FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS St. Edward wallops Toledo St. John, 44-7
The Eagles will play defending champion Cincinnati Elder.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MASSILLON -- Anthony Gardner scored on a 26-yard quarterback keeper on the game's first drive to start Lakewood St. Edward's 44-7 rout of Toledo St. John's in a Division I state semifinal Saturday night.
The Eagles (11-3) rushed for 272 yards in the first half and had 325 total yards in the first 24 minutes, compared to 49 for the Titans (10-4).
Joe Kleinsmith tied a St. Edward record with a 52-yard field goal.
The Eagles play defending Division I champion Cincinnati Elder in the big-school title game Saturday night at Canton's Fawcett Stadium.
Cin. Elder 31, Dublin Scioto 7
COLUMBUS -- Bradley Glatthaar rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, leading Elder back to the state title game.
Rob Florian added 188 yards passing and two TDs for the Panthers (13-1).
Florian's 38-yard TD pass to Craig Carey and a 55-yard run by Glatthaar gave the Panthers a 14-0 early in the second quarter.
The Irish (12-2) closed to 14-7 with 43.8 seconds left in the first half. DJ Lopez threw a 12-yard TD pass to Ben Huddle on fourth-and-7, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
Elder quickly drove 68 yards in five plays and took a 21-7 lead on Florian's 5-yard TD pass to Carey with just six seconds left in the half.
Division VI
TIFFIN -- Russell Moeller caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Cory Luebke with 52 seconds remaining, giving Maria Stein Marion Local a 21-14 victory over Newark Catholic.
Marion Local's Mitch Thobe recovered a Newark Catholic fumble (12-2) on the ensuing drive to clinch the win.
The Flyers (11-3) play top-ranked Columbus Grove next Saturday with a chance to win their third state championship in four years.
Columbus Grove 27, Monroeville 24
TIFFIN -- Blaine Maag ran 35 times for 220 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 1 Columbus Grove.
Monroeville (11-3) was led by Kurt Leber, who completed 15 of 20 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
The Grove defense stopped Monroeville on the 1-yard line as the first half ended. Monroeville was out of timeouts and couldn't stop the clock.
Friday's games
MASSILLON -- Ray Williams rushed for 163 yards, including an early 59-yard touchdown, leading No. 3 Cleveland Benedictine to a 47-7 win over No. 1 Steubenville in a Division III state semifinal.
The Bengals (13-1) jumped on the Big Red (13-1) early on Jon Huddleston's 78-yard punt return for a 7-0 lead. Williams' TD run extended the lead to 14 points.
After Steubenville cut the lead in half on Corey Lyons' 6-yard TD run, Williams scored again on a 6-yard run to put Benedictine ahead 21-7.
Benedictine plays for the state title on Friday in Canton against Kenton, the two-time defending Div. IV champion.
Kenton 42, Newark Licking Valley 21
DUBLIN -- D.J. Underwood passed for 338 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for two scores, leading Kenton to the Div. III state title game.
Shea Newfer scored on a 50-yard interception return for the Wildcats (11-3), who won the Div. IV championship the last two seasons.
Nathan Clark rushed for 128 yards on 27 carries for the Panthers (12-2). He scored on a 4-yard run and caught a 22-yard TD pass from Devin Fulk.
Underwood completed 23 of 30 passes without an interception. His touchdown runs covered 3 and 7 yards.