Howland wins in double OT

Tony Davis scored the go-ahead TD, then the Tiger defense did the rest.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HOWLAND -- It doesn't get any scarier than this: A No. 1 seed and a home favorite going to double overtime on Halloween night.
In the end, however, the Howland High football team found the sweetest treat of all: a 24-17 victory over Twinsburg in the opening round of the Division II playoffs.
"When you're a good football team, you've got to win some games with a little bit of luck," Howland coach Dick Angle said. "And we'll take the luck."
Leading up to the regional quarterfinal, Howland (10-1) raved about playing host to its first playoff game at Lombardo Stadium in the program's history. Then the Tigers got to enjoy it just a little bit longer.
Game-winner
Senior Tony Davis scored on a 7-yard run in the second overtime and the Howland defense stiffened on Twinsburg's final possession to preserve the victory.
"I may have made a couple of cuts, but it was mainly the front five," said Davis, crediting his offensive line on the final run. "My adrenaline was pumping, and it just pushed me in."
The touchdown advanced Howland to a regional semifinal next Friday against today's winner between Parma Padua Franciscan and Copley.
A Penn State recruit, Davis was a prime reason for Howland's resurgence in the second half. The Tigers had fallen behind 14-3 at halftime as their defense had allowed huge chunks of yards on the ground.
"Me and my buddy Mike Zambelli got the seniors together, and we just said, 'We're going to come out and we're going to win this game,' " Davis said.
And it showed as Howland scored on its first two possessions of the second half to take a 17-14 lead.
Davis knew that much of responsibility for rallying Howland would be placed upon his shoulders, and he gladly accepted.
"That's the guy they wanted to get the ball to," Twinsburg coach Al Hodakievic said. "It wasn't a surprise to anybody that they were going to give it to him."
The running back finished with 223 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns.
"I just looked in Coach [Dick] Angle's eyes, and I just knew he was going to get me the ball," Davis said. "I had a job to do, and I just got it done."
Davis' first touchdown got Howland rolling in the second half, with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.
After running 41 yards for the touchdown, in which he zig-zagged from the left sideline to the right corner of the end zone, he celebrated by taking off his helmet and pumping his arms.
"We were dazed a little bit. We hadn't been down at halftime like that," Angle said. "The kids did a good job of getting the confidence back up themselves."
Defense responds
After Davis had gotten Howland to within 14-10, the defense, keyed by senior Terry Kakavros' second-down tackle for lost yardage, forced a punt and the Tigers took over on Twinsburg's 40-yard line.
"The key was our second-half adjustment defensively and taking the third-quarter drive and scoring," Angle said. "Our offense responded to get that score, and then our defense shut them down the second half."
Six plays later, junior quarterback Brad Lockney scored from the 1-yard line to help put Howland ahead 17-14.
With the strong leg of kicker Zolton Mesko, Twinsburg (5-6) tied the score on a 25-yard field goal with 10:42 remaining in regulation.
On Howland's final possession of regulation, the Tigers drove to Twinsburg's 28-yard line, but senior running back Mike Tominey, who had 65 yards on 18 carries, was stopped on fourth-and-1.
The teams traded missed field goals in the first overtime -- Mesko missing from 22 yards and senior Cody Chappell missing from 38. Chappell's kick was so close -- he missed wide right -- that Angle argued the ruling.
"It looked good to me, but I'm for Cody," Angle said of his kicker, who booted a 33-yard field goal in the first quarter.
"It would have been nice to win it with the field goal, but it's always nice to win it the way we did -- the offense had to score and the defense had to finish it off."
Howland needed just four straight runs by Davis to score the game-winner, and the defense held Twinsburg on four straight downs.
On fourth down, Twinsburg quarterback Aaron Swenson was rushed by Zambelli and junior Chris Machuzak. Swenson's desperation pass was blocked by Zambelli, and the ball fell into Machuzak's arms.
"Defense wins games for you," Angle said. "In the end, it was the defense that won the game for us."
richesson@vindy.com