Officiating upsets Aces coach, but Columbus Academy wins

Amanda-Clearcreek was stopped inches short of the goal line late in the game.
MASSILLON (AP) -- All season, Gahanna Columbus Academy was known for its high-powered offense.
On Friday, it was the Vikings' defense that led the team to its second state title, 13-8 over Amanda-Clearcreek in the Division V state high school football championship game.
"They say defense wins championships and, for the first time in five games, we won it with defense," Academy coach Jim Collis said.
Steven Butt threw for two touchdowns and intercepted a pass that set up the first score for the unranked Vikings, who stopped the Aces inches short from the goal line late to preserve their win.
In the fourth quarter, the Academy (13-2) defense and some close calls kept Amanda-Clearcreek from scoring. On third-and-goal, Amanda's Kent Phillips got the handoff and was pushed into the end zone by quarterback Sam Davis.
Aiding runner
The official called a penalty for aiding the runner and penalized the Aces 5 yards. After the call, Amanda-Clearcreek coach Ron Hinton, the Division V coach of the year, ran onto the field to protest and fell to his knees.
On the ensuing fourth-and-9 with three minutes left, Davis passed to Troy Busch, whose foot appeared to be over the goal line but was pushed back by the Academy defense.
Hinton, apparently upset by the officiating, threw his hat on the ground during the awards ceremony, drawing lusty boos from the Academy fans.
"We made the plays. I was always told that at this level, officials never make a determination of a football game. And this morning they decided this game," Hinton said.
"I'm proud of our kids. We shut them down. We don't have anyone going to Stanford. We just have tough kids," Hinton said. The Aces jumped to an early lead when Raymond Sowers scored on a 3-yard run with 5:37 left in the first quarter to cap a 10-play, 83-yard drive.
Final two points
The Aces didn't score again until 56 seconds were left in the game when Academy intentionally took a safety.
The Vikings scored their first touchdown with just under a minute to play in first quarter.
The series started when Butt, who is also a defensive back, intercepted a pass intended for Busch and returned the ball 33 yards. About a minute later, Butt threw to a wide-open Jamie Neuhoff, who flitted around two defenders before falling across the goal line.
The Vikings scored again with just over a minute to play in the first half, after recovering a punt on the Aces' 39-yard line.
Butt was under pressure from defenders on a third-and-9, and flipped the ball to Bryan Morosky just before hitting the ground.
Morosky was run out of bounds and the referee put the ball on the 12-yard line, giving the Vikings a first down.
"We've done that a couple of times now. Bryan really saved me on that one. Once he gets the ball he really know what to do with it," Butt said.
Yard off
Hinton ran onto the field to complain, saying the ball should have been marked at the 13-yard line.
The Vikings scored a couple of plays later, when Butt threw an 11-yard pass to Ray Jones.
The Vikings, who averaged 48 points per game in the regular season, were held to their fewest points of the season. Morosky, their star fullback, was not at full strength, having bruised his leg in the semifinals against Delphos St. John's.