Buckeye Bucks Football

From The ZANESVILLE TIMES RECORDER By John Kerr, Sports Writer MEDINA - While Medina Buckeye's defense came in as the ballyhood unit, it was John Glenn's defense that carried the Muskies into the second round of the playoffs. Sixth-seeded John Glenn held No. 3 seed Buckeye scoreless the second half en route to a 10-6 comeback victory in a Division III, Region 11 quarterfinal contest at Steinglass Field. John Glenn (9-2) advances to meet No. 2 seed Licking Valley (11-0), a 31-28 winner over Dover, in the regional semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11, at a site to be determined. "Our kids just kept playing. They were going to leave it on the field," John Glenn coach John Kelley said. "They are an outstanding football team." Fifth-ranked Medina Buckeye, which had a decided size advantage, finished its best season in school history at 10-1. The Bucks had allowed just 33 points all season compared to 99 for the Muskies, who faced four playoff teams during the regular season compared to two for Buckeye. "We knew our defense was just as good," said John Glenn cornerback Aaron Bates. "We knew we were capable of putting up a couple scores against a great defense." John Glenn senior linebacker Matt Heagen led the defense with 15 tackles, including 11 in the second half. Heagen was involved in eight of the last 12 plays Buckeye ran on offense. John Glenn trailed just 6-0 at halftime despite being outgained 222-23 in the first half. "Being down six at halftime, we were lucky," Bates said. "We knew one play could be seven points and pull this one out." Brandon Barr's 22-yard punt return to Bucks' 48 gave the Muskies' offense the life it needed. John Glenn picked up its initial first down of the game with 3:30 left in the third quarter on Tanner Bradley's 5-yard run to the Bucks' 36. Bates connected with split end Seth Dodson for a 19-yard gain to set up Bates' 27-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the third quarter. "That puts us back in the game and gives us some momentum," Kelley said. "And it takes some momentum from them. They've got some guys that are going to make big plays." The run-oriented Muskies mixed the pass and run on their winning 82-yard drive, which started with 10:36 remaining in the game. Dodson sealed off a defender for a 24-yard pass from Bates to push the Muskies to their own 43. "We didn't have a first down the first half. We threw the ball three times, but didn't have the ball long,"Bates said. "The second half we started completing a few passes and getting first downs and that helped open the running game." Cody Ramsey's 12-yard run on a sweep, Heagen's 9-yard gain on catching a deflected pass behind the line of scrimmage and Brad Bradley's 14-yard throwback pass to Bates provided the Muskies with a first down at Buckeye's 15. On the next play, Brad Bradley's sweep right resulted in a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Muskies a 9-6 lead. Bates drilled the PAT kick to make it 10-6 with 7:12 left to play. It was only the second time Buckeye trailed all season and first time it was behind in the second half. Buckeye got the ball back for three final possessions. On its final time with the ball, John Glenn defensive lineman Zack Marlatt sacked Buckeye quarterback Adam Read for an 8-yard loss and the Bucks were faced with a 4th-and-17 at their own 39. Read's screen pass to Chaz Jordan, the fastest player on the field, was stopped by Heagen 2-feet short of a first down. Buckeye's final chance started on its own 25 with just 10 seconds remaining, with Jordan tackled inbounds after a 9-yard gain. Buckeye dominated the first half but its only score was a Read to Matt Dash 19-yard strike with 9:58 leftin the second quarter. Dash's PAT kick bounced back off the left upright and the Bucks led 6-0. Heagen helped set the tone for the game by tackling Buckeye tailback Dustin Supan for a 2-yard loss in the opening minutes. Supan, a 1,400-yard rusher this season, was limited to 21 yards on 13 carries. "Our No. 1 goal was to shut down their running game,"Kelley said. "If they were going to beat us they were going to have to do it with the pass." Brad Bradley's 35 yards rushing on seven carries paced John Glenn, limited to 72 yards on 30 carries. Bates completed 4 of 8 passes for 59 yards with Dodson hauling in two for 43 yards. Read completed 16 of 26 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown with Jordan catching seven balls for 92 yards and Dash four balls for 88 yards. Buckeye had a 322-141 advantage in total yards in a game that didn't have a turnover. jkerr@nncogannett.com 740-450-6763