MEDINA, Ohio — Despite watching its offense sputter, stall and struggle to get untracked all game, Elyria Catholic had one final shot. The Panthers had the ball, an eight-point deficit and 46 yards between possibly tying the game and forcing overtime, or watching their season end in the Division IV, Region 14 semifinals at Ken Dukes Stadium. It was...
MEDINA, Ohio — Despite watching its offense sputter, stall and struggle to get untracked all game, Elyria Catholic had one final shot. The Panthers had the ball, an eight-point deficit and 46 yards between possibly tying the game and forcing overtime, or watching their season end in the Division IV, Region 14 semifinals at Ken Dukes Stadium.
It was not to be for the Panthers, as Stewart Turner sealed Orrville's 22-14 victory with an interception on fourth down, ending Elyria Catholic's rally and its season.
Elyria Catholic (10-2) clawed its way back into the game when its defense partially blocked a punt and the Panthers took over on the Orrville 40 with just under three minutes to go.
Six plays and 1:11 later the Panthers had cut the 22-6 lead to 22-14 on the strength of Cory Campbell's second touchdown of the night, a 1-yard run, and the two-point conversion was good when Danny Reaser hit Zach Rogers in the corner of the end zone.
The Panthers recovered the onside kick at the Orrville 46 but could only advance it to the Orrville 36 before the offense stalled and the Panthers' season came to a bitter end.
"We took some chances at the end, had some opportunities but the breaks didn't go our way," Panthers head coach Ben Malbasa said.
Orrville (9-3) found the most effective way to slow the explosive Panthers offense was to keep them off the field. The Red Riders offense kept the ball on the ground for most of the game, grinding out yardage and running down the clock, highlighted by their marathon 12-play, 88-yard scoring drive in the second quarter which took 9:12 off the clock and ended with Mason Monheim scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run.
Keeping the Panthers off the field was a wise decision, as Elyria Catholic showed how fast its offense could get it back in the game. The Panthers quickly drove the field on the ensuing possession, needing just seven plays and 1:27 to cover 61 yards en route to their first score, an 18-yard Reaser-to-Cory Campbell touchdown pass which cut the Red Riders' halftime lead to 15-6.
Sloppy ball-handling plagued the Panthers throughout the first half, with Elyria Catholic fumbling three times and losing two. The Panthers also struggled to protect Reaser, who was sacked four times on the night and constantly pressured by the Red Riders' defense.
"They had a great game plan to pressure us," Malbasa said. "They kept coming and eventually got to him."
Bill Mayville is a freelance writer in Parma Heights.