SIDNEY – What was heralded as a possible heavyweight prize fight did not disappoint on Saturday night at Sidney’s 30 & 0 Field as the Coldwater Cavaliers outlasted Columbus Grove 41-27 to advance to the Division 6 state championship next weekend for the first time since 2016.
Columbus Grove jumped ahead 3-0 with a 30-yard Rece Verhoff field goal with 2:35 left in the opening quarter that saw both squads move the football but be unable to score on their first drives.
Starting at their own 37 the Cavaliers picked up a pair of first downs on their ensuing drive and capped off their first score of the contest on a 26-yard rush by Myles Blasingame. Unfortunately for Coldwater their extra point bounced off of the uprights and kept the lead at just 6-3 near the end of the stanza.
After forcing a Bulldog three and out the Cavs pushed their lead to 13-3 on just a one play drive that Zach McKibben who slash his way through the heart of the Grove defense for a 79 yard score.
Not to be outdone by their opponent, Columbus Grove scored just under a minute later on a slant pass from QB Blake Reynolds to wideout Gabe Clement for a 68-yard score that cut the orange and black advantage to 13-10 with 10:03 before the break.
Though the game started off with big stops by each teams defensive units, the offenses continued to take over in the second quarter as Coldwater utilized nine plays and 80 yards for a score, a 33 yard catch by Tyler Schwieterman to push the Cavs lead back to ten at 20-10 with just 6:03 left in the half.
Gabe Clement was injured for Columbus Grove on the Coldwater scoring drive and would spend the rest of the contest on the sideline as a spectator forced to watch his Bulldogs slug it out with the Cavaliers.
Starting at their own 30 with a trio of timeouts and 5:57 before the half and without their playmaker Clement, Columbus Grove turned to the running game for a pair of first downs but were forced to settle for a field goal from Verhoff of 32 yards that trimmed the lead back to seven at 20-13.
Knowing they would receive the football to open the second half the Cavaliers took a chance with three timeouts from their own 20-yard line and into the Grove endzone on a drive that saw a handful of penalties including a pass interference on the Bulldogs and ended with a ball lofted down the sideline by Myles Blasingame to Tyler Schwieterman and through a pair of defenders for a score and a 27-13 lead.
Columbus Grove picked up 38 yards on just a pair of plays down to the Coldwater 32 with seconds remaining but were unable to add points before the half when Verhoff’s 42 yard attempt crashed off of the upright and to the Sidney turf.
Similarly to their first possession of the opening half, each team was able to move the football to open the third quarter but were unable to cash in for a score and were forced to trade punts.
Starting from the Grove 29 after a short punt by Verhoff that was punished by the wind, Coldwater took just plays and two minutes to push their lead to 34-13 on a one yard rush by Myles Blasingame and a Brady Klingshirn successful extra point with 3:29 remaining in the third.
Behind the NWC’s first team QB in Reynolds the Bulldogs moved 75 yards to pull the lead within a pair of scores on the longest drive of the game that spanned 13 plays and nearly five minutes of action into the fourth quarter and finished with Reynolds himself sauntering in from seven yards out with 10:03 to go.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs every time they found themselves within striking distance and with the possibility of changing the momentum in the game, Zach McKibben would strike.
McKibben’s biggest gain of the night accounted for his teams last score of the evening as he rushed into and out of a hole and past multiple defenders for a 37 yard rush with 7:39 left and a 41-20 lead.
Reynolds and his offense picked up 70 yards in just under a minute of game time and again pulled back within a pair of scores at 41-27 on a five yard scamper from Reynolds for a touchdown. Reynolds finished the evening with 84 yards on 11 carries and a pair of touchdowns while passing 19/26 for 253 yards and leading his offense to 420 total yards.
Coldwater’s final drive of the night spanned 11 plays and the final 6:39 to secure the victory and their first state finals appearance since falling in the 2016 finals to Canton Central Catholic 16-13.
Columbus Grove’s season comes to an end with a Northwest Conference and regional championship at 10-1 while the Cavaliers stay perfect at 11-0.
Zach McKibben led all rushers in the game with 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 16 carries while teammate Myles Blasingame racked up 102 yards on 20 carries for an offense that ended with 314 rushing yards and 54 plays that totaled 470 yards.
Next up for the Cavaliers is a Sunday, November 23rd 5:00 P.M. date at Fortress Obetz against New Middletown Springfield.