By BRIAN RICHESSON

By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CANTON -- The boys from the south cooled the Warren Harding High football team on a blanket of snow, but not before one last classic comeback.
Thus, one of the most impressive runs in Raider football history came to an end in the Division I state championship game Saturday at Fawcett Stadium.
Cincinnati Elder built an early lead and held on for a 21-19 victory on a snowy, windy night in front of 20,395 fans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame city.
First title for Elder
It was Elder's first state championship, ruining Harding's bid for a third title; the Raiders won in 1974 and 1990.
The Panthers also stopped Harding's Thom McDaniels from becoming the first coach to win Div. I titles with two schools. He won in 1997 as coach of Canton McKinley.
The Raiders (14-1) had come from behind to beat playoff opponents Lakewood St. Edward and Massillon Washington in dramatic fashion.
This time, in a driving snowstorm, there was no justice. Despite scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter, Harding's season came to an end.
Senior quarterback Mike Kokal's potential game-tying two-point conversion pass was incomplete with 46 seconds remaining, and Elder (14-1) ran out the clock.
Sophomore Mario Manningham had provided hope with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Kokal with just more than three minutes remaining to cut Harding's deficit to 21-13. Junior kicker Joe Spain missed the extra point.
Missed conversion try
After the Raiders forced a punt, Kokal drove Harding from Elder's 48 to the 2, including a 41-yard pass to Manningham. Junior Richard Davis ran in for the touchdown, but Kokal, feeling pressure from Elder linebacker Kevin Harnist, couldn't complete the conversion pass.
The conditions seemed to play in Elder's favor once it opened a 14-0 lead in the first half. A heavy, steady snow fell for most of the second half.
Elder seemed to secure the victory when junior quarterback Rob Florian scored on a 1-yard run with 3:48 remaining for a 21-7 lead. The first-year starter was a factor throughout with his running and passing ability.
The Raiders nearly added to their list of heartpounding playoff comebacks when Manningham and Davis found the end zone.
Harding cut into a 14-0 deficit when Davis took a screen pass from Kokal and ran 34 yards for a touchdown to begin the fourth quarter.
Elder plowed to a 14-0 lead in the first half behind the play of Florian. He shook his way through the Harding defense on an 11-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The score capped a 19-play, 83-yard drive that consumed 8:19 of the quarter and was highlighted when kicker Mike Rega's extra-point attempt bounced off the post and crossbar before falling through.
Florian then completed a 51-yard touchdown pass to Ian Steidel with nine minutes left in the second quarter.
Third straight meeting
Harding and Elder met for the third straight season, having split the first two meetings. The Raiders won 24-19 in 2000 at Mollenkopf Stadium and Elder responded with a 24-14 victory last season in Cincinnati.
McDaniels, who spent 16 years as head coach at Canton McKinley, took over the Harding program three seasons ago and vowed to weed out the players who weren't committed to excellence.
He did that while molding his players enough to go 18-5 in his first two years, including a trip to the regional final last year -- the Raiders lost to Cleveland St. Ignatius -- with sensational running back Maurice Clarett guiding the way.
When Clarett graduated and became Ohio State's featured player, some questioned how Harding would return to the playoffs. The Raiders proved the value of balance in each phase of the game and poise in the ability to rally.
richesson@vindy.com