OHSAA football playoffs: Upper Arlington falls to St. Edward in Division I state semifinal
MANSFIELD — Video replays only served to reinforce what Upper Arlington coach Justin Buttermore saw firsthand during a Division I state semifinal Nov. 26.
“We were looking at the film (during the game) and it was just little things, little execution mistakes every play that cost us,” Buttermore said after a 16-10 loss to Lakewood St. Edward at Arlin Field that halted a 14-0 start and ended the Golden Bears’ quest for their first state championship since 2000. “We had to execute at a really high level against a team that good. It wasn’t any one thing, really, but every time we looked, there were just one or two execution errors that cost us.”
Sam Cannon’s 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the first quarter answered Christian Ramos’ 48-yard touchdown pass to Rayshawn Manning Jr. on the previous play and tied the game at 7. It was UA’s only trip into the end zone and came within 37 yards of matching the Bears’ total offensive output against a stout Eagles defense that largely stifled UA’s running game.
Carson Gresock, who came into the game with 2,330 yards and 33 touchdowns on the ground, was held to 36 yards on 14 carries.
The Bears finished with seven first downs to St. Edward’s 15 and crossed the 50 only once.
“They mixed up coverages the entire game and made it hard to predict what they were going to be in,” said UA quarterback Simon Monnin, who completed 10 of 22 passes for 97 yards with an interception. “We just couldn’t get it done tonight.”
Danny Enovitch rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries as the Eagles improved to 14-1 and advanced to play Springfield in the state final Dec. 3 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
UA took a 10-7 lead on the final play of the first half when Zac Yoakam connected on a 19-yard field goal, capping a drive on which the Bears drove to the 1 but were stuffed on third-and-goal.
St. Edward took the lead on its first possession of the second half, driving 80 yards in 10 plays as Enovitch scored from 25 yards.
The teams traded punts in the next six possessions before Jack Riley intercepted Monnin with 2 minutes left. UA forced a punt and got the ball back at its own 1 with 31 seconds left, but Doak Buttermore was tackled in the end zone for a safety on first down.
“They’re hard to score on ... and they make it hard for you,” Eagles coach Tom Lombardo said. “They completed some passes but holding them to that field goal at the end of the half was big for our psyche. It wasn’t easy, but that’s what we needed.”
dpurpura@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekDave
LAKEWOOD ST. EDWARD: 7-0-7-2--16
UPPER ARLINGTON: 7-3-0-0--10
LSE—Manning Jr. 48 pass from Ramos (Jonke kick)
UA—Cannon 94 kickoff return (Yoakam kick)
UA—Yoakam 19 FG
LSE—Enovitch 25 run (W. Jonke kick)
LSE—Safety (Buttermore tackled in end zone)
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Ohio high school football: Upper Arlington falls in state semifinal
