, it was clear they had the momentum. Reynoldsburg appeared gassed for the final hour or two of the night.
A fumble recovery by Max Hall at the Reynoldsburg 8 with 2:25 left set up Olentangy for its winning TD. The Raiders made three stops, forcing fourth and goal at the 5. Ali Iverson took a sweep and ran around left end for the TD with 32.6 seconds left.
Reynoldsburg actually drove past midfield but a Nathan Barko pass was intercepted at the Olentangy 15 by Nick Pollock.
Some stats of note that didn’t make the paper: Olentangy outgained Reynoldsburg 487-466 and made 10 more first downs than the Raiders. The Braves picked up 318 yards rushing, led by Cam Kennedy (124 yards) and Sam Durst (111). Reynoldsburg’s JJ Cooper made four catches for 128 yards with three touchdowns and he blocked a punt that resulted in a touchdown. Cooper, however, was not on the field late in the game. Barko threw for 272 yards.
If that game couldn’t be topped, I saw an absolute gem on Friday when Hilliard Bradley edged Hilliard Davidson 31-28 on a field goal by Max Mordarski as time expired.
What made the same so intriguing was that it was a collision of old school and new school. Davidson did not attempt a pass all night, relying on its triple-option attack. Bradley spread the field and forced mismatches in the secondary. The Jaguars forced the Wildcats into single coverage by mixing strong runs inside the tackles with Jake Richards (who was referred to as JT Lemmerman all game by the public address announcer).
In two nights, I believe I saw two of the best quarterbacks in the area in Barko and Bradley’s Will Phillis, two of the top receivers in Cooper and Bradley’s Daevon Anderson and an elite running back in Davidson’s Ryan Royer.
Anderson made 15 catches for 189 yards with four TDs from Phillis, who has a gun for an arm. Kory Taylor, a Division I recruit at receiver, did not play for the Jaguars because of a lingering injury.
As a sidelight, Bradley receivers dropped two perfectly thrown bombs in its first series. When Davidson built a 21-6 lead, it appeared those drops might prove critical.
All 5 above mentioned in red are young men Coached by Coach Sink.
Thanks Steve Blackledge for the compliment.
See the balance of the article @ Steve Blackledge Columbus Dispatch Sept 10, 2016
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