ONTARIO 49, SHELBY 48
By Kyle Holsinger
MANSFIELD — One of the greatest comebacks in Ohio high school playoff history went down last night at Arlin Field in Mansfield as Ontario rallied from 22 points down going into the fourth quarter to go ahead with 12 seconds left in the game to beat Shelby, 49-48.
“That's just two really good teams that did a great job,” Ontario coach Aaron Eckert said with tears of pride and joy in his eyes, understandably emotional after watching his players refuse to give up despite the odds stacked against them.
“When you don't give up, just like in life, things can happen,” Eckert continued. “I couldn't be more proud of these guys.
“Shelby played their tails off. We just kept battling, like things weren't right. We're down three scores going into the fourth and this team. I got to love this team. Oh man, huge win.”
The rally began after the Whippets pushed their lead to 46-26 when sophomore Brady Bowman took an end around to the left side for a 30-yard touchdown with 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito faked a handoff and kept it himself up the middle for the two-point conversion to make the score 48-26.
The Warriors had jumped out to a 13-6 lead late in the first quarter, but then Shelby went on a 42-13 run from then until the end of the third quarter that seemingly put the game out of reach to most of the spectators at last night’s Division IV, Region 14 semifinal.
“I told these guys ‘we are not losing this game’ I’m giving my all. I need y'all,” Miller said. “I gotta trust y'all. You gotta trust me. We can do this thing. Just trust me. We showed heart out there. It was amazing.”
Miller kept it up the middle and shook several defenders on the second play of the ensuing drive for a 19-yard run to give his team the ball at midfield.
Miller, a senior comitted to Ohio State, followed that up by throwing back-to-back passes to receiver Landon Foltz for 20- and 13-yard gains, respectively, to end the quarter.
On the first play of the final quarter, Miller threw a 17-yard TD pass to Jon Mahon. Warrior freshman Kooper Kilgore’s PAT was blocked by the Shelby special teams unit to keep their lead at 48-32 just five seconds into the fourth quarter.
After the Whippets recovered an onside kick attempted by Ontario (12-1), they started their next drive at their own 46.
DeVito then took a keeper up the middle and spun out to the right for a 17-yard yield.
A delay of game penalty and a false start seemed to stall Shelby (12-1) before DeVito hit Bowman for a 16-yard catch on third-and-13.
The next play, DeVito threw a pass over the middle to senior receiver Nic Eyster eight yards down the field. The ball was jarred loose from Eyster, and the Warriors recovered at their own 16-yard line.
That’s when Coach Eckert pulled a trick out of his sleeve, and called for a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder play. Miller took the snap and threw to Foltz, ten yards down the field, who pitched it to sophomore Tre Fowler. Fowler raced down the left sideline to cap off the 84-yard score.
During the play, Shelby assistant coach Jon Amicone was injured when some players were knocked out-of-bounds on the play. Play was stopped and an ambulance was called for the coach. It was not known at the time the severity of the injury, but our prayers and best wishes are with Coach Amicone to get well soon.
When play resumed, Ontario’s Miller scrambled out of the pocket before finding senior receiver Beau Hefner in the end zone for the two-point conversion. The Warriors had reduced Shelby’s lead to 48-40 with 9:02 of game clock left.
Ontario’s next onside kick went out-of-bounds before being touched by anyone, resulting in Shelby starting with pretty good field position for their next drive at their own 47-yard line.
The Warrior defense held DeVito to zero and two yards on first and second down, and an incomplete pass on third down brought the special teams unit out. Sophomore Michael Shepherd’s 42-yard punt was downed at the Ontario 9, giving the Blue & Gold the ball back within a score with 7:21 remaining in the contest.
A facemask penalty on an eight-yard keeper by Miller moved the ball to the Ontario 32.
On fourth-and-three, Miller kept it again for seven yards and the first down. A 12-yard pass from Miller to senior Austin Pence then moved the Warriors into Shelby territory.
Two plays later, Miller scrambled up the middle and moved in-and-out of the defense for 13 yards. He then tossed a pass to Noah Poole for 14 yards to get into the red zone.
After an incomplete pass, Miller took a keeper to the right for an 11-yard gain to the one-yard line with a first-and-goal situation.
A false start moved the Warriors back five yards. On the next play, Miller’s pass to the right sideline was picked off by DeVito, who also plays defensive back. DeVito went out-of-bounds at the Whippets 1.
On Shelby’s first offensive play from the one-yard line, DeVito was tackled-for-a-loss in the end zone by a tribe of Warriors for a safety. Shelby would then have to kickoff to Ontario at their own 20-yard line with their lead now cut to 48-42.
A short return on the kick set the Warriors up with the ball at their own 46 with 1:52 to go in the game.
After picking up a first down on a couple runs by Miller, three incompletions in a row left Ontario in a fourth-and-10 scenario at the Shelby 43.
Miller threw a deep pass down the middle to Foltz for 31 yards. The Warriors hurried up, and Miller was able to spike the ball with 31 seconds left.
After an incompletion, Miller scrambled up the middle for 11 yards to the one-yard line to set up a first-and-goal. Ontario hurried up again, and Miller spiked the ball to stop the clock at 15 seconds.
Miller then kept it up the middle and crossed the goal line to tie the game at 48-all.
Kilgore’s PAT was good to put the Warriors ahead by one, 49-48, with twelve seconds left.
“I saw them discombobulated,” Miller on what he saw and was thinking during his tying touchdown run. “I just got to do this. I got to give it my all.”
“We just had one shot. We had to go get it, and then, our guys made a play,” Coach Eckert about Miller’s final touchdown. “Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games, and we did that.”
A DeVito incompletion and then a completion to sophomore Gavin Ganzhorn, whose lateral was picked up by an Ontario defender who went down with the ball with no time remaining completed the epic comeback.
The game started with Ontario (12-1) picking up a couple first downs on their opening drive when Miller scrambled from the pocket and juked half of the Whippet defense to get an eight-yard pick up, and three plays later, when he connected with receiver Jon Mahon for an 11-yard reception. Two plays later, they connected again, but unfortunately Mahon fumbled the ball, and Shelby defensive lineman Kyler Williams recovered it at the Whippet 37.
After trading punts, the Warriors got the ball back late in the first quarter. On third-and-six, Miller threw a deep pass right to Austin Pence for a 26-yard advance into the red zone.
The Red & Gray defense stifled Ontario from there. Whippet defensive back Kaden Price was able to tackle Miller for a three-yard loss on a keeper.
An incompletion and a holding penalty left the Warriors looking at third-and-23. Miller came up big and was able to scramble out of Shelby’s pressure to rush for 15 yards on the play.
Kilgore made a 29-yard field goal from there to get Ontario on the board with one minute left in the first quarter, 3-0.
Shelby’s DeVito ran up the middle on an 11-yard keeper. DeVito topped that on the next play, juking defenders then sprinting down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown trek. Kaleb Stairs PAT was blocked by Warrior senior Landon Sowards. Shelby was up, 6-3, with just seven seconds remaining in the first.
Ontario then went on a 10-play scoring drive that saw Miller run for a couple first downs before senior running back Mason Vantilburg powered right for a 22-yard run.
The Whippets’ defense held Miller and company from there, and Kilgore nailed a 37-yard FG to tie the game, 6-6, a little over four minutes into the second quarter.
After forcing Shelby to punt, the Warriors went on another scoring drive. This time, Miller started it off with a 20-yard strike down the middle to Mahon. The next play, Miller kept it on a 13-yard scamper to get into Whippet territory.
A couple plays later, Miller scrambled out of the pocket and chucked a deep pass to Poole in the end zone. Kilgore’s extra point was good to give Ontario a 13-6 lead with 3:23 to go in the first half.
On the following kickoff return, Shelby was flagged for a blindside block, and started their drive at their own 8-yard line. The Whippets would not be deterred though.
DeVito threw a deep pass down the middle to Bowman, who had beaten the Warriors’ coverage on the play. Miller, playing safety, chased Bowman down after 65 yards to make a touchdown-saving tackle.
A couple runs by DeVito of six yards, the second on which he fumbled only to be recovered by his offensive lineman, moved the chains for Shelby. DeVito scrambled to the left then reversed right before diving for the end zone. Ontario’s defense knocked him out at the one-yard line though.
The Warrior defense stood strong for three straight plays, repelling runs by DeVito. Finally, on fourth-and-goal from the one, Shelby’s Shepherd went in motion in front of DeVito in the shotgun and went under center, took the snap, and pitched the ball left to DeVito who rushed in for the score with seven second left in the half. DeVito threw a Tim Tebow-like pot pass to Shepherd for the two-point conversion, and Shelby took a 14-13 lead into halftime.
On the second play from scrimmage in the second half, DeVito scrambled right and stutter-stepped a defender as he ran for a 19-yard gallop.
Two more runs by DeVito of four and six yards moved the sticks, and got the Whippets into enemy territory.
The next play, DeVito faked that he was about to roll right then dashed up the middle untouched for a 44-yard TD. A failed double-pass attempt by Shelby on the point after try left the Whippets with a seven-point lead, 20-13 less than three minutes into the half.
The Warriors fumbled on the kickoff return and the Shelby’s Travis Stone recovered at the Ontario 20.
DeVito rolled to his right on the next play and hit Eyster over the middle. Eyster was able to take it the rest of the way for a 44-yard TD grab. An incomplete pass on the two-point try kept the score 26-13 with just ten seconds off of the clock since the last score.
The Whippets attempted an onside kick and Ontario sophomore Brady McQuillen returned it 11-yards to get to the Shelby 39 for great field position to start their next drive.
A holding penalty on second-and-10 moved the Warriors back. Vantilburg barreled ahead on a dive play for 12 yards. On third-and-eight, Miller scrambled right for seven yards. On fourth down, Miller faked right and kept it left as he stunned the defense enough to go untouched past the goal line for the touchdown. Ontario’s PAT was blocked by DeVito, and the score was 26-19 in favor of the Whippets.
After a touchback on the kickoff, DeVito took a draw play up the middle for a 10-yard gain. Then, DeVito threw a deep pass to the left, linking up with Shepherd for a 27-yard pitch-and-catch.
DeVito then threw consecutive 12-yard passes to Bowman and Avery Lambert, respectively to get into the red zone. From there, the Warrior defense was able to hold Shelby to a fourth-and-five situation. DeVito found Lambert in the end zone for a nine-yard TD toss. Eyster ran a reverse in for the two-point conversion. The score was Shelby 34, Ontario 19 with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Ontario came right back and on the second play of their following drive Vantilburg took a handoff up the middle and fought off defenders on his way to a 62-yard score. Kilgore’s PAT was good and the Warriors trailed by 7.
The Whippets’ Bowman muffed the kickoff return but was able to scoop the ball up and scurry for a 60-yard gain down to the Ontario 32.
DeVito took a keeper for 11 yards then, on the next play, scrambled right and hurled it into the end zone to Eyster for a 21-yard TD. An incomplete pass on the PAT held the score at 40-26 for Shelby to complete the scoring in the competition.
The two Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference foes amassed 1,103 total yards of offense.
Ontario gained 649 total offensive yards with 335 of it rushing and 314 passing.
Miller was 14-of-25 for 314 passing yards, three passing TDs, one interception. He also rushed for 27 carries for 212 yards and two rushing TDs.
“That dude's the best player in Ohio like there's there's no doubt in my mind.” Coach Eckert said of his star athlete’s performance. “The dude is the best player in Ohio. He said prior to the game that we're gonna have to carry him off the field.
“He scores the touchdown, we've got to carry him off the field, and he comes back to play safety. The dude's the best player in Ohio. We're talking about playing safety.”
Vantilburg had 16 rushes for 123 yards and a TD. Foltz had six catches for 91 yards; Mahon grabbed four catches for 56 yards and a TD; Poole made two catches for 52 yards and a TD; Pence snatched two catches for 38 yards; and Tre Fowler was credited with 74 receiving yards with zero receptions for the hook-and-ladder TD for the Warriors.
Shelby gained 454 yards on offense with 236 on the ground and 218 through the air.
DeVito was 14-of-21 for 218 yards passing and three TDs while rushing 22 times for 214 yards and two more TDs. Bowman’s had four catches for 101 yards and the 30-yard rushing TD.
Eyster had six receptions for 70 yards and two TDs.
Also of note, Shelby beat Ontario four weeks ago, 50-36 and claimed the outright MOAC title. Ontario will face Sandusky Perkins (12-1) at a yet-to-be determined neutral site next Friday in the Region 14 finals.
ONTARIO 3 10 13 23 - 49
SHELBY 6 8 34 0 - 48
Patrick Henry 35, Hopewell-Loudon 7
The Patriots secondary was able to shut down the Chieftains passing attack, picking off five passes on the night. Patrick Henry (11-2) will meet Bluffton (12-1) in the Region 22 final.
Columbus Grove 35, Mohawk 13
The Bulldog's Trenton Barraza broke Blaine Marg's career rushing record in the victory. Columbus Grove (13-0) led 21-0 at the half, and will face Delphos St. John's (6-7) in the Region 26 final.