WOODSFIELD — This may very well have been the game of the night in the opening round of Ohio’s high school football playoffs.
In a battle between two evenly-matched foes, ninth-seeded Colonel Crawford scored a touchdown and the game-winning two-point conversion in the final minute to edge eighth-seeded Woodsfield Monroe Central 37-36 in a Division VI, Region 23 seat-squirmer.
Eagles’ quarterback Brayden Holt completed 11-of-14 passes for 173 yards and four touchdowns, as well as the decisive two-point conversion toss, to lead the way. His scoring aerials went to four different receivers, the final one a 6-yarder to Kaden Bruner on third-and-goal.
Connor McMichael got C.C. off to a strong start with a 65-yard touchdown sprint and Roen Thew followed by snagging a 35-yard TD strike. The Seminoles climbed to within 12-7 before Joseph Zizzo’s 25-yard field goal made it 15-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Monroe Central tied the game at 15-15 heading to intermission, then dominated the third period to open a 28-15 gap. Dominic Dean’s 9-yard TD catch closed the margin to 28-22 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Seminoles struck again for a 36-22 fourth-period advantage, but it was all Colonel Crawford after that.
Lucas Foy’s 38-yard touchdown grab pulled the Eagles within 36-29 and a key interception gave C.C. its final chance. Holt took full advantage to seal it.
Dean ran for 118 yards on just nine carries, while McMichael added 91 yards on eight attempts.
Colonel Crawford racked up 394 yards of total offense, including 223 on the ground. C.C.’s defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions — one each by Dean, Foy and Parker Weithman.
The Eagles improved to 9-2 and will travel to undefeated and top-seeded Grandview Heights (10-0) next week. The Bobcats hammered Marion Elgin 41-6 on Friday night.
The Seminoles completed the season with a 9-2 record.