Connect with us

High School

Clinton-Massie Surges Back From 21 Down To Win Division IV State Title Over Ursuline, 29-28

Clinton-Massie vs Ursuline

CANTON, Ohio – When a 26-yard fourth down touchdown put Ursuline on top 28-7, it would have been easy for Clinton-Massie to falter.

However, the Falcons stayed strong, roaring back to stun Ursuline 29-28 in the final seconds of the Division IV State Championship on Friday.

Clinton-Massie did get on the scoreboard first, using up over nine minutes before a 2-yard touchdown by Carson Van Hoose.

Trailing 7-0, Ursuline’s explosive offense finally came alive in the second quarter.

The onslaught started with a pair of DeMarcus McElroy touchdown carries, followed by a 39-yard touchdown pass from Brady Shannon to Jakylan Irving.

Leading 21-7 to start the second half, Ursuline continued to dominate on both sides of the ball.

Shannon would throw his second touchdown of the game with 5:23 to play in the third quarter, finding Harvard commit Dean Boyd to put the Irish on top 28-7.

Shortly after this gut-wrenching play, Clinton-Massie would start to build some momentum of their own.

Their comeback started with a 49-yard quarterback keeper by Kody Zantene to cut the deficit to 28-14.

Then early in the fourth, Clinton-Massie would fumble at the goal line, but it ended up in the hands of lineman Garrett Vance for another Falcon touchdown.

The defense would continue to hold Ursuline scoreless in the fourth quarter before another impressive Clinton-Massie drive put them deep in Irish territory.

On fourth down, with 45 seconds left in regulation and the season on the line, coach Dan McSurley pulled out what might go down as one of the most brilliant play calls in state championship history.

With everyone on the Ursuline defense expecting a run up the middle, Zantene concealed the ball, started a slow walk backwards, then took off to the right side for a touchdown.

Then, trailing 28-27, Van Hoose scored what would be the game-winning two point conversion to seal a 29-28 victory for Clinton-Massie.

With the victory, the Falcons have now won three state championships (2012, 2013, and 2021).

It was a thrilling game, with the two teams combining for 717 yards of offense. In the end, it was Clinton-Massie taking home the hardware to Clarksville.

Passing Leaders
K. Zantene (CMHS): 1-3, 1 Yard
B. Shannon (UHS): 15-28, 185 Yards, 2 TD

Rushing Leaders
C. Trampler (CMHS): 117 Yards
D. McElroy (UHS): 162 Yards, 2 TD

Receiving Leaders
C. Van Hoose (CMHS): 1 Rec, 1 Yard
D. Boyd (UHS): 6 Rec, 69 Yards, 1 TD

Defensive Leaders
K. Zantene (CMHS): 12 Tackles, 1 FF
J. Edmonds (UHS): 16 Tackles, 0.5 TFL

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 
Advertisement

Facebook

Archives

Categories

Show Your Team Spirit

NEO Sports Insiders Newsletter

Sign up to receive our NEOSI newsletter, and keep up to date with all the latest Cleveland sports news.

Recent Comments

Meta

More in High School