Thu Sep 09 2010
By TIM McDONOUGH
FINDLAY -- Just one season ago, the Spartans of Marion Pleasant sent the Titans of Ottawa-Glandorf packing from Division IV playoff action.
On Friday night at Findlay's Donnell Stadium, O-G returned the favor.
The Titans (8-4) scored on the first possession of overtime and followed that up by keeping the Spartans out of the end zone to earn a 28-21 victory in a Division IV Region 14 regional semifinal game. O-G, which won its second straight game in the playoffs for the first time in school history, will now meet Genoa in the regional finals on Friday at a site to be determined today.
"We told the kids that if you want to do something that's never been done (win a second straight playoff game), you've got to go out and do something that's never been done," said O-G mentor Ken Schriner following the OT win. "We knew to win that we had to control the line of scrimmage, especially when you get to this level.
"I thought our defense played super all night ... we knew they had the ability to score from anywhere," continued Schriner. "That's a powerful team that's been here before, but I'm so proud of my kids for hanging in there until the end."
O-G led 21-7 entering the fourth quarter, only to see the Spartans rally.
"I want to give my kids credit for coming back twice from a 14-point deficit," stated Pleasant mentor Chris Kubbs. "We scored to get the game into overtime, but at the end they seemed to be controlling the line of scrimmage. Their line plays was the key to the game for them."
Led by quarterback Cody Harris, Marion score 14 unanswered points in the final stanza to send the game into OT. The Pleasant passing game got on track in the second half as Harris threw for 201 yards on 15-of-22 passing.
A Jake Lawrence short TD run for the Spartans with 8:52 to play cut the deficit to 21-14, before a late Cory Snyder TD scamper tied the game at 21-21 with 2:45 to go, setting the stage for overtime.
The Titans won the toss and took the ball first. It took six plays, but O-G went in front 28-21 when quarterback Taylor Kuhlman scored his third rushing touchdown on a sneak from the Pleasant 1-yard line on fourth down. Kuhlman rushed for a game-high 144 yards on 26 carries.
"The gameplan coming in was to be more physical than them and I think we did that," said Kuhlman. "Our line has done a fantastic job all season and tonight they made holes. When you've got a good line, good things are going to happen."
Said Kubbs: "We knew coming in we had to try and slow down Kuhlman, but they broke from some of their tendencies we saw on film. We knew we had to stop him, but we really struggled in that area tonight."
The Spartans got 12 quick yards on first down on their possession in overtime on a pass from Harris to Snyder, but that's when it all fell apart for Pleasant.
An incomplete pass to Elijah Sparling, followed by a 2-yard loss on a run by Lawrence left Pleasant in third-and-goal from the 10. On third down, it looked like the game was headed for a second overtime when Harris threw a strike to Sndyer in the back of the end zone.
The ball, however, got on Snyder very quickly and went through his hands and off his shoulder for an incompletion, setting up fourth-and-goal from the 10. Following an O-G timeout, Harris couldn't find Sparling in the back of the end zone and the Titans escaped with a regional semifinal win.
"I told the kids (during the timeout) that we've got to defend 10 yards ... we've got to keep them out of the end zone," said Schriner. "Sometimes you get in that situation and anything can happen. I've got to tell you those were the longest 10 yards of my life."
The loss closed out a 10-2 campaign for the Spartans.
"We win as a team and we lose as a team and unfortunately in the playoffs somebody has to go home with a loss and tonight that was us," said Kubbs.
The Titans had built a 14-0 lead at the half on the strength of their offensive line play, the running and passing of Kuhlman and a dominating defense. The O-G line won the battle up front most of the night on both sides of the ball and that fact certainly wasn't lost on Kubbs.
"I thought Ottawa controlled both sides of the line scrimmage, especially in the first half," said Kubbs. "We didn't capitalize on some big plays that could have swung the momentum our way and we didn't execute well, especially in the passing game. But again, Ottawa won the battle up front and that's why they won the game."
PLEASANT O-G
First Downs 12 11
Rushing Yards 28-75 48-246
Passing Yards 222 73
Total Yards 297 319
Passing 19-31-0 4-9-2
Fumbles 0 0
Fumbles Lost 0 0
Penalties 4-25 3-25
Marion Pleasant 0 0 7 14 0 - 21
Ottawa-Glandorf 7 7 7 0 7 - 28
Ottawa-Glandorf - T. Kuhlman 14-yard run (Croy kick).
Ottawa-Glandorf - T. Kuhlman 2-yard run (Croy kick).
Marion Pleasant - Beck 54-yard pass from Harris (Kubbs kick).
Ottawa-Glandorf - Greve 3-yard run (Croy kick).
Marion Pleasant - Lawrence 3-yard run (Kubbs kick).
Marion Pleasant - Snyder 2-yard run (Kubbs kick).
Ottawa-Glandorf - T. Kuhlman 1-yard run (Croy kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Marion Pleasant - Harris 12-40; Lawrence 11-24; Snyder 5-11. Ottawa-Glandorf - T. Kuhlman 26-144; Lugo 15-93; Greve 7-9.
PASSING: Marion Pleasant - Harris 19-31-0-222. Ottawa-Glandorf - T. Kuhlman 4-9-2-73.
RECEIVING: Marion Pleasant - Beck 7-108; Sparling 6-68; Snyder 2-26; Neilson 2-14; Lawrence 2-5. Ottawa-Glandorf - R. Kuhlman 2-60; Laubenthal 2-13.
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