Clippers fall short in final minute

Columbiana finished 10-3 and Mogadore is headed to the state's final four.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
RAVENNA -- While Mogadore made the plays, Columbiana made the mistakes.
Despite three turnovers and penalties that gave Mogadore what it didn't need -- more possession time, Columbiana stayed within striking distance until losing the ball in the last minute and falling in the Division VI regional championship game Friday at Ravenna High School.
"They're a great bunch," Columbiana coach Bob Spaite said after a handshake or slap on the helmet to each of his 16 seniors before they walked off the field for the last time following Mogadore's 21-14 victory. "We wouldn't be here without these guys. I'm going to miss them."
Bullish fullback Cody Destro scored twice for the Wildcats (11-2), who advance to the state's final four in Ohio's small-school division.
Destro, a 6-3, 230-pounder, finished with a game-high 89 yards rushing.
Winters, Williams score
Joe Winters and Ryan Williams scored for Columbiana (10-3), which tied the Wildcats at 7 and 14 before having the ball stripped at Mogadore's 21-yard line with 7.8 seconds remaining.
"We got some key turnovers and turnovers are key this time of year," Mogadore coach Matt Adorni said of Josh Drennen's interception for a touchback before halftime and Chad White's pickoff late in the third quarter.
But it was Bobby Shew who stripped the ball from Cory Guy after the Columbiana receiver caught Williams' pass as the Clippers were moving with the clock ticking.
"Our senior leader stripped him clean as day," Adorni said of Shew's play in the last seconds.
Brandon Laughlin had Mogadore's other TD on a 20-yard pass from Shawn Pierce.
Laughlin had three catches for 46 yards and Pierce, a sophomore, had five of 10 completions for 77 yards.
Columbiana was hurt by several penalties, especially a pass interference call that prolonged Mogadore's 73-yard drive that ended in Laughlin's TD catch that gave the Wildcats a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
Bad timing
Back-to-back illegal procedure penalties late in the third quarter enabled Mogadore to proceed down the field, although the Wildcats ended up punting.
However, five plays after Columbiana got the ball back, White picked off Williams and Destro followed with his second touchdown run from 4 yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter that snapped a 14-14 tie.
"We don't get a call and they just didn't go away," Spaite said of some of the penalties, both Laughlin's TD catch in the corner of the end zone and the procedure calls.
"There were a couple I thought we could have gotten," Spaite said of calls against his defense. "They [Mogadore's offensive line] have a unique blocking style and it caused us a little bit of a problem."
But Spaite also pointed to other sore spots: third-down plays that Mogadore converted and lack of ball control.
"We had them third-and-long a couple times and had opportunities to maybe swing the momentum and we let them off the hook. They made the plays and that's why they're going on and we're not."
Williams, a junior, was 11 of 21 for 110 yards and gained 56 yards on the ground while Winters gained 48 yards.
On the issue of ball control, Spaite said his team was at the mercy of the Wildcats.
Limited possession
"We just didn't get many possessions," he said. "The biggest problem the first half wasn't that we couldn't move the ball. We went one possession three-and-out, then we never saw the ball. I don't know what they chewed off the clock, it felt like 10 or 15 minutes. I don't know how many plays we ran the first half but it wasn't many."
Mogadore's coach said that Columbiana's opening drive of the second half had the Wildcats scrambling.
"Columbiana's option attack was successful," he said. "Winters is a tough kid and Williams did a great job, but we made a few adjustments. So I think it was just our kids getting used to seeing it again.
"That's what it's about this time of year -- two teams trading blows, countering and counter-punching."
Adorni was complimentary of Columbiana's pass rush.
"They had some strong pass rushers up front," he said of Chris McIntyre and Mackie McGarry. "Shawn [Pierce] took some hits, but just kept on rolling. Two weeks in a row, the toughness of our kids prevailed. We've got to keep it rolling one more week."
bassetti@vindy.com