SHELBY — Two north central Ohio heavyweights traded blows on a frigid Friday night before Hillsdale landed the knockout punch.
Sophomore quarterback Kael Lewis ran for a 3-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter and a revitalized defense pitched a second-half shutout as the Falcons rallied for a 25-22 win over Danville in a frigid Division VII state semifinal game at the Whippet Athletic Complex.
Hillsdale (14-1) will play juggernaut Marion Local (15-0) for the state title at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Marion Local ran its winning streak to 65 games with a 41-6 win over Columbus Grove in Friday’s other semifinal game in Lima.
(These photos were taken by Diane Bemiller)
“It’s unbelievable,” Hillsdale coach Trevor Cline said. “For many years Hillsdale football wasn’t on the right end of a lot of things.
“It’s been so neat to hear from people who have been a part of this program and just how proud they are.”
The Falcons trailed 22-12 at the half and had no answer for Danville’s high-octane rushing attack. The Blue Devils (12-3) rumbled for 236 yards in the first half as Aidan Burke and Cyren Wallace each had more than 100 yards at the break.
Wallace gave Danville a 6-0 lead on a 1-yard TD run with 3:01 to play in the first quarter.
Hillsdale tied it at 6-6 early in the second on Lewis’ 8-yard keeper.
Burke countered with back-to-back second-quarter TDs on runs of 22 and 12 yards to give Danville a 22-6 advantage with 1:04 remaining in the half.
Hillsdale got the ball back at its own 38-yard line with 58 seconds to play and quickly marched into Danville territory. A holding penalty nullified a 34-yard pass from Lewis to Holland Young that would have given the Falcons a first down at the Danville 2-yard line.
On the next play, the Blue Devils were flagged for pass interference, giving Hillsdale the ball at the Danville 29-yard line. Lewis found Brock Bower for a 21-yard gain, then, on the next play, hooked up with Bower on an 8-yard scoring strike as Hillsdale cut the lead to 22-12 with four seconds showing.
“We’ve finished halves really well throughout the whole year,” Cline said. “If you’re going to be a great team, you’ve got to finish halves well.”
Hillsdale’s defense came to life in the second half, limiting the Blue Devils to 42 rushing yards after the break. Danville turned the ball over on downs twice in the second half on fourth-and-short situations.
“Offensively, we couldn’t really get anything going in the second half. We gave them a couple of short fields and we couldn’t convert a couple times on fourth-and-one,” Danville coach Matt Blum said. “They made the plays and we didn’t.
“They adjusted well and went with a 6-3 look to some of our formations. We just couldn’t get the same push that we got in the first half.”
Hillsdale trimmed Danville’s lead to 22-18 when Lewis hooked up with Young on a 22-yard scoring strike with 4:36 to play in the third quarter. Young finished with nine catches for 96 yards.
“It’s so special to be going to the state championship with my guys,” said Young, one of just six seniors on Hillsdale’s roster. “We’ve got a lot of young guys on the team and this is a huge experience.
“I’m just happy I can be a part of it.”
Lewis scored on a twisting, 3-yard keeper with 10:29 left to give Hillsdale its first lead of the night. It was up to the defense after that.
Danville moved the ball to the Hillsdale 21-yard line but on fourth-and-one Wallace was stopped for no gain.
The Falcons were eventually forced to punt and the Blue Devils regained possession at their own 23-yard line with no timeouts and just 29 seconds showing. Danville moved the ball to its own 45, but quarterback Jacob Hackman was sacked as time expired.
Lewis completed 18-of-27 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two scores. Young caught nine passes for 96 yards.
“They were putting a safety over Hayden (McFadden) and that really opened things up for me,” Young said. “I was getting single coverage and I told Kael I was open and to throw me the ball.
“Defensively, we were getting pushed around in the first half. We decided to turned it around at the half.”
The loss brought an end to the careers of nine Danville seniors. Danville’s senior class played in three straight regional championship games and advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2017.
“My heart breaks for them,” Blum said. “To get to the Final Four is special. To come up short is tough, but that’s life.
“I told our underclassmen, our job is to work our tails off and get back here and win this game for them.”
The Falcons, meanwhile, will prepare for the biggest game in program history against the best small-school program in the state.
“Getting an opportunity to play for a state championship is special. Not too many people get that chance,” Cline said. “We know they are a phenomenal program. We’re looking forward to that challenge.”