MANSFIELD — North central Ohio football fans were treated to two of the greatest high school football games in recent memory last week.
Ontario rallied from a 22-point, fourth-quarter deficit for a jaw-dropping 49-48 win over Richland County rival Shelby in a Division IV, Region 14 semifinal game in front of 8,500-plus at Mansfield Senior’s Arlin Field.
Meanwhile, Hillsdale completed two impossible Hail Marys in the same game, one at the end of each half, to stun Malvern 50-48 in a Division VII, Region 25 semifinal at Massillon Perry.
While I wasn’t able to cover either game, it got me to thinking about the all-time great games I’ve had the good fortune to witness in 30 years on the beat.
Instead of sifting through three decades’ worth of memories, I narrowed it down to games I have covered since joining the staff at Richland Source in the fall of 2013. Here are my top five games in that time frame:
5. Steubenville 35, Shelby 22
It was 2017 and the Erik Will-led Whippets were in the stare semifinals for the first and only time in program history. Standing in the way of Shelby and the Division IV state championship game was Ohio heavyweight Steubenville.
The Big Red eliminated the Whippets in the regional final a year earlier, but Shelby was relocated to Region 14 for the 2017 season and rumbled to the program’s only regional title a week earlier with a 42-21 win over longtime rival Bellevue.
It was the only time all season Shelby didn’t trigger the second-half running clock. The Whippets were an offensive juggernaut, averaging 49.4 points a game through the first 13 games. Shelby scored 50 or more points six times and topped the 60-point plateau once.
Yet it looked like the Whippets were in over their heads at the University of Akron’s InfoCision Stadium. Legendary coach Reno Saccoccia’s Big Red rumbled to a 21-6 lead midway through the second quarter.
That’s when Brennan Armstrong, Shelby’s left-handed gunslinger, came to life.
First, he ran for a 6-yard touchdown with 6:17 showing in the second quarter and Uriah Schwemley’s PAT made it 21-13. Schwemley’s ensuing kickoff was covered by teammate Cameron Hamilton at the Steubenville 25-yard line and Armstrong’s 19-yard keeper made the score 21-19.
Shelby’s Hunter Bishop picked off a Javon Davis pass with 52 seconds remaining in the first half. The Whippets maneuvered inside the 10, and Schwemley booted an 18-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to give Shelby a 22-21 halftime lead.
It would stay that way until the fourth.
Steubenville scored a pair of fourth-down touchdowns in the final quarter. Johnny Agresta took a fourth-and-13 screen pass yards for a TD, then running back Jacob Bernard scored on a 9-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one with 4:19 left to put the game on ice.
Steubenville beat Clinton-Massie 50-36 the following week to cap a perfect 15-0 season. It was Big Red’s fourth and most recent state title.
4. Lucas 15, Harvest Prep 12
On a night of big plays, tight end Riley Mounts made the biggest one of all.
Mounts caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Niswander with 54 seconds remaining in the game as Lucas rallied for a stunning 15-12 win over Harvest Prep in the 2019 Division VII state semifinals.
After a scoreless first half, Lucas got on the board first on Ethan Sauder’s 75-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter at Columbus DeSales’ Alumni Stadium. The Warriors answered when Javon Eggert scored on a 5-yard run with 2:05 left in the third and took a 12-7 lead with 7:35 to play on a 76-yard touchdown pass from Josiah Carroll to Rashaun Goines.
The ensuing kickoff came to rest in the end zone for a touchback, giving Lucas the ball at their own 20. The Cubs then pieced together the most important drive in program history behind Niswander and running back Tommy Zirzow. Niswander provide the biggest spark, busting loose for a 45-yard run to the Harvest Prep 6-yard line.
Three straight running plays netted negative-7 yards, setting up a fourth-and-goal from the 13. Lucas coach Scott Spitler called timeout and went to the laboratory.
“We kind of drew it up in the dirt to be honest with you,” Spitler said of the game-winning play. “It worked to perfection. It’s just two kids making a play and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
It was just Niswander’s seventh passing attempt of the night and his fourth completion. He threw for just 31 yards.
“That was backyard football,” Niswander said at the time.
Added Mounts, “We never pass, so that’s insane. Then (Spitler) believing in me to do it … then Logan had a great ball and I went up and got it.”
Lucas fell to small-school powerhouse Marion Local 28-6 the following week in the Division VII state championship game.
3. Mansfield Senior 15, Sandusky 9 (OT)
Senior High’s storybook run to the 2019 Division III state championship game started with a breathtaking win over the Blue Streaks in the Region 10 championship game on a frosty late-November night at Clyde’s Bishop Stadium.
Senior High blocked a potential go-ahead field goal on Sandusky’s OT possession, setting the table for Mr. Football finalist Angelo Grose. The Michigan State recruit followed a two-man escort that included cousin and right tackle Ty’Lheir Grose and right guard Ben Miller into the end zone for the game-winning 5-yard touchdown run.
“It was the first time they pulled Ben and me,” Ty’Lheir Grose said afterward. “I knew it was going to work.”
The Tygers limited running back Terion Stewart to 16 yards before the All-Ohioan left for good with an injury in the second quarter.
Stewart and Mansfield Senior’s Anthony Hawkins, who also starred during that game, are both enjoying sensational senior seasons as teammates at Bowling Green this fall. Stewart has rushed for a team-high 824 yards and six touchdowns, while Hawkins has 41 tackles and five sacks for the Falcons (6-5, 5-1 Mid-American Conference).
2. Mansfield Senior 27, Aurora 21 (2 OT)
The legend of Angelo Grose only grew bigger in the greatest playoff game in program history at Nordonia’s Boliantz Stadium.
Grose picked off a pass on Aurora’s second overtime possession, then caught the game-winning 5-yard touchdown toss from Cam Todd to send Senior High to the state final for the first and only time in program history.
“This was a great team win. We made some mistakes, but we stayed together and got the job done,” said Grose, who played through a painful hand injury sustained on the first play of the second half.
1. Trotwood-Madison 14, Mansfield Senior 7 (OT)
Senior High’s remarkable tourney run came to an end with a 14-7 overtime loss to Trotwood in the state finals at Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. It was the Tygers’ third straight overtime game.
After a scoreless first half, Mansfield Senior took a 7-0 lead on Terrance Flickinger’s 94-yard touchdown run with 10:29 remaining in the third quarter. It stayed that way until Trotwood’s Ke’Shawn Huguely scored on a 13-yard run with 8:11 remaining in regulation, making it 7-7.
Trotwood drove inside the Mansfield Senior 5-yard line with less than a minute showing, but Senior High’s Ty’Lheir Grose blocked a potential game-winning 19-yard field goal as time expired.
It looked like the Tygers would survive Trotwood’s OT possession unscathed, but on fourth-and-eight from the 18, quarterback Keon’Tae Hughuely hooked up with wideout Sammy Anderson for the touchdown.
Senior High’s OT possession ended in disaster as two poor snaps pushed the Tigers back to near midfield. A Manfield Senior drop on third down set up a fourth-and-long. Quarterback Cam Todd’s Hail Mary was batted down, sending Trotwood to its third state title in eight years.
“Your supporters and your extended Tyger family will remember you for a lifetime for this moment,” Senior High coach Chioke Bradley said after the Tygers collected their state runner-up trophy. “Everything that you did for the community is priceless. It’s bigger than football.
“You made history. This is your legacy.”