“It definitely does,” the Elks junior said after receiving his Division I, Region 2 championship medal. “Long-time rivalry game? Huge win. Huge win.”
Cole’s 4-yard touchdown run with 4:12 on the clock broke a 14-all tie, and the Centerville defense forced an intentional grounding that resulted in a safety in the final minute to clinch the victory and set the final score of 23-14.
“Super grateful to spend another week with these guys, another day, come in and do Saturday film and all that. Super awesome,” said Centerville coach Brent Ullery.
“This is an amazing group of guys, and to hang out with them this Saturday is going to be amazing, and to hang out with them on Thanksgiving is going to be amazing. But, you know, right now, it’s a one-day mentality. It’s been a one-day mentality all year, and it’s going to continue to do that. We have to get better tomorrow, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Second-seeded Centerville scored first on Cole’s 5-yard touchdown run to cap a 53-yard drive with 9:29 left in the first quarter.
Parker Johnson did most of the heavy lifting, carrying four times for 25 yards and drawing a personal foul for a face mask before Cole faked a toss to him and scampered into the end zone — the same play the Elks used on the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“You know, it’s great that my coaches trust me,” Cole said. “It’s a great feeling to have my teammates have my back.”
Wayne, the No. 8 seed, struck back with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Tyrell Lewis to Jamier Averette-Brown, who streaked up the left hash and used his track speed to get behind the Centerville defense.
The Warriors looked poised to get the ball back with solid field position after forcing the Elks into a third-and-16 on the ensuing drive, but Centerville got a fortuitous bounce and took the lead instead.
Cole threw a slant pass that was tipped by his receiver over the head of a Wayne defender into the hands of Centerville’s Josh Becker, who was behind the defense and raced the rest of the way untouched for a 71-yard touchdown to put the Elks on top 14-7 with 5:02 left in the first half.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Wayne tied the game midway through the third quarter with a drive that was nearly as improbable. The Warriors faced a third-and-21 from their own 3-yard line, but Lewis scrambled and found Ka’Maurri Smith deep down the middle for 35 yards. Four plays later, Isiaah Thompson followed a pair of blockers to the right then cut back up the middle into open field for a 47-yard touchdown run.
Most of the game was played in a mist with the wind howling, creating a challenge for both teams to mount much offense.
The Elks got the ball twice in Wayne territory in the second half, including once at the Warriors 15-yard line, but they were not able to capitalize.
A third time turned out to be the charm as they took over at the Wayne 46 with 6:16 to go.
Cole started the drive with a 5-yard run, then Johnson creased the defense for a 27-yard run against the grain to the Wayne 18. Two plays later, Cole found the end zone for what turned out to be the game-winning score.
“You have to stay consistent,” Ullery said of overcoming the missed opportunities. “We know that in a game like this, you’re not going to score every drive, but what you got to do is keep the defense off the field as long as you possibly can. And sometimes we weren’t good at that. Sometimes it works. But in the end, team win, big team win.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Cole finished with 87 yards passing and 62 yards rushing while Johnson had 102 yards on 23 carries.
Brady Seeley led a strong Centerville defensive effort with 2.5 sacks and a pass defensed.
“We have a lot of trust in our defense,” Ullery said. “They really prepare well, they play hard, they play together, and they’re smart and well-coached.
“You’re playing a really great team. They’re doing new things. They were very well prepared – extremely well-prepared. Hats off to them. And you’re trying to figure all that out on the fly. But that’s why you have great coaches. We have phenomenal coaching staff. You just lean on them, and when they say do something you’re going to do it. And it was good enough tonight.”
Thompson ran for 99 yards for the Warriors, who fell short of making the state semifinals for the fifth time and finished 8-6.
Centerville will play Cincinnati Moeller next Friday night at a neutral site still to be determined. The Crusaders (13-1) beat GCL South rival St. Xavier 28-23 in Mason to advance to the semifinals for the 20th time and fourth year in a row.
Centerville has made the state semifinals twice before. The Elks lost to Toledo DeSales in 1984 and beat Columbus Brookhaven in 1991 before losing the state championship game to Cleveland St. Ignatius.
Ullery, a former Centerville player, said he has never been a part of a Thanksgiving practice, but he was looking forward to it.
“I am very much looking forward to that,” he said. “Excited for these kids, excited for the opportunity and everything. But, you know, more excited that we have a Saturday film session tomorrow morning.”
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