NOTEBOOK | From Fawcett Stadium

Next stop, Columbus: Coldwater senior linebacker Ross Homan, who finished second in the Mr. Football voting, finished with a game-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble. The Ohio State recruit also carried 16 times for 70 yards and a TD. He was asked if being an OSU recruit brought added pressure to perform in the state final. "No, it didn't," he said. "I approach every game the same way, as if I'm playing the best team in the state."Faces in the crowd: Saturday's attendance was 8,499. The record for a Division IV state final is 17,015, which was set in 1985 as part of a doubleheader with the Div. I final. The single-game record in the division is 12,283, set in 2001 in a game between Kenton and Newark Licking Valley. Mooney holds the all-time attendance record for a single state championship game, when 29,720 attended the 1973 Class AAA final between Mooney and Warren Western Reserve at the Akron Rubber Bowl. The Cardinals, led by running back Ted Bell, won that game 14-3 for their first of five state titles.Record run: Coldwater senior Gaston Pleiman broke the Div. IV record for longest fumble return for a TD with a 70-yard return in the first quarter. The previous record was 35 yards, set by Newark Licking Valley's Ryan Redman in 2001.Twice as nice: This weekend marked the first time since 1994 that at least two area teams were in the state championship game and the fourth time overall. Canfield lost in Friday's Division II state final to Toledo Central Catholic 31-29. In 1994, West Branch won in Div. III and Wellsville (Div. V) and McDonald (VI) both lost in the state finals. In 1989, Campbell (III), Warren JFK (IV) and McDonald (V) all lost in the state final. In 1987, Mooney (III) won the state title in 1987 while Boardman (I) lost.Media musings: Coldwater coach John Reed made some controversial comments in a statewide news teleconference at the beginning of the week, saying that he thought parochial schools had an advantage over public schools in athletics. The comments sparked a controversy during the week, although the furor had died down by game time. "Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth," Reed said following the game.Miscellaneous notes: Kickoff was 11:07 a.m. with a temperature of 20 degrees. The game ended at 1:22 p.m. and took 2 hours, 15 minutes to complete.
Next stop, Columbus: Coldwater senior linebacker Ross Homan, who finished second in the Mr. Football voting, finished with a game-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble. The Ohio State recruit also carried 16 times for 70 yards and a TD. He was asked if being an OSU recruit brought added pressure to perform in the state final. "No, it didn't," he said. "I approach every game the same way, as if I'm playing the best team in the state."Faces in the crowd: Saturday's attendance was 8,499. The record for a Division IV state final is 17,015, which was set in 1985 as part of a doubleheader with the Div. I final. The single-game record in the division is 12,283, set in 2001 in a game between Kenton and Newark Licking Valley. Mooney holds the all-time attendance record for a single state championship game, when 29,720 attended the 1973 Class AAA final between Mooney and Warren Western Reserve at the Akron Rubber Bowl. The Cardinals, led by running back Ted Bell, won that game 14-3 for their first of five state titles.Record run: Coldwater senior Gaston Pleiman broke the Div. IV record for longest fumble return for a TD with a 70-yard return in the first quarter. The previous record was 35 yards, set by Newark Licking Valley's Ryan Redman in 2001.Twice as nice: This weekend marked the first time since 1994 that at least two area teams were in the state championship game and the fourth time overall. Canfield lost in Friday's Division II state final to Toledo Central Catholic 31-29. In 1994, West Branch won in Div. III and Wellsville (Div. V) and McDonald (VI) both lost in the state finals. In 1989, Campbell (III), Warren JFK (IV) and McDonald (V) all lost in the state final. In 1987, Mooney (III) won the state title in 1987 while Boardman (I) lost.Media musings: Coldwater coach John Reed made some controversial comments in a statewide news teleconference at the beginning of the week, saying that he thought parochial schools had an advantage over public schools in athletics. The comments sparked a controversy during the week, although the furor had died down by game time. "Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth," Reed said following the game.Miscellaneous notes: Kickoff was 11:07 a.m. with a temperature of 20 degrees. The game ended at 1:22 p.m. and took 2 hours, 15 minutes to complete.