The first meeting between the Warriors and Wildcats was the wildest finish of the season in the Miami Valley and beyond.
Wayne took a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter on senior Tyrell Lewis’ 74-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jamier Averette-Brown. But Springfield wasn’t finished. Jayvin Norman ran for a 66-yard touchdown with 4:59 left in the third quarter.
And the score stood at Wayne 21-14 until the final minute. Until Wayne fumbled in victory formation. Springfield inserted Ohio State cornerback recruit Aaron Scott at quarterback. He threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Norman. Then Da’Shawn Martin caught the two-point pass for a 22-21 Springfield lead.
Then Springfield did what no team does anymore: Kick to Wayne’s Averette-Brown and Jussiah Williams-West. They have combined for five touchdowns on kickoff returns. Williams-West got his second one on an 83-yard return with 14 seconds left for a 27-22 victory.
Other storylines looking ahead to the first round of the playoffs:
Ohio Heritage Conference showdown: Greeneview and Northeastern meet for the first time this season in Division V, Region 12.
Greeneview (7-3) is seeded 10th and won the OHC South with a 5-0 mark with a win 22-0 over Cedarville on Friday. Northeastern (7-3) is seeded No. 7 and finished third in the North behind West Jefferson and West Liberty-Salem.
Northeastern beat Greeneview 21-20 last year in overtime.
WOAC vs. TRC: Preble Shawnee (7-3) continued its recent run of success this season to earn a No. 11 seed in Division V, Region 12. The Arrows travel to No. 6 Milton-Union (7-3). The Bulldogs had one of the more surprising seasons after last season’s 10-0 regular-season team and regional finalist lost 18 seniors.
8 vs. 9: The Cedarville-Sidney Lehman Catholic matchup in Division VII, Region 28 isn’t in stone yet, but is highly probable.
What does a common opponent reveal about No. 8 Cedarville (7-3) playing host to No. 9 Lehman? Only that neither fared as well as hoped against Southeastern. Lehman lost 30-21 at Southeastern on Aug. 26. Cedarville lost at Southeastern 21-13 on Oct. 6.
Top seeds: The top seeds in regions involving Southwest District teams are: Lewis Center Olentangy (9-1) in Division I, Region 2, Milford (10-0) in Division I, Region 4, Cincinnati Anderson (9-1) in Division II, Hamilton Badin (10-0) in Division III, Clinton-Massie (10-0) in Division IV, Valley View (9-1) in Division V, Williamsburg (9-1) in Division VI and Marion Local (10-0) in Division VII.
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