GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS — Oh so close. That’s the way the Colonel Crawford football season ended on Friday night.
The ninth-seeded Eagles pushed undefeated Grandview Heights to the very brink, but the top-seeded Bobcats leaned on a stout defense to stand tall.
Top-seeded Grandview Heights (11-0) threw up a couple of goal-line stands, one in each half, to turn back Colonel Crawford 13-6 in the Division VI, Region 23 quarterfinals.
C.C.’s Joseph Zizzo pushed his team to the lead by drilling a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 edge with 6:23 showing in the first period.
But Henry Ohlinger’s 46-yard TD dash moved Grandview Heights in front for good, 7-3, with just 43 seconds left in the first quarter.
Ohlinger scored again, this time on a 10-yard blast, to make it 13-3 with 10 minutes remaining in the half.
Colonel Crawford (9-3) was stopped on downs inside the Bobcats’ 5-yard line just seconds before intermission, in an ominous foreshadowing of a similar situation to come later.
After a scoreless third period, Zizzo’s 18-yard field goal pulled Colonel Crawford to within 13-6 with 8:20 remaining in the game.
The Eagles again reached the Grandview Heights goal line with 3:03 showing, but were denied on downs to kill the final threat.
C.C. dominated the contest statistically, but could not finish drives with touchdowns. Colonel Crawford ran 64 plays compared to 39 for the hosts. The Eagles enjoyed a 309-212 advantage in total yards, and did not allow the Bobcats to complete a pass.
Junior quarterback Brayden Holt was 15-of-25 passing for 152 yards. Connor McMichael had 77 yards on 23 carries. Lucas Foy caught 5 passes for 68 yards, and Parker Weithman had 7 receptions for 56 yards.
Ohlinger was really his team’s only offense, gaining 142 yards on 18 carries with both touchdowns.
Grandview Heights will meet fourth-seeded Beverly Fort Frye (9-3) next week in a regional semifinal game. The Cadets topped fifth-seeded Waterford 29-16 on Friday night.