MASSILLON, Ohio — In a game in which the Maple Heights offense was at its proficient-best, it was two monster defensive stops that helped lift the Mustangs to the first state football championship in school history on Friday. After watching Trotwood Madison's Antwan Gilbert run around, through and between their defenders most of the night, the Mustangs put the...
MASSILLON, Ohio — In a game in which the Maple Heights offense was at its proficient-best, it was two monster defensive stops that helped lift the Mustangs to the first state football championship in school history on Friday.
After watching Trotwood Madison's Antwan Gilbert run around, through and between their defenders most of the night, the Mustangs put the speed trap down to start the fourth quarter and rallied to a 45-33 victory in front of 3,987 chilled fans at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
Maple Heights trailed, 33-31, entering the final 12 minutes as Gilbert, as elusive a running back you will see this side of Shaq Washington, rolled up 179 yards on 28 carries, and quarterback Marcus Graham completed 9 of 16 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
"I've said all year that our best defense is our offense because our offense is so good," said Maple Heights defensive coordinator Aaron Bubonics. "But in the fourth quarter the defense was unreal."
The Mustangs switched from a six-man to a four-man front of seniors O'Brea Williams and Claybourne Miller and juniors Aaron Pipkins and Kennedy Linston.
Bubonics felt that threw some confusion to Trotwood.
"I don't think they've ever seen us in a four-man front, ever," he said. "We made some adjustments and we blitzed 'em a little and the kids played their hearts out. We knew we needed one stop, but we got two."
The Mustangs also had a goal-line stand with 4:52 remaining in the second quarter, stopping the Rams at the one-yard line on a charge led by linebacker Dontell Kennedy.
"If we would have executed on that play it might have been different," said Gilbert.
Trotwood Madison (12-3) got the ball at its 44-yard line with about two minutes left in the third quarter and drove to the Maple 33. The Mustangs forced Graham into two incomplete passes to take over on downs. It was just the fourth time they had stopped Madison on downs.
With Washington taking control and lugging the ball on practically every down, the Mustangs drove 67 yards to take their first lead of the game, 37-33.
Then came the stop that might have won the game.
Madison took the ensuing kickoff to the Maple 48. Miller and Dana Day stopped Gilbert for a three-yard gain on first down, and Kennedy made a tackle on Gilbert at the line. The Rams attempted a flanker-around to Michael Jordan, but linebacker John Welcome dropped Jordan for a two-yard loss.
"We had to go non-stop and dig down deep," said Miller. "We stuck together as a team, and that was the atmosphere all along the line."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: trogers@plaind.com, 216-999-5169