By Ed Dick
WADSWORTH, OH – The lights peeked over the houses on the right-hand side of the street approaching the parking lot. Art Wright Stadium was alive, ready for a Division 2, Region VI quarterfinal contest between the visiting, seventh-seeded Sylvania Northview Wildcats (8-2 overall, 5-2 Northern Lakes Conference) and the undefeated champions of the Suburban League National Division, host and second-seeded Wadsworth Grizzlies.
The second season of high school football kicked off at 7:30 p.m. with Wadsworth’s Ryan Larj teeing the ball up at the 40-yard line. Sylvania Northview returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and wasted no time making their presence felt.
The Wildcats took the opening kickoff and proceeded to march 70 yards in four plays for a quick 7-0 lead on a 50-yard TD run by running back Dane Hullibarger. Wadsworth went backwards on their first drive, punting from their own five-yard line.
Senior quarterback Brandon Leach took over at the Wadsworth 35, hitting WR Ryan Rempe for an 18-yard completion to the Wadsworth 16. Four plays later, Hullibarger plunged into the end zone from two yards out and a 14-0 lead with 4:26 left in the first quarter.
Aided by a penalty and an errant kickoff, the Grizzlies got the ball on the Wildcat 49. Five plays later, quarterback Joey Baughman found wide receiver Mitchell Blackburn for a beautiful TD pass from 27 yards out, cutting the lead to 14-7.
The Grizzlies were able to hold the Wildcat offense, led by a nine-yard sack of Leach by DL Joey Fernholz. Baughman started the next drive at his own 34-yard line and went 66 yards in less than a minute, hitting Blackburn on a perfectly blocked screen pass for a 39-yard score. The first quarter ended in a 14-14 tie.
Sylvania Northview continued to play from ahead, as Hullibarger rushed for his third TD from one yard out. His TD was set up by a diving catch at the one by Rempe from Leach.
The Grizzlies answered back, utilizing a quick passing game en route to a one-yard touchdown run by running back Brock Snowball. Hullibarger countered with a three-yard TD run, his fourth of the game. A botched PAT snap led to kicker Luke Pawlak reversing fields to evade tacklers and finding Alex Sample for an improvised two-point conversion and a 29-21 lead.
Undaunted, the Grizzlies began to unleash their rushing attack behind Baughman and Snowball. Baughman hit Blackburn for his third TD of the game from six yards out, then went right back to him for the two-point conversion and a 29-29 tie with 48 seconds left in the half. The Wildcats had a first down at Wadsworth’s 41-yard line and two timeouts left. Coach Doug Downing elected to go into the half tied with the undefeated Grizzlies instead of attempting to get into range for Pawlak.
The Wildcats were able to answer the bell in the third quarter after a couple of more Wadsworth haymakers, specifically Baughman’s 63-yard touchdown run to start the second half.
Leach calmly led Northview, completing four passes for 89 yards that culminated in a 13-yard TD pass to WR Camden Corron. However, Pawlak’s extra point attempt was blocked and the Wildcats trailed, 36-35.
The Grizzlies kept the ball on the ground for seven of ten plays on their next scoring drive, as Snowball found the end zone from 11 yards out and a 43-35 lead.
The Wildcats clawed back behind Leach’s 10 yard TD pass to Rempe over a Wadsworth defender. The drive was aided by an unnecessary roughness penalty via helmet-to-helmet contact between Snowball and wide receiver Jarrett Batanian. Pawlak’s extra point was true, and the Wildcats cut the lead to 43-42. That score remained going into the decisive fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies started to find their groove with the rushing game in the fourth quarter. Save for a 12 yard TD pass from Baughman to Blackburn to start the fourth quarter, their fourth TD connection of the night, the Grizzlies were able to wear down the Wildcats with the run game on the offense and a relentless defense.
The Wildcats, sensing they could not keep the Grizzlies out of the end zone, bypassed punting on their next three possessions. Unfortunately, the Wildcats were right as Snowball rushed for a one-yard TD after the first turnover on downs, and Baughman completed an 11-yard TD pass to Blackburn after their second, and the game was blown open at 61-42.
Blackburn’s knockdown of a Leach pass attempt to Rempe ended one of those drives, showing how versatile his skills are. Leach’s final attempt at a comeback was thwarted by Wadsworth’s defense with just over two minutes left in the game. Wadsworth successfully ran out the clock for a 61-42 victory over a worthy Sylvania Northview team.
Sylvania was able to hang offensively for the first three quarters. Leach, all 6-foot-7-inches of him, completed 26-of-32 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns. Rempe caught 10 of those passes for 144 yards and a TD, and Corron caught seven passes for 78 yards and a score. Hullibarger rushed 17 times for 117 yards and four TDs.
The Grizzlies had a little more in the tank led by the All-Ohio Baughman. He completed 22-of-28 passes for 229 yards, five touchdowns and a two-point conversion. He also rushed 14 times for 191 yards and one TD. Blackburn caught 13 passes for 130 yards and five TDs, and also had a two-point conversion. Snowball rushed 14 times for 123 yards and three scores.
Sylvania Northview ends their season at 9-2. They brought a physical offensive and defensive line and were successful for three quarters. The Wildcats played very well and their lively fan base had plenty to cheer about. However, it’s the resilient Wadsworth team that moves on, now at 11-0. The Grizzlies will take on No. 3 seeded Olmsted Falls next Friday night at a neutral site.
| Division 2 Region 6 Quarterfinals | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| #7 Sylvania Northview | 14 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 42 |
| #2 Wadsworth | 14 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 61 |
| First Quarter | |||||
| SN – Dane Hullibarger 50 run (Luke Pawlak kick) | |||||
| SN – Hullibarger 2 run (Pawlak kick) | |||||
| W- Joey Baughman 27 pass to Mitchell Blackburn (Ryan Larj kick) | |||||
| W- Baughman 39 pass to Blackburn (Larj kick) | |||||
| Second Quarter | |||||
| SN – Hullibarger 1 run (Pawlak kick) | |||||
| W- Brock Snowball 1 run (Larj kick) | |||||
| SN – Hullibarger 3 run (Pawlak pass to Alex Sample) | |||||
| W- Baughman 6 pass to Blackburn (Baughman pass to Blackburn) | |||||
| Third Quarter | |||||
| W- Baughman 63 run (Larj kick) | |||||
| SN – Brandon Leach 13 pass to Camden Corron (kick blocked) | |||||
| W- Snowball 14 run (Larj kick) | |||||
| SN – Brandon Leach 10 pass to Ryan Rempe (Pawlak kick) | |||||
| Fourth Quarter | |||||
| W- Baughman 12 pass to Blackburn (kick failed) | |||||
| W- Brock Snowball 1 run (kick blocked) | |||||
| W- Baughman 11 pass to Blackburn (conversion failed) | |||||
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