ASHLAND — Jonathan Stanislo didn’t hit it especially well, but Holy Name’s senior kicker got just enough.
Stanislo booted a 26 yard field goal with three second remaining and the sixth-seeded Green Wave stunned No. 2 Ashland 17-14 on Friday at Community Stadium in the Division III, Region 10 semifinals.
Holy Name (7-1) will play top-seeded Tiffin Columbian for the regional title next Friday in Tiffin. Columbian beat No. 12 West Holmes 34-24 on Friday.
After stopping the Arrows for no gain on fourth and one at the Ashland 40 with a minute remaining, Holy Name quickly marched inside the Ashland 10 yard line. The Green Wave burned their final timeout to bring the field goal unit out before the Arrows called two timeouts to ice the kicker.
When play finally resumed, Stanislo’s kick from the left hash slipped over the crossbar with a yard to spare.
“I actually didn’t hit it very well because I was so stiff from the cold,” Stanislo said. “And with all the nerves, I was shaking. I knew they would be coming pretty fast.”
Holy Name coach Dan Wondolowski never thought twice about sending Stanislo out to attempt the game-winner.
“He’s a three-year starter and a senior,” Wondolowski said. “I think he’s 25-for-25 on extra points and then that is a chip shot for him. He’s usually good from 42 to 45 (yards). I have the utmost confidence in him.”
Holy Name’s game-winning drive came after the Green Wave defense stopped the Arrows on fourth-and-one from the Ashland 40 yard line.
“That’s one I’m sure I’ll go back and second-guess myself,” Ashland coach Sean Seder said. “I made the call. I’ll own it. I told the kids I’ll take that loss.
“(We were) playing to win and I have a lot of faith in our guys. We just came up a little short.”
Wondolowski wasn’t surprised by Ashland’s decision to go for it.
“That’s an aggressive football team. They are a very talented team,” Wondolowski said. “Coach has got a lot of guts. I knew they were going for it right then and there.”
The Arrows dominated much of the first half but had only a 14-7 lead to show for it. Ashland scored on its first possession when quarterback Declan Rohr connected with Landon McFrederick on a 42 yard touchdown with 4:18 remaining in the first quarter.
On Holy Name’s ensuing possession, McFrederick tipped a pass that teammate Braylen Hider intercepted at the Holy Name 34 yard line. The Arrows cashed in on the takeaway when Ethan Hartley scored on a 2 yard run for a 14-0 lead with 1:43 to play in the opening quarter.
The Arrows had a touchdown nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty early in the second quarter and later turned the ball over on downs at the Holy Name 6 yard line. Another promising Ashland drive came to an end when a 32 yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.
“I felt like we had a touchdown and having that one called back … if we go up 21-0 they might break,” Seder said. “That was big. We go from scoring a touchdown to 15 yards back and punting.
“It could have been 28-0 going into the second half.”
Holy Name, which punted four times and turned the ball over once on its first five possessions, finally got on the board just before halftime when sophomore running back Kriztion Sanchez, a 5-foot-10, 230-pound wrecking ball, blasted in from a yard out with 1:07 left in the first half. The 84-yard drive was highlighted by quarterback Jayvon Williams’ 25 yard pass to Garrett Sparks to the Ashland 1.
The Green Wave tied the score at 14-14 when Sanchez scored on a 2 yard run with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter. The drive was sustained when Ashland was flagged for a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taunting.
Holy Name was poised to take the lead late in the third but receiver Eric Jones Jr. was stripped of the ball and Kadin Schmitz recovered at the Ashland 2 yard line.
Early in the fourth, Holy Name blocked an Ashland punt deep in its own territory but on the ensuing possession, Jonathan Metzger intercepted a pass in the end zone.
Ashland then drove deep into Holy Name territory before Green Wave defensive back Aidan McNamara picked off a pass in the end zone.
“That second half was kind of a roller coaster,” Seder said. “It was back-and-forth. From special teams to turnovers, it was kind of a crazy second half.”
Holy Name, which loss to eventual state runner-up Mansfield Senior in the regional semifinals last year, will play for a regional championship for just the second time in school history next week in Tiffin.
“Our guys deal with adversity very well and they grind it out,” Wondolowski said. “I can’t be more proud of this team right now.”
