Coach rewarded with luck of the Irish

By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MASSILLON -- Toledo Central Catholic coach Greg Dempsey should take a chance on the lottery today. Just about every gamble he tried in Friday's Division II state champion game worked for the Irish in their 31-29 victory over Canfield.
Dempsey felt the turning point of the game came midway through the second quarter when the Cardinals led 14-3 and were poised to score again from the 2.
Quarterback Frank Ross scrambled for the corner of the end zone when the ball was knocked loose from his grasp by Lee Marquette and the Irish recovered.
How close did Ross come to scoring?
Marquette rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, he was right there."
Refusing to give up
And although they were nailed for a safety three plays later, Dempsey felt keeping Canfield off the scoreboard was crucial.
"It would have been real easy for our guys to watch him run in," Dempsey said of the play. "But Lee never gave up on the whole play, and that's something we preach all the time.
"It was the right hit at the right time, and we had guys pursuing to recover the ball. If you had to pick one play to turn the game around, that would probably be it."
But there were others, including a hook-and-lateral play that produced a touchdown and a fake punt in the fourth quarter that set up Central's final touchdown.
On fourth-and-2 from the Canfield 32, the ball was snapped to upman Eric Bates who hit Drew Sanzenbacher with a pass for a 17-yard gain.
"He's our best receiver, and Bates can throw the ball," Dempsey said. "In a one-on-one matchup, we thought Dane could take the guy."
Strong offense
No wonder. Sanzenbacher was his district's offensive player of the year.
He caught four passes for 140 yards, including a 60-yard reception from Kevin Jansen early in the third quarter that put Central ahead, 24-16.
He also took a lateral from Xavier Graciani and scored on a 42-yard run to put the Irish ahead right before halftime.
Dempsey admitted it took courage to call that play.
"I think the key is having guys who don't panic, who set it up right," Dempsey said. "Obviously Kevin Jansen threw a strike to get it going."
Dempsey thought many will be surprised that this game produced 60 points.
"I think this will probably be one of the more shocking scores of the championships because all the talk coming in was of two great defenses.
"The defenses did make key plays at times tonight," said Dempsey, adding the pregame hype was inspiring. "Offenses read that all week and can't wait to get onto the field. I know that's how our kids felt, and I'm sure that's how Canfield's kids felt."
williams@vindy.com