Another Harding miracle finish falls short in Canton

The Raiders made an unbelievable comeback effort, but came up two points short to Cincinnati Elder.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CANTON -- Fifty years from now, when Warren Harding football fans reflect on the 2002 Division I state final, there will be no need for exaggeration.
Fawcett Stadium really did resemble a shook-up Christmas snowglobe.
The field -- thanks to snowblowers clearing yard markers between plays -- did look like a giant green candy cane.
The crowd of 20,000 did resemble a rainbow of wool.
Harding's dream season seemed destined to end magically.
Instead, tragically.
For this was no blizzard. It was actually a Purple Reign as Cincinnati Elder outlasted Harding 21-19.
The Raiders seemed finished when Cincinnati Elder quarterback Rob Florian scored on a 1-yard touchdown sneak to give the Panthers a 21-7 lead with 3:48 left in the game.
Big touchdown pass
But on Harding's first offensive play, Raiders senior quarterback Mike Kokal found Mario Manningham for an improbable 73-yard touchdown pass.
But Harding kicker Joe Spain was wide left on the extra point. And it proved to be the difference.
Harding forced a punt and the Raiders got the ball back on the Elder 48 with 2:20 left.
And Kokal went to work.
After three plays netted just three yards, Kokal scrambled for 11 yards for the first down. He was sacked on the next play, then threw two straight incompletions. But on fourth and 15 at his own 42, Kokal hit Manningham for 40 yards.
Running back Richard Davis scored two plays later to set up the two-point conversion try.
Kokal lined up in the shotgun, took the snap and immediately felt pressure. Elder senior defensive back Kevin Harnist hit Kokal as he threw and the pass floated behind wideout Treymayne Warfield and hit the ground.
Spain's onside kick try did not go 10 yards, Elder recovered and ran out the clock.
Kokal finished with 202 yards passing and two touchdowns. He rushed for a team-high 40. But his counterpart, Florian, was equal to the task.
Florian leads Elder
The Panthers junior accounted for 260 of Elder's 314 total yards and proved to be the difference in the game.
"He had a great game and we needed him to because all of our running backs were hurt," Elder coach Doug Ramsey said of Florian. "We needed him to carry the load for us and he did a great job for us."
It was the first time Warren Harding did not win a state final, winning titles in 1974 and 1990. It was the first time Elder won a state title in school history. And it was the first time a Cincinnati team won a Div. I title since 1987.
McDaniels falls short
Raiders coach Thom McDaniels also fell short of being the first coach to win Div. I state titles with two different teams.
It seemed like Harding would pull out yet another miracle. The Raiders had won in every way imaginable. None of their playoff wins were by more than seven points. One came in overtime when Massillon Washington missed an extra point. Another came on a last second-field goal to beat Lakewood St. Edward.
The Raiders scored all 19 of their points in the fourth quarter. But it was not enough.
It was an instant classic. The weather was cold, windy and miserable. The teams were evenly matched.
In short, it was perfect.
Except for the final score.
scalzo@vindy.com