Fort Loramie players celebrate the team’s 49-22 win over over Ridgemont in a Division VII playoff opener on Friday in Ridgeway.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
RIDGEWAY – Fort Loramie upset the Ridgemont Golden Gophers 49-22 on Friday in Ridgeway in a Division VII regional playoff first round matchup.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Loramie head coach Spencer Wells said. “We talked about there always being adversity. You have to have a special group to respond the right way in the playoffs.”
11 seed Fort Loramie (6-5) got on the board in its first drive when Thomas Hoying found the end zone on a 10-yard run to take a 7-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, Loramie extended its lead to 15-0 on a 77-yard pass from quarterback Gabe Hart to T. Hoying and a successful two-point conversion.
Ridgemont got its first score a few minutes later when its quarterback scored on a 25-yard run to cut the lead to 15-8 with 6:52 to play in the half.
Fort Loramie fumbled the Gophers kickoff and Ridgemont kept control of the ball.
The Golden Gophers took a 16-15 lead just a few plays later on a 21-yard touchdown pass.
“I thought our guys responded well,” Wells said. “They didn’t panic. Gabe has been outstanding all season and is the leader of our offense. I’m real proud of how our offensive line played tonight.”
G. Hart took the lead back 22-16 for Loramie with just over a minute to play in the half on a quarterback keeper. Fort Loramie was able to force a quick punt and score again in the half on a 45-yard reception by T. Hoying to hold a 29-16 lead entering the third.
“Thomas (Hoying) ran his tail off,” Wells said. “I don’t know how many touchdowns he had, a couple receiving and then rushing. He had an outstanding night.”
Ridgemont opened the second half with a touchdown that cut the lead to 29-22 with 8:30 to play in the third.
G. Hart scored his second rushing touchdown of the night just a few minutes later to make the score 35-22 before a Gophers punt put him in position to score another to extend the lead to 42-22 with under a minute to play in the third.
Northmont looked to put a dent in the deficit on offense early in the fourth quarter, but Maxwell Maurer nabbed an interception to keep momentum on Loramie’s side.
Quarterback Tanner Heckman scored later on the drive on a short run for the final score of 49-22.
“We don’t want this journey to end,” Wells said. “We know that we’re heading to Cincinnati now and that’s our next challenge. We’ll take it one week at a time and that’s all we’re focused on right now.”
Fort Loramie will take on three seed Cincinnati College Preparatory at McNulty Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday at 7 p.m.
Anna dominates Lima Perry
The Anna Rockets took a 61-14 victory over Lima Perry in a Division VI regional first round contest in Anna at Booster Field.
The three seeded Rockets (8-3) got on the board early when Zach Osborn found the endzone in just over three minutes in the first. Osborn scored again with 7:57 to play in the first after a Carson Pleiman interception to take a 14-0 lead.
The onslaught continued when quarterback Alex Shappie found Noah Aufderhaar for a touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0 with 5:30 on the clock in the first quarter.
Osborn kept his legs moving with his third touchdown of the quarter following a Perry touchdown making the score 27-7 after a missed PAT. He scored his fourth touchdown of the night and quarter to extend the lead to 34-7 with 1:45 left in the first.
Aaron Shappie got in on the fun with a rushing touchdown to take a 41-7 lead with 37 seconds to play in the first.
At the half, Anna held a 54-7 lead.
The Rockets added another touchdown and gave up one more for the final score of 61-14.
Anna will host 11 seed Cincinnati Purcell Marian at Booster Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
Lehman rolls through Riverside
The Lehman Catholic Cavaliers took down Degraff Riverside 46-13 on Friday in a Division VII first round, regional tournament matchup at Sidney Memorial Field.
The Cavaliers (9-2) got on the board in less than two minutes when quarterback Turner Lachey found Dillon Schmiesing to take an early 7-0 lead.
Near the end of the first quarter, Da’Ron Pride extended the Lehman lead with a rushing touchdown to lead 14-0.
Midway through the second quarter, Lachey found CJ Olding for a touchdown before Riverside responded with a touchdown of its own to make the score 20-7.
Just before halftime, Lachey scored on a rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 26-7 after two quarters.
Less than a minute into the third, Lachey found Evan O’Leary for a touchdown that extended the Cavaliers’ lead to 32-7. Riverside again responded with a touchdown of its own to make the score 32-13 with 4:21 to play in the third.
At the end of the third, Lachey again found Olding for a touchdown pass to take a 38-13 lead. In the fourth quarter, Pride put the nail in the coffin with a touchdown as Lehman finished out a 46-13 victory.
The five seed Cavaliers advance to take on four seed Ansonia at Ansonia on Friday at 7 p.m.
Reach assistant editor/sports writer Ryan Harless at 937-538-4651 or follow @RyanHarless_ on X (formerly Twitter).
