MASSILLON, Ohio — Tallmadge's football team picked the wrong time to play the role of excavators. Facing the possibility of reaching the Division II, Region 5 finals for the second time in three years, the Blue Devils dug themselves a hole no backhoe could find its way out of on Friday.
MASSILLON, Ohio — Tallmadge's football team picked the wrong time to play the role of excavators.
Facing the possibility of reaching the Division II, Region 5 finals for the second time in three years, the Blue Devils dug themselves a hole no backhoe could find its way out of on Friday.
With little room for error against a potent Ashland offense, top-seeded Tallmadge committed three turnovers in the first 18 minutes and the Arrows took advantage in what eventually became a 49-7 win at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Those gaffes gave Ashland (10-2) a 35-0 lead midway through the second quarter in a game the Blue Devils would just as soon forget.
"It's very difficult to come back when you make mistakes like that," said Tallmadge coach Joe Vassalotti, whose Blue Devils finished 11-1. "You can't give them a short field and momentum like that."
For their efforts, the Arrows will play second-seeded Lake Catholic next Friday at a site to be announced Sunday.
Last year, Ashland faced the Cougars in an all-time classic before losing, 45-42, in the regional finals.
By halftime, the Arrows had a 42-point lead and were already looking to Week 13.
Save for the final drive where Ashland took a knee to close out the second quarter, the Arrows scored on every one of its first-half possessions.
Ashland racked up 488 yards of offense -- 404 of those yards coming in the first half.
First-team All-Ohio quarterback and Brown recruit Marcus Fuller was 14-of-18 for 243 yards and three touchdowns in a three-quarter performance. Chris Thomas touched the ball six times and scored four times to finish with 159 yards rushing.
"[Thomas] is one of the best playmakers I've ever seen in my life," Tallmadge linebacker Steve McAninch said. "They're big up front. They capitalized on plays. They're a great football team."
Tallmadge avoided the shutout when Anthony Gotto found Andrew Bonnette on a 14-yard fade pattern with 6:04 remaining.
While the game didn't end the way the Blue Devils (11-1) wanted, they shocked many prognosticators this season by running the table in the regular season and winning the Suburban League.
That's something players like McAninch will take with them.
"We just couldn't come back from those hard hits," the senior said. "This season, with the experts predicting us to go 2-8, to go undefeated and get into the second round of the playoffs, I can't put into words what this season meant to me.
"It was an amazing experience. I'm glad to say I was a part of it."