LOUDONVILLE — In back-to-back weeks, the Loudonville Redbirds have shown their rugged regular-season schedule is paying dividends.
The ‘Birds were underdogs before going on the road to bounce Northmor 35-14 two weeks ago in the postseason opener.
Last week it was a thrilling and high-scoring knockout of Centerburg, 42-41.
This week Loudonville is off on a long journey toward the Ohio River to tangle with No. 10 Dawson Bryant (5-2) in the Division VI, Region 23 bracket.
No. 18 Loudonville (3-5) at No. 10 Dawson-Bryant (5-2): Loudonville’s reward for two straight playoff road upsets is a three-plus hour bus ride to Coal Grove, located on the Ohio River in extreme southern Ohio. The Redbirds earned a spot in the Division VI, Region 23 quarterfinals with a 42-41 win over No. 2 seed Centerburg. Freshman running back Sam Williams-Dixon rushed for 221 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries. Quarterback Logan Huffman threw three touchdown passes, including the game-winner to freshman Kyle Maltarich with 2:08 remaining. Defensive back Aidan Wolford sealed it with an interception on Centerburg’s final possession. Dawson-Bryant advanced with a 41-38 road victory over No. 7 Shenandoah. Austin Stapleton led a rugged Hornets’ ground attack with 209 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning 1 yard plunge with 17 seconds remaining. Dawson-Bryant piled up 404 yards on the ground as Malachai Wheeler added 164 yards on 30 carries.
No. 10 Firelands (7-1) at No. 2 Shelby (7-0): The Falcons rallied for a 21-20 upset at seventh-seeded Napoleon despite being outgained by 130 yards. Donald Crawford rushed for 119 yards, including a 56 yard touchdown, on 15 carries. Quarterback Kyle Ransom ran for a 43 yard touchdown and threw a TD pass to Caden Bomback, who then booted what proved to be the game-winning PAT. Alex Angle had four catches for 49 yards. It took more than three quarters for the Whippets to knock off the rust during last week’s 32-13 win over Rossford. Shelby, which had an opening-round bye, led 19-13 in the fourth quarter before defensive end Nathan Zehner forced a fumble in the end zone that fellow defensive end Caleb Baker pounced on for a defensive touchdown. Running back Owen Fisher rushed for a pair of touchdowns, including a 17-yarder late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Quarterback Marshall Shepherd threw TD passes to Andre Hill and Blaine Bowman.
SHELBY — Shelby’s high-octane offense garners most of the attention, but the Whippets are still alive in the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs because of their rugged defense.
Second-seeded Shelby will host No. 10 Firelands at 7 p.m. Saturday at W.W. Skiles Field thanks to a 32-13 win over Rossford in the second round.
Shelby (7-0) was clinging to a 19-13 lead in the fourth quarter when defensive end Nathan Zehner forced a fumble in the end zone. Caleb Baker recovered the ball for a touchdown, giving Shelby some breathing room.
“That play in the end zone, that strip sack and getting on the ball, that was the game,” Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said afterward.
Shelby is one of four area teams in action Saturday. Here’s a look at Saturday’s regional quarterfinals:
