MANSFIELD — Bodpegn Miller prayed before each second half snap of No. 3-seed Ontario’s Division IV, Region 14 semifinal against second-seeded Shelby.
Miller, who will suit up for Ohio State next fall, and the Warriors faced a six-point deficit with 1:49 to play in front of approximately 8,500 fans at Arlin Field.
“I just needed my Lord to give me some strength and he gave me some,” Ontario’s senior quarterback said. “I just knew we got this — we just had to pour it all out on the field.”
After leading a 53-yard Ontario drive, Miller scored the game-tying 1-yard TD plunge with 12 seconds remaining. Freshman Kooper Kilgore sealed the deal with the PAT for the 49-48 decision.
Prior to the PAT, Kilgore said he reminded himself it’s just another kick.
“I just went out there and I made it,” he said. “Those two missed (PATs), I flushed those, got rid of them and came back from it.
“I think it’s the coolest thing ever — making history — coolest thing ever for sure.”
The Warriors will face top-seeded Sandusky Perkins next week in the regional final, the furthest any Ontario football team has ever traveled in postseason history.
“It feels amazing,” Miller said of the historic season. “It’s not by accident though. It’s hard work through the summer, spring — everything.
“We kept saying to ourselves, ‘Why not us? Why not the Ontario Warriors?'”
‘You just can’t script it any better’
When time expired, Ontario coach Aaron Eckert stood speechless as his eyes began welling with tears.
A win over a cross-county rival in one of the most breathtaking games in the storied 75-plus year history of Arlin Field will do that.
“That’s got to be maybe the best high school game that I’ve ever seen,” he said of Friday’s regional semifinal. “Maybe the best football game I’ve ever seen period.
“You’ve got two great teams and we were down 22 points going into the fourth — I mean you just can’t script it any better.”
Ontario (12-1) finally earned its revenge on the Whippets (12-1) after two gut-wrenching defeats — one in each of the past two seasons.
Haunted by the outcomes of his prior two meetings with Shelby, Miller compiled a stunning 503 yards of total offense Friday, along with five touchdowns.
“I’ll tell you what, Bodpegn Miller is the best player in Ohio. I think he proved that tonight,” Eckert said. “I’ll take 8 (Miller) any day of the week and twice on Sundays.”
Bound for the program’s first ever Elite Eight appearance, the Warriors have turned their program around.
“When I got here five years ago, Coach (Chris) Miller started building a program that was sustainable and we’ve just kept getting better,” Eckert said.
“I couldn’t be any more proud for the kids, for the community, for the school — I mean it’s just a great football team.”
Whippets were committed to one another
Ontario wasn’t the only team to make history this season.
The Whippets completed just their sixth unbeaten regular season in the long history of Shelby football, while also capturing the outright Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference title.
Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said Friday’s game proved how impressive high school football is in Richland County — despite the loss.
“To see the fans on both sides, to see the passion that both teams played with, I think it’s really exciting for this area moving forward,” he said.
Shelby’s standout junior quarterback Brayden DeVito compiled a stat line which went toe-to-toe with Miller, recording 441 yards of total offense and six TDs. He also thwarted an Ontario drive with an interception at the 2 with 1:58 showing. However, he was sacked in the end zone on the ensuing play, setting up the Warriors’ improbable finish.
Still, Mahaney said he’s proud of the way his team has rallied together this season when faced with adversity.
“We’ve had a lot of ups-and-downs in all honesty this season with hardships and all these kinds of things,” he said. “The one thing that I’m so proud about with this team is how committed to one another they were.
“They’ve been for each other the whole time and I’m extremely proud of that.”
Shelby will graduate eight seniors — who concluded a 14-game home winning streak over the past two seasons with their win over Ottawa-Glandorf last Friday.
“They care for one another and it’s a really special team,” Mahaney said. “I’m just so proud and very fortunate to coach these guys.”
