Brown’s move came on his third touchdown catch in a 35-7 victory against Olentangy Orange. That 56-yard touchdown helped propel fourth-ranked Springfield to a rout in the first round of the Division I, Region 2 playoffs.
“The corner was biting down real hard,” said Brown, a University of Kentucky recruit who has 14 touchdown catches, “so I knew he was going to be to my outside. When I made the spin move, I was going to go inside and score.”
The Wildcats (9-1), the No. 2 seed in the region, won their first-round game for the fifth straight season. They will stay at home for the second round and play No. 7 seed Fairmont (8-3), which beat No. 10 seed Wayne 24-20 on Friday.
Springfield, a three-time defending regional champion that reached the state championship game for the first time last season, suffered its only loss against Fairmont, 24-21 in Springfield on Sept. 23.
“I’m just glad to move on,” Springfield coach Maurice Douglass said. “I don’t care who we’re playing.”
Douglass was happy to advance but was not pleased with the performance. The Wildcats had four turnovers and numerous penalties against No. 15 seed Olentangy Orange (4-7).
“We’re happy to win, but it was unacceptable,” Douglass said. “Penalties, turnovers and all that. People doing too much and not just playing the game. They’re trying to make stuff happen. Do your job, and the plays will come to you. We won’t get away with it next week.”
In the first half, Springfield took a 6-0 lead on its first drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by fullback Jayden McKinster. It was his second touchdown run of the season. Olentangy Orange blocked the extra point.
Springfield’s second drive ended with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Schondelmyer to Brown. They converted the two-point conversion with a pass to take a 14-0 lead with 2:36 left in the first quarter.
Neither team scored in the second quarter. Schondelmyer threw an interception on Springfield’s third drive and lost a fumble on the fourth drive. Bryce Washington broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone to end Olentangy’s best scoring chance of the half.
Springfield broke open the game with three touchdowns in the third quarter. Schondelmyer connected with Da’Shawn Martin for a 42-yard touchdown and then twice found Brown for scores to build a 35-0 lead.
Schondelmyer has 35 touchdown passes in 10 games. He completed 26 of 38 passes for 406 yards.
This was Brown’s third three-touchdown game of the season. He had three in the season-opening 29-22 victory against Saint Louis De Smet Jesuit and three in a 54-14 victory against Springboro. He finished this game with eight catches for 183 yards.
This was the second straight week the Wildcats broke open a close game in the third quarter. They outscored Northmont 28-0 in the third quarter in Week 10 in a 55-21 victory.
“We went to the locker room, and we made some adjustments,” Brown said. “Coach came in and said the first half was on him, so it was up to us to put our foot on the gas.”
About the Author
