Sunday, December 2, 2007

Coldwater slayed the dragon

Truly remarkable.
Almost unbelievable.
That was the comeback effort of Coldwater in its 28-27 Division IV state championship victory over No. 1 ranked and USA Today's No.8 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Saturday at Massillon.
It took a pair of razzle-dazzle trick plays, a blocked extra point and solid play from the defense to turn back Mooney.
Overall, it was the best state championship game I've seen. And I've covering preps for The Lima News since 1986.
So what stands out?
Well, Kurt Schlarman's blocked extra point in the final seconds to preserve the 28-27 victory for sure.
But there was also Keith Wenning throwing his two big passes -- one on the reverse and one on the double pass.
The two big touchdown catches by Ryan Geier, one on reverse pass and one leaping over Tim Marlowe in the end zone.
There was also the play of 186-pound defensive tackle Tyler Kunk, who was giving up plenty of size and weight to the Mooney line, but found a way to make plays.
There was the Coldwater offensive line giving quarterback Cory Klenke time to hit his receivers in the second half.
There was Coldwater coming back from a 21-7 deficit entering the final quarter.
Afterward, Mooney was stunned.
Coldwater celebrated.
"We slayed the dragons," Kunk said after the game.
Once again, the Midwest Athletic Conference had done just that.
With Marion Local winning the Division V title Friday, it was the third year in a row that two MAC teams brought home state titles.
But this one was certainly one for the ages.

1 comment:

payday said...

Coldwater's victory was huge, but how about some love for your beloved Bombers of St. Xavier? Took on the best HS football teams in Ohio (and Kentucky, and Indiana, and Maryland) and beat them all. May be one of the best HS teams in Ohio football history. I'm sure the good people of Lima would love to read about the best team in Ohio, and one of the best in the US.