by The Glenville Tarblooders continued their run for back-to-back state titles on Friday night against the Perkins Pirates. The winner of this game would head to the final four in the Division IV playoffs. Glenville would earn a hard fought 36-26 win over a Perkins team that would not go down easily.
Glenville started this game out dominant on the ground. Senior running back D’Shawntae Jones ran for 43 yards on the opening drive and capped it off with a 16-yard touchdown. Jones also converted the two-point conversion to put the Tarblooders up 8-0. The Tarblooders extended their lead to 16-0 when Jameil Hamm picked off Pirates quarterback Logan Lesch and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown.
After the pick-six, Perkins would drive all the way into the red zone. However, they would come up empty after Jermaine Agee intercepted Lesch at the goal line. The Pirates defense would then make a big play of their own forcing a fumble on D’Shawntae Jones. Sophomore John McGlashen recovered the fumble for the Pirates. Perkins would then finally get on the board when Logan Lesch found Wyatt Nemitz open for a 16-yard touchdown.
On their next drive Glenville would be faced with a 4th down and 1 from their own 43-yard line. The Tarblooders would keep the ball in the hands of their Ruel Tomlinson who broke free for a 57-yard touchdown. Glenville would go ahead 22-7 and take that lead into halftime.
On the opening drive of the second half Pirates receiver Braylon Collier would make a diving catch in the back of the endzone for a touchdown. The Pirates cut the defecit to 22-13. It would only take one play for the Glenville lead to grow back to 15. D’Shawntae Jones went untouched up the middle for a 50-yard touchdown on the first play of the Tarblooders drive.
The Pirates wouldn’t go quietly though. Weston Sturzinger would take a screen pass from Lesch 41 yards to endzone to make it a 28-20 game. On the next Tarblooders drive they would convert a huge 3rd down and 19 on a deep ball to Ohio State commit Damarion Witten. That play would lead to a 5-yard rushing touchdown from Tomlinson to put Glenville up 16.
The Perkins Pirates continued to fight back. Logan Lesch delivered a strike to Braylon Collier for a 24-yard score to make it a 36-26 game. In the end the Tarblooders and their dominant ground game would prevail. Glenville will move on the final four.
Player of the Game: D’Shawntae Jones 20 RUSH 242 YDS 2 TD
