MADISON TOWNSHIP — Logan Pack moved slowly toward the locker room, helmet in hand and a look of relief on his face. Madison’s senior linebacker didn’t need to be told how important Friday’s win over Ashland was.
“It means everything,” Pack said, “absolutely everything.”
The Rams built a 21-point third quarter lead, watched it slip away, then circled the wagons for a wild 41-35 Ohio Cardinal Conference victory at Ram Field at STARTEK Stadium.
The win kept alive Madison’s playoff hopes heading into the regular season finale against crosstown rival Mansfield Senior. It featured wild momentum swings, seven turnovers and more than 750 yards of total offense.
“Tons of anxious moments,” Madison coach Sean Conway said. “We made some mistakes that they capitalized on and I think it would have been real easy to dip our head when the momentum swung back to Ashland and they tied it up.
“To get that last touchdown shows a lot of character.”
The Rams (6-3, 4-2) built a 28-14 halftime lead, scoring on all four of their first-half possessions, and pushed their advantage to 35-14 early in the third quarter on Kanyon Tackett’s 2 yard run. The scoring drive was set up by Pack’s 32 yard interception return down to the Ashland 18.
“I read the quarterback’s eyes and was in the right spot,” Pack said. “The ball was right there.”
The Arrows (5-4, 4-2) responded with three straight Grant Denbow scoring passes to tie the score at 35-35. The game-tying 12 yard touchdown pass from Denbow to Trey Smith capped a six-play, 99 yard drive after the Arrows stopped Madison on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
“We were in their at halftime and I told our kids, ‘This is a four quarter game,’ ” Ashland coach Scott Valentine said. “We gave ourselves an opportunity to win and they made one more big play than we did.”
That play came courtesy of running back Juwan Howard. The senior’s 64 yard touchdown burst gave the Rams a 41-35 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Howard rushed for 200 yards and two scores on 29 carries. Tyrell Ajian added 114 yards and a score on eight carries as Madison piled up 357 yards on the ground.
“I’m excited that our kids had a good night running the football,” Conway said. “This was one heck of a football game. To be a part of it is an honor”
Sticky fingers: Denbow, the Ohio Cardinal Conference’s most prolific passer, completed 33 of 58 attempts for 387 yards and five touchdowns, but the Rams picked off five passes. Pack had a pair of interceptions.
“We knew he passes a lot so we changed some things up,” Pack said. “I think our secondary is the best in the league. We practice hard and we earned it.”
Madison’s defense did some things it’s not used to doing, Conway said.
“Our defensive coaches did a great job of mixing coverages up, which is kind of new for us,” Conway said. “We like to run our base stuff.
“Ashland does such great things that it forces you to change who you are a little bit. I think our kids adapted to the change.”
Must Win: Madison’s playoff hopes would have been dashed with a loss. The Rams aren’t guaranteed a spot in the postseason even with a win next week.
“I think the kids handled it really well,” Conway said. “The intensity was really high and our kids answered the call.”
Rivalry Renewed: The paint hadn’t dried on Friday’s win, but Pack already was looking to next week. Mansfield Senior won last year’s showdown 45-16. The Rams blanked the Tygers 34-0 in 2012.
“Our focus right now is on the Tygers,” Pack said. “We’re coming after them.”
