Harding just finds ways to victory

The Raiders did it again Saturday in the Division I state semifinal game with Massillon.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AKRON -- A crowd of reporters was gathered around Warren Harding coach Thom McDaniels Saturday night when his cell phone rang.
It was his son, Josh, a coach with the New England Patriots, asking about Harding's Division I state semifinal game against Massillon Washington at the Rubber Bowl.
McDaniels broke into a wide grin and said, "We looked defeat in the eye and said 'Not tonight, baby. Not tonight.' "
The Raiders looked finished after Massillon scored to take a 14-7 lead with 1:11 remaining. When Harding got the ball back, it drove to Massillon's 30-yard line, but Raiders quarterback Mike Kokal misfired on three straight passes to set up a fourth and 10.
The season was on the line, and like they had done all season, the Raiders delivered.
Kokal found wideout Danny Stella for a 13-yard gain for the first down. Two plays later, Kokal hit senior wideout Treymayne Warfield from 17 yards out for the game-tying score.
"We've been in this situation four-five-six times before, so nobody panicked," Stella said. "I just ran my route, broke into the middle of the zone and Kokal found me."
Did he realize the magnitude of the moment?
"I didn't feel anything," Stella said with a smile. "I just headed back to the huddle and got ready for the next play."
Kokal, however, wasn't as modest.
"I wasn't sure I could make that throw," Kokal said. "It was a tough pass to make, but I got it there."
The defining characteristic
The defining characteristic of the Raiders this season is that they find ways to win. Harding has pulled out victories against Boardman (in double overtime), Massillon (the first game in the final minute, the second in overtime), St. Ignatius (recovering a key fumble on the goal line to hold off the Wildcats) and St. Edward (Joe Spain kicked a game-winning field goal after an amazing last-minute drive).
That said, McDaniels doesn't believe the Raiders are a team of destiny.
"I don't believe in destiny," he said. "I believe in hard work."
And Harding believes in McDaniels, who won a state (and national) title with Canton McKinley in 1997. His son, Ben, quarterbacked that team to the title and also in 1998 after McDaniels had stepped down as coach.
"I don't know if I'm in a position to compare the two teams," McDaniels said of the 1997 McKinley team and this year's Harding team. "I can't put the '97 team on the field and I wouldn't want to."
But, McDaniels added with a smile, "I would pay to see that game."
The Raiders, who will play Cincinnati Elder in Saturday's state final at Fawcett Stadium in Canton (McKinley's home field), lost in last year's regional final to Ignatius at the Rubber Bowl.
It was Maurice Clarett's final game, and left a bitter taste in the mouths of the returning Raiders.
"We deserve this," Stella said. "All the hard work we've put in since December has paid off. We never give up and we've shown a lot of toughness and determination."
Now one team stands in the way of Harding's ultimate goal, and the Raiders will be ready.
"We're going to celebrate tonight and the coaches will come back Sunday and we'll come back Monday and get ready for Elder," Stella said. "We ain't done yet."