by The Buckeye Bucks advanced to the regional semifinals for the second time in school history as they beat the Norton Panthers 49-47. The game had completely unique styles from both teams. The Panthers liked the passing game while the Bucks preferred the run. The Panthers would try to win with speed, dodging tacklers and scoring quickly. While the Bucks would try to be the more physical team, running through you instead of away from you. This thriller of a shootout had all-stars on both sides as the game came down to the wire. Missed PAT’s and field goals, onside kicks, turnovers, you name it. This game had it all.
The Bucks were electric on offense for most of the game. As usual, their run game was dominant. Led by running backs Troy McCann (24 rushes for 170 yards, 1 TD) and Gage Nagy (16 rushes for 141 yards, 3 TD’s), the bucks rushed for over 300 yards. The passing game was effective as well. Casey Murray went 10 of 13 for 106 yards while throwing two touchdowns to his favorite target Treytan Widenmeyer.
The Norton offense was also dominant, more so in the passing game unlike Buckeye. Quarterback Zach Bowman went 32 of 36 for 479 yards and threw 4 touchdowns. His favorite target, wide receiver Noah Willig, also went on a rampage and caught 19 passes for 234 yards while scoring two touchdowns. While the running game took a while to start, running back Lucas Dobbins made up for it later, rushing for 107 yards while scoring 3 touchdowns.
1st Quarter
The only way to open a highly contested playoff game is with a bang, and the Bucks did just that. With some excellent blocking, Bucks returner Liam Phillips took the opening kickoff to the house. Giving Buckeye a huge confidence boost to start the game. The Panthers went to respond, driving deep into Buckeye territory, but were stopped on 4th down. The Bucks tried to take advantage of this but were held to a three and out. Getting good field position on the punt, and some pass interference by the Bucks, the Panthers scored. Bowman threw a beautiful 18-yard touchdown pass to Willig to tie the game. The Panthers now had momentum, only to give it up as McCann would run for a 63-yard touchdown through the Panthers defense.
2nd Quarter
Turnover Turns the Tide
The Panthers would waste no time getting back on the scoreboard. With the run game shut down, they looked to the passing game. Willig was automatic, giving the Panthers first downs in crucial situations to keep drives alive. This drive ended with Bowman throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Thomas Hoffman.
Looking to respond in kind, the Bucks continued to use their rushing attack, but the ball got ripped out and was recovered by Hoffman. With the Panthers in possession, they continued to pass the ball with efficiency. This time, they tried to catch Buckeye off-guard with a few screens here and there. However, when the Panthers tried a screen out of the backfield, the ball was ripped away and recovered by defensive back Ranger Metter.
Buckeye Extends Lead
With the run game being temporarily out of order, the Bucks looked to drive through the air. Murray would make a great throw to Widenmeyer to convert on a 4th down in Panther territory. The Bucks were then held to a 3rd and 10, where Murray would look to reliable Widenmeyer for the 24-yard touchdown.
After being pinned down inside the 15, the Panthers would fumble thanks to defensive lineman Ben Midea, ripping it out to be recovered by defensive back Nick Balaban. With great field position, the Bucks hoped this would be easy points. It was not as the Panthers defense held them to a 4th and 9. Deciding to go for it, Murray threw to an out route to Widenmeyer as he gained 12 yards to get the first down. Murray would then look to Widenmeyer again for a 14-yard touchdown as the Bucks extended their lead 28-14.
Down by two scores, Norton had enough time to make something happen before halftime. Continuing to throw the ball to Willig, the Panthers went from their own 39-yard line all the way to Buckeye’s 2-yard line. With 6 seconds left and no timeouts, the Panthers threw a screen pass to Willig where he managed to gain a yard before being stopped short of the endzone. Time expired, and the Panthers missed their chance to score.
3rd Quarter
Panthers Start Chipping at lead
To stay in this game, Norton needed to not turn the ball over and finish off drives. They opened the second half by doing just that, scoring on an 11-yard pass to Willig. This would be a theme for the Panthers as they would not punt for the rest of the game. The Bucks would once again use their run game to gain back momentum. Driving all the way to the Panthers 1-yard line, the Bucks hope to score with ease. They would not score after two false start penalties, a pass that was in the air for about 5 seconds before being caught, a 4th down try, and a second effort touchdown by Gage Nagy to extend Buckeye’s lead 35-21.
All game the Panthers had been passing the ball. Their reason for doing that was obvious, they were exceptionally good at it. The run game was ineffective, that was until Dobbins ran for a 77-yard touchdown on the first play of the drive. Despite a bad snap on the PAT, the run game was now available for the Panthers.
Bucks and Panthers Take Turns Scoring
Only down 35-27, the Panthers defense looked like they were finally going to stop the Bucks offense. All game long they were close, holding them to 3rd and 4th downs but only to give up a big conversion. This drive would be no different. Buckeye would convert on 4th down thanks to a run by Nagy as he would later end the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Now down 42-27, the Panthers had to keep up with the Bucks offense to stay alive. So, in just 4 plays, the Panthers drove down the field and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by Dobbins. They would get the two-point conversion thanks to the Bowman and Willig connection.
4th Quarter
Hoping to ice the game, Buckeye would not pass the ball at all on their next drive. This was effective as the Bucks used their physicality to move the ball. They established the dominance of their run game with a 35-yard run by Nagy that had him run through defenders with ease. The Bucks would score on a 1-yard touchdown run by Nagy as they went up 49-35.
With the game on the line, the Panthers would be in 4 down territory no matter where they were. On the ensuing drive, the Bucks defense stiffened, and Norton was held to a 4th and 3. That’s when Bowman found receiver Buddy Willig for a 51-yard touchdown to chip away at the Bucks lead. They would miss the PAT however, still only down by one score, the Panthers were still alive.
Norton would try the onside kick but would fail. The Panthers defense, knowing what was on the line, took a stand and held Buckeye to a three and out. Forced to punt, the Panthers would have the chance to tie the game. Bowman would throw a screen pass to B. Willig, when it looked like he would be tackled in the backfield, he instead ran to the other side of the field and took it to the endzone. There was a flag for an illegal block in the back by Norton that took the touchdown away but still put them into Buckeye territory. They would still score with less than two minutes to go thanks to a 1-yard touchdown run by Dobbins.
The Final Drive
Trying again for an onside kick, it failed again. However, after being held to a three and out, the Bucks had to punt. Now Norton could sense it, the momentum shifting in its favor. Buckeye had been unable to stop them all in the second half.
Thanks to some incredible plays made by both Willig’s brothers, the Panthers were in Buckeye territory. However, on first down in Bucks territory, Ben Midea tore through the Panthers o-line and sacked Bowman for a huge loss. Having to spike the ball, it was now 3rd down with under 20 seconds left. Bowman would look to his favorite man Willig, though he did not make the catch, he did force a penalty. Now it was 3rd and 5 with under 15 seconds to go. Bowman would drop back, but Midea was immediately in his face as he sacked him again. With no timeouts, Norton rushed to get their field goal team on the field. Time was winding down, and the snap just got off in time. With a rushed kick and hold, the kick was tipped and nowhere close to the goal post.
Player of the Game/Recap
Due to both offenses being dominant, the x-factor came in the form of Buckeye’s defense and special teams. Though they did give up 47 points, the Bucks defense had key turnovers and sacks that changed the momentum of the game. Special teams also did well, recovering onside kicks, scoring a touchdown, and forcing missed PAT’s and field goals. With this win from Buckeye, they joined the 2018 Buckeye Bucks as the only ones in school history to make it to the Regional Semifinals. They improved to 10-2 and will play Columbian (Tiffin) next week. As for the Norton Panthers, they fell to 12-1, losing their only game of the season to Buckeye.
With Player of the Game, it usually goes to someone with great stats. A lot of yards, touchdowns, etc. For this game, however, the Player of the Game goes to defensive and offensive lineman Ben Midea. On the last drive of the game, Ben Midea answered the call with two crucial sacks that took time off the clock and kept the Panthers out of field goal range.
