Ready, Columbus East lose in third round of OHSAA Division IV, Region 15 football playoffs
Regional semifinals: Central Ohio recaps for Divisions I, II, III and V
Regional finals: Statewide matchups for Nov. 18-19
Gnadenhutten Indian Valley 34, Ready 10
Indian Valley took control in a span of four plays in the first quarter and was never threatened in a Division IV, Region 15 semifinal Nov. 12 at White Field in Newark.
The fourth-seeded Braves improved to 10-3 and advanced to play second-seeded Steubenville for the regional title Nov. 19 at a neutral site.
The ninth-seeded Silver Knights finished 8-4.
Indian Valley, which has never won a regional title, last played for one in 2013 and lost 17-14 to Steubenville.
“The fast start really helped because (Ready is) a good football team,” Braves coach Matt Lancaster said. “We’ve played well the whole season, but we’re just peaking at the right time. We’ve got two new quarterbacks that are rotating in (in Kolton Thomas and Owen Fockler) because (Sam Carter) got injured (with a torn ACL) in Week 10 and is out for the season. The team has really rallied around them.”
Gavin Henry broke a tackle and found a seam before outrunning the Ready defense on an 81-yard run to give Indian Valley a 6-0 lead with 6 minutes, 58 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Thomas did a little bit of everything for Indian Valley, going 4-for-5 for 95 yards and two touchdowns passing and adding 65 yards rushing on 12 carries. He also had three tackles on defense and an interception, and it was his recovery of a muffed kickoff after Henry’s first touchdown that helped spark his team.
“I thought it was supposed to be a deep kickoff, but the wind just changed,” Thomas said. “Kicker (Daniel Miller) decided to go for the sky kick and it worked. That (sequence) changed the whole game for us. We scored two plays later and it carried us through the rest of the game.”
Henry ran off left tackle for 18 yards on the first play and then around right end for a 5-yard touchdown, giving the Braves a 13-0 lead with 6:12 left in the first quarter.
Henry finished with 116 yards rushing on nine carries and added a 67-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.
“It was a big momentum shift,” Henry said. “We play for one another. We’re all in it together (and) no one’s giving up. Everybody is playing as hard as they can – selling out.”
Grady Kinsey rushed for 166 yards on 11 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown in the third quarter as Indian Valley amassed 346 yards on 39 carries as a team.
Quake Beatty had 10 tackles to lead the defense, which held the Knights to 182 yards of total offense.
Ready quarterback Kaleb Schaffer found Dalton Miller for an 8-yard touchdown on the right sideline in the fourth quarter, and Kentrell Rinehart rushed for 84 yards on 14 carries.
Conlan Dent and Preston Tirey had 6.5 tackles apiece to lead the Ready defense.
“(Indian Valley is) what a seasoned playoff program is. That’s the level we’re trying to get to,” Knights coach Michael Schaefer said. “They were the better team tonight – they played at a different level. They’re a good football team, they’re well-coached and they played well. They did everything we thought they’d do.”
—Michael Rich
READY: 0-0-3-7--10
GNADENHUTTEN INDIAN VALLEY: 13-7-14-0--34
IV—Henry 81 run (kick failed)
IV—Henry 5 run (Miller kick)
IV—Golder 27 pass from Thomas (Miller kick)
R—Craddock 30 FG
IV—Henry 67 pass from Thomas (Miller kick)
IV—Kinsey 60 run (Miller kick)
R—Miller 8 from Schaffer (Craddock kick)
Steubenville 41, Columbus East 22
The longest postseason run in the history of the East program ended with a loss to second-seeded Steubenville in a Division IV, Region 15 semifinal at New Philadelphia.
Sophomore running back Taizaun Burns didn't play in the second half for third-seeded East because of an injury.
“Our kids fought hard,” Tigers coach Mike Bell said. “They were big and strong and we couldn’t stop the run. They ran the ball on us all night and just kept pounding it. They were more physical up front and we just didn’t have enough.”
Quarterback Wayne Lindsay III scored on a 12-yard run and Burns ran for the two-point conversion, but the Tigers fell behind 34-8 by halftime.
In the second half, East got a receiving touchdown from Solomon Vaughn and a rushing touchdown from Kemua Woods-Law. Vaughn finished with nine catches for 189 yards, and Lindsay was 14-for-22 passing for 215 yards.
East, which finished 10-2, won a playoff game for the first time this fall after making two previous postseason appearances.
Steubenville improved to 11-2 and will play fourth-seeded Gnadenhutten Indian Valley on Nov. 19 for the regional title.
“I’m so proud of these kids,” Bell said. “They accomplished so much. They were gritty and fought hard until the end. We scored with a couple seconds left in the game and kept playing. They deserve all the accolades.”
—Jarrod Ulrey
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Ready, Columbus East lose in third round of Division IV playoffs
