NEW PHILADELPHIA, OHIO – Danville’s dreams of a Regional title came down to the last minute, when victory was snatched away by Warren JFK with a come-from-behind touchdown and a 2-point conversion with 39 seconds left to give the Eagles a third straight regional crown, 22-21, in the District VII, Region 25 final Saturday at New Philadelphia Quaker Stadium.
No.1-seeded John F. Kennedy Catholic (13-1) won its eighth straight game and has outscored opponents 400-138 this season. They got to the final after demolishing Southern 35-0 in the semifinals. No.3-seeded Danville (11-3) has outscored its foes 385-232 and was riding a five-game winning streak. They reached the final with a come-from-behind 27-20 win over Lucas, in which they were down 20-0 entering the fourth.
In the final, Danville struck first for a 7-0 lead, scoring on a 24-yard TD pass to Kaiden Colopy and an extra point about three minutes in. JFK responded with a tying score on the next possession, on a 25-yard run and PAT. The defenses took over and the score remained 7-7 until the third quarter.
Danville kicked off to the Eagles to start the second half, and held. The Blue Devils took over and scored on their first possession of the half, on a 5-yard run by Max Payne. The extra point attempt was blocked and the Blue Devils assumed a 13-7 lead.
The Danville defense made a stop and took the ball over at their own 18 following a punt. Two penalties and an interception gave JFK the ball at the Danville 17, and early in the fourth, JFK scored on a 12-yard pass to tie it at 13-13. The PAT put the Eagles on top, 14-13.
Danville took the lead on a 5-yard fumble recovery and run by Walker Weckesser after a hit and caused fumble by Levi Lyons, to take a 19-14 lead. Danville head coach Matt Blum held up two fingers and the Blue Devils went for two. A bullet pass was good for the conversion, and Danville held a 21-14 lead with under six minutes left.
JFK marched on their final possession on long passes and punishing runs. They brought the ball to the Danville 5 with under a minute left and JFK QB Caleb Hadley hit Aiden Rossi in the end zone to make it 21-20 with 39 seconds left. Electing to go for the win instead of the tie, Hadley followed with a 2-point conversion to make it 22-21 in favor of JFK. The Eagles defense kept Danville from mounting a final drive, and the Blue Devils’ season was over. With the win, Warren JFK advances to face Newark Catholic in the Division VII state semifinals Saturday.
Danville was led by Weckesser, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 103 yards, and Max Payne hit on 3 of 5 for 20 yards and a score. Payne was also the top Blue Devils rusher, gaining 100 yards on 20 carries as Danville was held to only 92 total yards on the ground. Spencer Payne caught five passes for 48 yards, and Kaiden Colopy had five receptions for 44 yards and a TD.
On defense, the Blue Devils were led by Levi Lyons with eight solo tackles and six assists, Max Payne with four solo tackles and eight assists and Bryan Boeshart with seven solos and four assists. Kendall Carter finished with five solos and four assists and Boeshart, Carter and Gavyn Lepley each had two tackles for loss. Lepley had 1.5 sacks and Dillon Looney came through for a sack. Weckesser had an interception and recovered a fumble caused by a fierce Lyons hit.
Well done, Danville, for a strong regular season and a solid playoff run.
