Red-hot Raiders roll past Bulldogs

South Range topped Dalton 24-9 to advance to the regional championship.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CANTON -- In an ironic twist of fate, South Range High football coach Dan Yeagley credited Inter-County League rival Mineral Ridge with helping the Raiders earn a berth in the Division V regional championship game next Saturday.
Junior tailback Matt Schlatter scored touchdowns on runs of 80 and 22 yards and the Raider defense forced five turnovers to turn back Dalton 24-9 in a Region 17 semifinal game at Canton Central Catholic stadium.
"It was one of our best performances of the year," said Yeagley. "Offensively, defensively and special teams all played well. What a great victory.
"Our kids have played great all year. They stepped it up and played well tonight."
The Raiders (11-1) will play Smithville (11-1) on Saturday at a site to be announced. The Smithies defeated Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 32-3 in the other regional semifinal.
South Range is 0-2 all-time in regional championship games.
Turning point
Yeagley mentioned a loss to Mineral Ridge in Week Eight that denied an ICL title to the Raiders as a turning point in the season.
"We came together as a team after that loss," Yeagley said. "Since Week Eight, every game has been a playoff game and this team is actually playing better now."
Yeagley also said that he and his coaching staff learned a lot about Dalton from watching the Bulldogs' playoff victory last week against Mineral Ridge.
"We knew how good Ridge was and we were able to make some comparisons that helped us tonight," Yeagley said.
South Range flexed its muscles early against Dalton, especially on defense. The Raiders kept Dalton quarterback Jason Koontz on the run throughout the game and forced him into throwing four interceptions and completing less than 50 percent of his passes for 120 yards.
Offensively, the Raiders put two scores on the board in the first half on a 2-yard run by Ben Johnston and an 80-yard run by Schlatter and led 14-3 at the break.
Character tested
The Raiders' character was tested early in the second half when Dalton's Corey Carmichael returned a punt 68 yards to cut the South Range lead to 14-9.
South Range answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive and scored on a 22-yard run by Schlatter.
"That was the key to the game," Yeagley said of the scoring drive. "Being able to answer them gave us a lot of confidence and allowed us to close out the game strong."
South Range tacked on a final score on a 27-yard field goal by freshman J.C. Willison.
The Raiders' defense ended Dalton's last threat when senior Brandan Bierdeman picked off a Bulldog pass midway through the fourth quarter.
Schlatter led South Range with 160 yards rushing on 20 carries, while Johnston added 45 yards on 17 carries. The Raiders amassed 238 total yards while holding the Bulldogs to 191.