Team's late-game heroics have Thom McDaniels within reach of milestone

STAFF/WIRE REPORT
WARREN -- Warren Harding football coach Thom McDaniels does not believe in destiny, but he may make history this weekend.
If Warren Harding beats Cincinnati Elder on Saturday in Canton, McDaniels will become the first coach in state history to win a Division I title with two different teams.
Harding is in the Division I championship despite trailing late in several key games this year. Each time, the Raiders managed to pull out a win, including an overtime victory in the semifinal game last week when Massillon Washington missed an extra point that would have tied the game.
Destiny?
"I still don't believe in that," he said. "We believe in hard work and doing things the right way."
Strong history
McDaniels led Canton McKinley to the state title in 1997, beating Cincinnati Moeller, 31-16. He lost to Moeller in 1985 in his only other state final appearance.
McDaniels -- the winningest coach in Canton McKinley history (134-42) -- stepped down after the 1997 season to become an administrator for Canton City Schools. His successor, Kerry Hodakievic, led the Bulldogs to the 1998 state title.
Former Warren Harding coach Ed Glass came closest to winning two Division I titles with two different teams. Glass won a championship in 1974 when the Raiders routed Upper Arlington, 41-8. Ten years later, Glass led North Canton Hoover to the title game, but lost to Toledo St. Francis, 18-14.
McDaniels was hired at Harding in 2000 and has led the Raiders to their first back-to-back playoff appearances in school history.
Harding last won a state title in 1990 under Phil Annarella, who was in the press box during the Raiders' win over Massillon, working the game as a radio analyst for WKBN.
The Raiders were favored to win the state title last year, easily winning their first eight games behind the running of Maurice Clarett, who is now the star running back for Ohio State. But Harding lost at Elder in Week 9 -- its only regular season loss before ultimately losing in the playoffs to Cleveland St. Ignatius.
Tough road
It has not been an easy road for Harding this year.
The Raiders have not won any of their playoff games by more than a touchdown and needed a missed extra point in overtime to beat Massillon.
Two weeks ago, the Raiders trailed Lakewood St. Edward 16-15 with 18 seconds to play and no timeouts. But quarterback Mike Kokal threw a 52-yard pass to Mario Manningham to set up a game-winning 39-yard field goal.
The Massillon game was the second time this season Harding won an overtime game on a missed extra point. The Raiders' Dimitrios Makridis blocked an extra point in double overtime to beat Boardman in Week 7.
The need for late heroics hasn't dimmed McDaniels' enthusiasm for his players.
"I love this football team," McDaniels said. "We've got kids who are taking coaching and who are taking direction. We've come a long way in three years."
But he warns, "None of this means anything if we don't finish the job against Elder."
XThe Associated Press contributed to this story.