Fast start propels Colonel Crawford against Mount Gilead in an OHSAA football playoff
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MOUNT GILEAD — Colonel Crawford got what it wanted.
A good start led to an emphatic victory as the No. 5 seed Eagles dominated at No. 4 Mount Gilead for a 42-8 win in a Division VI, Region 23 OHSAA football playoff quarterfinal Friday, Nov. 7. The win sends the Eagles soaring into Week 13 where it will face top seed Centerburg, a 28-14 winner over No. 9 Ridgewood.
“We knew this is the first playoff game they’ve had here in school history,” Colonel Crawford coach Jake Bruner said. “We knew the fans would come out for Mount Gilead and the whole town would and my goodness they did.
“We knew they would be really excited. We feel like we’ve been here. I told our guys they are really going to play hard at first, but we’ve got to be focused in on what it is. You can get all excited, but after the first hit, this is football.”
CC’s postseason experience showed
Colonel Crawford (11-1) has been in the playoffs the last six years, winning at least one postseason game in each of those seasons. Like it did in 2020 and 2022, the Eagles also now own two playoff wins this year and will go for a third at Centerburg next week.
Meanwhile, Mount Gilead (9-2) was making just its second playoff appearance all-time, and it was hosting a playoff game for the first time.
The opening moments belonged to the Eagles as Connor McMichael broke away for a 31-yard touchdown run just 88 seconds into the game. When MG stalled at midfield, CC’s Walker Cramer blocked a punt, setting up his team at the MG 22. Four plays later, McMichael had his second touchdown on a 4-yard run, and the Eagles led 14-0.
A 3-and-our by MG was followed seconds later when Parker Weithman turned in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Holt and a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The tone was set.
“The kicking game put them in a lot of good spots tonight,” MG coach Mike Reid said. “Give credit to them for being a complete package as far as hitting all three aspects of the game like that. I can’t say enough about how much respect I have for Coach Bruner and Colonel Crawford. We wanted to come out a little bit tougher than we did tonight.”
Following a shanked punt, Weithman turned a Peyton Baker pass into a 55-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
“That No. 1 is pretty good,” Reid said of Weithman. “What they do real well is they spread the field and make you defend the field. Sometimes we run out of enough stops, and it’s an awful lot for us to shut down. It shows us where we’ve got to go to the next level and what we have to do to advance in the playoffs.”
The game by the numbers
Colonel Crawford’s big-play ability showed in the 359 total yards but only nine first downs. In the second half, Weithman added a 70-yard TD pass from Holt, and Baker broke free for a 64-yard TD run in the fourth period.
Holt was 5 of 7 passing for 148 yards and two TDs, while Baker was 2 of 3 for 71 yards and a score, plus 73 yards rushing and the TD. McMichael ended with 59 yards on 10 carries, while Weithman had four catches for 187 yards among his three TDs.
“Hopefully our experienced showed a little bit,” Bruner said. “We weren’t perfect tonight by any means, but I thought our guys were very relaxed and pointed in what we did and how we did it. We wanted to get up quick.”
As for Mount Gilead (9-2), Carson Barnum ran it 17 times for 56 yards and Tyler Harr 10 times for 42 yards. Cole Fricke was 6 of 19 passing for 82 yards with Hayden Somerlot catching four passes for 62 yards. The two hooked up late in the game for a 36-yard scoring pass. MG finished with 200 total yards and 11 first downs.
“We appreciate making the playoffs and love the 9-win season,” Reid said. “I just told the guys there’s nothing to be ashamed of. They’ve taken this program where it’s never been before. This program had never been in Week 12. This program has only won nine games twice. I’m very proud of the seniors and underclassmen. We’re challenging them to come back next year and work even harder to get here again and maybe advance.”
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Colonel Crawford gets up quickly in a football playoff with MG
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