Gabe Powers scored three first-half touchdowns — and four for the game — as host and top-seeded Marysville parlayed a fast start into a dominant 49-7 win over 16th-seeded Delaware Hayes in the first round of the Division I, Region 2 playoffs Friday night in Marysville.
It was a tough night at the office for the Pacers (3-8), who battled throughout, but were simply overwhelmed along the offensive and defensive lines.
Hayes’ special teams unit provided some punch right off the bat as Sawyer Sand started the game with a nice kickoff return, setting his team up at its own 40-yard line.
Two runs for negative yardage and a sack later, though, it was time to punt — a punt which was muffed to give the Monarchs the ball at the Pacer 17.
Fast forward two runs, both from Gabe Powers, and Marysville (10-0) was the proud owner of a 6-0 lead. Joseph Riggsby hammered home the extra point to make it a 7-0 game with 9:33 left in the first quarter.
Erryl Will sacked quarterback Austin Dowell to end the Pacers’ next drive, but Carson Day, who was busy all night long, stepped up big time, flipping the field with a 66-yard punt. It finally settled at the two, where the Monarchs set up shop.
The Hayes defense forced a three-and-out of its own as both teams looked to settle into things, but the offense fumbled it away a few plays after gaining possession.
Griffin Johnson turned the turnover into points, rumbling for a 55-yard TD run to balloon the Marysville lead to 14-0 with 4:59 left in the first.
After another Hayes three-and-out, Gabe Powers returned the ensuing punt 40 yards to the house to extend the lead to 21-0 with three minutes to play in the opening quarter.
The teams traded possessions after than and, after the Pacer D got a much-needed stop, Hayes got on the board when a bad snap sailed over Gabe Powers’ head on a punt attempt. Frank Mlckovsky picked it up and scampered into the end zone to cut into the deficit before Cooper Goble added the PAT to make it a 21-7 game with 17 seconds left in the first.
Marysville was steady before giving up the touchdown, but really poured it on afterward. Johnson went 42 yards on the first play of the second quarter and Gabe Powers finished the drive with his third score of the half — an eight-yard run with 11:17 left in the second.
Colton Powers then made it 35-7 with 1:04 to play until the break before the Monarchs added second-half TDs by Gabe Powers with 8:33 left in the third and Griffinn Rigel with 11:48 to play in the game to smooth out the scoring summary.
Wooster 23, Olentangy Berlin 20
The Bears led 7-3 after one, but the visiting Generals outscored them 20-0 in the middle two quarters and hung on late to escape with a win in the opening round of the Division II, Region 7 playoffs Friday night in Delaware.
After Harrison Brewster connected with Connor Gavin for a 70-yard score, Wooster (6-5) reeled off 23 unanswered points to take control. Zachary Harpster hit Andrew Dossi for a 45-yard touchdown, Gregory Adams ran for an 11-yard score and Drew Rader hit three field goals — kicks from 28, 30 and 36 — during the stretch.
Berlin’s Dylan Reyes threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, the first a three-yarder to Bennett Lawrence and the second a 26-yard strike to Gavin, but the comeback fell short as the Bears (8-3) simply ran out of time after failing to recover the ensuing onside kick.
Dublin Jerome 21, Olentangy Liberty 7
The Patriots’ Ryan Grohe connected with Alex Okuley for a nine-yard score with 7:31 left in the game, but it was too little too late as the host Celtics (7-4) hung on for a win in the first round of the Division I, Region 2 playoffs Friday night in Dublin.
Preston Everhart led Jerome, scoring two of his team’s three touchdowns while rushing for 169 yards on 25 carries.
Grohe completed 18 of his 34 passes for 185 yards and the score while Freddie Noday finished with 86 yards on the ground for Liberty (5-6).
