high school football Saturday’s games

Division I

Cincinnati Moeller 55, Mentor 52

CANTON

Gus Ragland ran for five touchdowns and threw for three more to lead Cincinnati Moeller to the state championship at Fawcett Stadium. The Associated Press’ co-offensive player of the year tied the Division I state championship record for rushing touchdowns as Moeller (14-1) won its second consecutive title and ninth overall. He threw for 273 yards and rushed for 189. It’s the first time a school has won back-to-back championships in Division I since Cincinnati Elder did it in 2002-03 and the third time the Crusaders have done it (1979-80, 1975-77). Moeller led 48-26 after the third quarter, but Mentor scored two touchdowns in the first 36 seconds of the fourth quarter. Mentor quarterback Connor Krizancic rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 4 minutes, 12 seconds left and an extra point cut Moeller’s lead to three. Ragland scored the eventual game-winning touchdown, which tied the D-I rushing championship touchdown record set by Davidson’s Bo Delande in 2006, with 2:13 left. Krizancic threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Daugherty with 44 seconds left, but the Cardinals’ ensuing onside kick went out of bounds. The 107 points that Mentor (13-2) and Moeller scored were the most in a D-I final, eclipsing the 71 by Hilliard Davidson and Moeller in 2006. Krizancic (36-of-55, 419 yards, 2 TDs) also broke the D-I marks for most passing yards and completions and Daugherty (18 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs) set an all-division mark for receptions in a state final. The Crusaders and Cardinals set D-I state finals marks for most combined touchdowns (15), most combined passing yards (736) and most combined total yards (1,136). The Cardinals’ 586 yards total offense, and Moeller’s 55 points and eight touchdowns also set D-I records.

Division V

Coldwater 24, Bishop Hartley 7

MASSILLON

Quarterback Brody Hoying rushed for 145 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Coldwater to the state championship in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Hoying, a 5-10, 180-pound junior, scored two of his touchdowns during a span of 2:40 in the fourth quarter on runs of three and 32 yards as the Cavaliers broke open what had been an intense defensive game. He also set up his second touchdown, which gave Coldwater a 17-7 lead with 5:26 to play, when he intercepted a pass on his 3-yard line and returned it 33 yards. Hoying’s return ignited a 10-play, 64-yard scoring drive in which he carried the ball eight times — including six in a row — for 59 yards. He capped the drive by running around right end and diving into the end zone from three yards. He completed the scoring when he went 32 yards after Hartley (13-2) turned the ball over on downs near midfield. Coldwater, from the historically strong Midwest Athletic Conference, became the third school this weekend to successfully defend a state title. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and Clarksville Clinton-Massie won titles on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Ranked sixth in the final Associated Press poll, the Cavs also won the school’s fourth state title since 2005 and they finish 2013 with a 13-2 record. Hoying, a cousin of former Ohio State standouts Bobby Hoying and Ross and Adam Homan, was named as the Division V offensive player of the year by the Associated Press earlier this week. Coldwater’s defense played a key role in the victory as it turned back Hartley scoring threats four times inside the 30-yard line, once on Hoying’s interception and three times on downs.

Division VII

Marion Local 33, Trimble 0

MASSILLON

Adam Bertke threw for a touchdown and ran for two more scores to lead Maria Stein Marion Local to its third consecutive state title. The Flyers (15-0) became the seventh school in Ohio High School Athletic Association history to win three or more consecutive titles, joining Cincinnati Moeller, Cleveland St. Ignatius, Delphos St. John’s, Newark Catholic, Versailles and Ursuline. It was the seventh state title for the Associated Press’ top-ranked team. The win over the Tomcats (14-1) extended the Flyers’ winning streak to 22 games. Bertke finished 17-of-28 passing for 216 yards and added 47 yards rushing.

Associated Press