Cole Delaughder was running on full throttle with a pair of rushing touchdowns to lead No. 2 Danville (12-0, 7-0) to a 32-6 win over No. 7 Springfield (8-4, 5-1) in the regional quarterfinal of the OHSAA Division VII, Region 25 playoffs.
“Overall, I thought we played a solid game on both sides of the ball,” said Coach Matt Blum. “Offensively, we rushed for over 300 yards and held them under 40 yards rushing. When you are able to handle the line of scrimmage good things will happen.”
The senior first-team KMAC running back tallied 175 rushing yards and a pair of scores with a long of 64 yards, averaging 10.3 yards per carry. Bryer Boeshart had four carries for 91 yards and a touchdown, with one run going for 77 yards.
Walker Weckesser, who was the KMAC Player of the Year, had 17 carries for 38 yards. Aidan Burke had two carries for 30 yards and a touchdown, and Josh Byers had a four yard run.
Byers was huge on defense with 23 tackles and four for a loss. Caleb Lucas and Byers, both first team All-KMAC each had 2.5 sacks, while Weckesser had two sacks. Dominic Mosher and Dakota Ricketts each added a half-sack. Wesley Payne, an All-KMAC second team selection, picked off a pass for the Blue Devils. Boeshart and Ricketts had 11 and 10 tackles respectively. Mosher also blocked a kick in the win.
“Cole Delaughder had a great game offensively he had over 190 total yards and 2 TDs,” said Coach Blum. “This included a 64 yard rushing touchdown to go up 24-0. Josh Byers, Caleb Lucas, Cody Ricketts, and Bryer Boeshart had all great games defensively.”
This was the 12th straight win for Danville, who are undefeated heading into the regional semifinal game. The Blue Devisl have outscored opponents 550-158 this year.
Danville takes on No. 6 Lowellville (11-1, 5-1) on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in the regional semifinals. Lowellville knocked off Western Reserve in the quarterfinals, 32-7.
“Lowellville will be a great challenge for us,” Blum said. “They have dynamic playmakers on offense, especially their Quarterback. We are looking forward to our week 13 matchup!”
