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'08 OH RB Darius Ashley (Louisville signee)

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St. Xavier 31, Moeller 7

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051029/SPT030101/510290423/1078/SPT

No. 1 Bombers wallop Moeller
Rival Crusaders no match for state's best
By Jeff Wallner
Enquirer contributor
<!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT--> When St. Xavier last faced Moeller, the then-undefeated Bombers were beaten in the second round of last year's playoffs.
St. X entered Friday's grudge match with the Crusaders with a perfect record. This time, the Bombers' defense helped produce a strikingly different result.
St. X, ranked No. 1 in The Enquirer Division I area coaches' poll, got 176 yards and two touchdowns from sophomore running back Darius Ashley and rolled to a 31-7 victory over Moeller, No 5 in the area, in the second game of a doubleheader played before 15,285 fans at Paul Brown Stadium.
The Bombers, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 11 in USA Today's Super 25 poll, completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season.
"It's amazing what you can accomplish when nobody cares who gets the credit," said St. X coach Steve Specht. "These guys come to work every day. They have one goal - they want to shut everybody out."
St. X enters the playoffs as the top team in the Division I Region 4 Harbin ratings and will play a first-round home game. Moeller's playoff fate, meanwhile, will not be determined until the final Harbin ratings are released.
"We just want to be in," said Specht. "We'll see how the matchups shake out and take it from there."
It was a game-time decision by the Bombers' coaching staff to play standout sophomore kicker/punter Danny Milligan, who was nursing an ankle sprain.
Milligan did play and booted the Bombers into the lead with a 38-yard field goal to make the score 3-0 early in the first quarter.
The St. X defense, which had allowed only 45 points in their first nine games, made the first big play of the game when senior defensive back Brad Brookbank intercepted a pass at Moeller's 32-yard line.
St. X converted moments later when Ashley scored on a 7-yard touchdown run making the score 9-0 early in the second quarter.
Crusaders senior Martez Williams, who came into the game with more than 1,200 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns, was limited to just 13 yards in the first half.
St. X allowed Moeller only two first downs in the first half and forced three turnovers. They also pressured sophomore quarterback Ross Oltorik throughout the game.
The Bombers' defense forced their second turnover when Oltorik was sacked by senior linebacker Alex Albright, who forced the ball loose. Louis Miller recovered the fumble on the Crusaders' 17-yard line. Ashley scored on a 2-yard run moments later.
"It's a two-way relationship with the offense and defense," said Ashley. "They worked hard all week and got it done again."
Following a Moeller fumble, senior quarterback Brad Scherer ran 21 yards for a touchdown to make the score 24-0 late in the first half.
"St. X has proven they can play with anyone," said Moeller coach Bob Crable. "They intimidate people and take teams out of their game. They've done a great job defensively."
 
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St. X rolls against Fairfield 45-0

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/SPT030101/511060374/1078/SPT

Step one is done
Now No. 1 Bombers can turn thoughts to Colerain
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer


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<!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT--> St. Xavier sophomore running back Darius Ashley turns the corner during a first-half run. Ashley ran for 171 yards and four touchdowns, including a 95-yarder.




St. Xavier coach Steve Specht laughed when the first Colerain question came up.
Specht's top-ranked Bombers had just flogged Fairfield 45-0 on Saturday night in a Division I playoff opener, setting up a titanic regional football semifinal vs. No. 2 Colerain at Paul Brown Stadium next Saturday.
"I took some heat last week because I wouldn't look ahead, but now we can talk about Colerain," Specht said. "I don't know what they'll be charging to get in, but everyone should get their money's worth."
St. X handed defending state champ Colerain a 7-0 loss in a season opener at UC's Nippert Stadium.
"They're light years better now, but I think we've gotten much better too," Specht said.
Specht had refused to look past Fairfield, although the Indians (8-3) were the No. 8 regional seed and St. X (11-0) was No. 1.
"First, we had to beat Fairfield," Specht said.
That part was much easier than expected, as a crowd of 6,000 watched St. X methodically dismantle the Indians.
Fairfield's offense did not cross midfield until the third quarter and never advanced past the Bombers' 34-yard line.
St. X sophomore wunderkind Darius Ashley added another chapter to his bulging resume, as he rushed 17 times for 171 yards and four touchdowns. Included was a 95-yard TD run in the third period.
Ashley said St. X looks forward to the Colerain rematch.
"We beat them by seven last time, and hopefully we'll beat them by more this time," Ashley said.
Ashley raised his season totals to 1,167 yards rushing and 22 TDs. He replaced injured senior starter Chris Cionni when Cionni was hurt early in the year, and Ashley never let go of the job.
Cionni, who since has moved to a slot receiver position, also still runs the ball occasionally. He carried seven times for 58 yards Saturday.
"I give a lot of credit to Chris Cionni, because he's walked me through all I need to do," Ashley said. "My offensive line keeps opening up huge holes, and I just have to find them."
Fairfield coach Scott Dattilo was suitably impressed.
"They're just good everywhere," Dattilo said. "They were faster and stronger than us. Sometimes you have to see it up close, and now our younger players have seen what it takes to play at this level."
Fairfield's eight-game winning streak evaporated under a 28-0 first-half barrage, and St. X went on to post a 428-131 edge in total yards. St. X sacked Fairfield quarterback Derek Ball four times, and sophomore linebacker Fred Craig led the defense with nine tackles, a sack and an interception.
The Bombers rushed for 317 yards, and QB Brad Scherer completed five of nine passes for 106 yards and a 62-yard TD to Matthew McFarland.
The St. X defense, with its unyielding 3-3-5 alignment, posted its sixth shutout of the year, holding Fairfield to 52 net yards rushing.
"We knew they had some solid players, but if we just play our game we're tough to beat," St. X senior linebacker Joe Ries said.
St. Xavier was ranked No. 1 in both the final Enquirer and state polls and is No. 10 nationally in the USA Today Super 25.
Fairfield was making its first playoff appearance since 2000.
Specht said he knows Colerain will be motivated by having lost to St. X in the season opener.
"Whatever Kerry (Coombs) needs to do, I'm sure he'll do," Specht said. "He's been to the mountaintop, and we're trying to get there. As I told the kids, we're both 0-0 now. If we can be 1-0 after next week, I'll be happy."
<table class="enqtable" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr class="enqtdhead"><td align="left">Fairfield</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left"> -0</td></tr><tr><td class="enqtd" align="left">St. Xavier</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">14</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">14</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">10</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">7</td><td class="enqtd" align="left"> -45</td></tr></tbody></table>
X -Ashley 6 run (Milligan kick)
X -Ashley 1 run (Milligan kick)
X -Ashley 5 run (Milligan kick)
X -McFarland 62 pass from Scherer (Milligan kick)
X -Milligan 35 FG
X -Ashley 95 run (Milligan kick)
X -Romeo 3 run (Perica kick)
Records: F 8-3, X 11-0.
Click to expand...
 
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http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051113/SPT030101/511130429/1074/SPT03

Still heavyweight champ
Ashley 20-yard TD catch ends epic rematch of area titans
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer
<!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --> <!-- RELATED MULTIMEDIA ASSETS --> <!-- MAIN FACT BOX --> <!-- 300x250 AD --> <!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->
The reaction of most of the fans watching was roughly the same when St. Xavier's Darius Ashley caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to beat Colerain 12-9 in overtime: "Oh my gosh, he's wide open."
Just like that, St. Xavier (12-0), ranked No. 1 in the Division I state Associated Press poll, was headed to the regional final next Saturday, and defending state champion Colerain (10-2) was eliminated.
The huge crowd (announced at 35,000) Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium was stunned, happily so on the blue-clad St. Xavier side and numb on the red-clad Colerain side.
"I'm just glad our seniors get to play another week," Ashley said, as he slapped hands with St. X fans afterward near the stands. "We'd like to have won by more, but with Colerain we knew it would go down to the wire."
In overtime, Colerain's Matthew Schulte gave his team a 9-6 lead on a 23-yard field goal on the Cardinals' first possession.
St. X then got its turn, taking the ball at the Colerain 20-yard line per overtime rules. The game-winner came on the Bombers' first play.
Ashley, a sophomore running back, scooted out of the backfield and headed to his left as quarterback Brad Scherer faked a handoff to slot man Chris Cionni, who was headed to the right. Scherer then turned back to his left and floated a high spiral to an uncovered Ashley. Colerain's defense had not accounted for Ashley, and the play caught the Cardinals off guard.
"That was something we hadn't seen them do, and that's on me," Colerain coach Kerry Coombs said. "That's coaching. It was a great call by them."
St. Xavier coach Steve Specht credited Bob Klotz, the Bombers' offensive coordinator, with the game-winning call.
"We noticed in practice that nobody was covering Darius on that play," Klotz said. "We thought it was a good time to try it."
It was the only touchdown of a taut defensive battle, with both teams trading field goals for a 6-6 tie to end regulation.
"What everyone found out is we're both pretty special teams defensively," Specht said. "To beat a team of that caliber twice in one year, with the kind of talent they have, it's pretty special."
St. X beat Colerain 7-0 in the teams' season opener at UC's Nippert Stadium.
St. X and Colerain were rated Nos. 1-2 in the final Enquirer Division I area coaches' poll. St. X was No. 1 and Colerain was No. 6 in the final state AP poll.
Nationally, St. X is rated No. 10 and Colerain No. 18 by USA Today.
St. X will face No. 9 state-ranked Huber Heights Wayne (11-1) in the regional final next Saturday, at a neutral site to be announced today. Wayne (11-1) rallied to beat Centerville 29-28 in Saturday's first game at Paul Brown Stadium, after trailing 28-10 with seven minutes remaining.
"We'll enjoy it tonight, then we'll go back to work," Specht said.
St. X reached the regional final for the first time since 2001, when the Bombers were state runner-up.
"I almost have a hard time celebrating, because they're so good and it's tough to see them lose," said Lou Miller, St. Xavier's standout senior linebacker. "They played just as hard as us, and it was such a dogfight."
St. X won the total yardage battle 237-169. Colerain rushed for 150 yards, and St. X ran for 174.
Ashley led St. X with 25 carries for 85 yards and caught two passes for 37 yards. Scherer ran for 42 yards, and Cionni had 38. Scherer completed five of 10 passes for 63 yards and the one TD.
Kyle Lumpkin led Colerain with 11 carries for 60 yards. Trammell Williams rushed for 50 yards, and Terrence Sherrer had 35.
"There's no shame in giving it all you have and coming up short," Coombs said. "That's how it is in life sometimes. It hurts, but we gave it all we had."
The St. X defense did its job as usual. The Bombers held the potent Colerain offense to just nine points in their two meetings this year, with Colerain averaging 53 points per game in its other 10 games this year.
E-mail [email protected]
<table class="enqtable" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr class="enqtdhead"><td align="left">Colerain</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">3</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">3</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">3</td><td class="enqtd" align="left"> - 9</td></tr><tr><td class="enqtd" align="left">St. Xavier</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">3</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">3</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">6</td><td class="enqtd" align="left"> -12</td></tr></tbody></table>
C -Schulte 45 FG
SX -Milligan 45 FG
C -Schulte 27 FG
SX -Milligan 23 FG
C -Schulte 23 FG
SX -Ashley 20 pass from Scherer (no PAT attempt)
Records: C 10-2, SX 12-0
Click to expand...
 
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Did anybody watch Ashley on ONN last night? Just curious on how he looked along with Connor and Moeller(post on them too on their threads please if you saw them). I didn't make it to the game and missed it on TV. Will they be rebroadcasting by any chance?
 
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RB07OSU said:
Did anybody watch Ashley on ONN last night? Just curious on how he looked along with Connor and Moeller(post on them too on their threads please if you saw them). I didn't make it to the game and missed it on TV. Will they be rebroadcasting by any chance?
Click to expand...

I am completley sold on Ashley now...not only is he fast, the tackles he broke last night...wow...lets just say that not many Sophomre running backs could ever do the things he did against a Colerain defense.

Moeller played lights out..several tackles for loss and a sack. Connor was his mean old nasty self. OSU is getting two great players...and I hope they pay close attention to Ashley....he's the real deal.
 
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Darius had 129 yards rushing on 22 rushes and 3 TDs, as well as a recieving TD in X's 42-7 romp over Wayne in the region 4 final today. He now has 9 or 10 TDs in St. Xavier's 3 postseason games.

In the postgame interview with Mark Bengal of the Prep Sports Radio Network, Darius credited the offensive line, specifically mentioning junior offensive linemen Wes Schroeder and Howard Patton and senior fullback Jimmy Hobson. He said "they weren't my touchdowns, they were the whole offenses' touchdowns."

EDIT: Here's video of Darius catching the game winning TD pass in OT against Colerain last week. There are sure to be more highlights coming sometime this week once they get the video from the Wayne game.

http://www.stxavier.org/FileUploads...Brad Scherer to Darius Ashley in OT.CD001.swf
 
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St. Xavier 42, Huber Heights Wayne 7

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051120/SPT030101/511200442/1074/SPT03
Sunday, November 20, 2005

Bombers stay on D-I target
St. X gains its first state semis berth since 2001
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer

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The Enquirer/Sarah Conard
Darius Ashley scored four touchdowns to lead the Bombers.

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The Enquirer/Sarah Conard
St. X's Tim Lynch (left) congratulates Darius Ashley (8) after one of his TDs.


It was early, and St. Xavier took advantage of the wake-up call.
The Bombers' defense allowed a rare, sustained touchdown drive - 16 plays, 73 yards - and fell behind 7-0 on Huber Heights Wayne's first offensive series Saturday. About two hours later, St. X left UC's Nippert Stadium with a 42-7 win and a berth in next Saturday's Division I football state semifinals.
"No one has really done that to us all year," St. X coach Steve Specht said of the long Wayne march. "The important thing is, we answered back right away."
St. X scored on its next possession and was ahead 26-7 by halftime, as the state's No. 1-ranked Bombers (13-0) showed No. 9 Wayne (11-2) who's boss in Southwest Ohio. The Bombers advanced to the program's first state semifinal since 2001, when St. X was state runner-up.
The Bombers again rode sophomore running back Darius Ashley (129 yards rushing, four TDs) and its quick, hard-hitting defense to victory. St. X has allowed only 68 points all year.
The crowd was listed as an estimated 10,000, with the 12:30 p.m. kickoff going up against the Michigan-Ohio State game that began at 1 p.m. Saturday.
After Wayne's opening TD, St. X quarterback Brad Scherer directed the Bombers on a 16-play, 60-yard drive, with Ashley scoring from 2 yards out.
Danny Milligan's PAT kick made it 7-7.
Wayne's upset hopes started fading with 7:10 left in the second quarter, when a wave of blue-shirted Bombers blocked a punt. St. X linebacker Fred Craig scooped up the football and went 20 yards to score, and St. X had a 14-7 lead.
"The wheels fell off," Wayne coach Jay Minton said. "We started making mistakes, and against a really good team you can't do that. All credit to them."
St. X advances to the state semifinals Saturday against 13-0 Hilliard Davidson. The game site will be announced today.
Ashley led St. X with three rushing TDs, and he also caught a 32-yard pass for a score.
"My offensive line just opened huge holes for me," Ashley said. "They make it easy."
Ashley and Specht both mentioned the unsung St. X blockers by name, including linemen Andrew Hauser, Evan Wenker, Wes Schroder, Howard Patton, Max Baumann and Tim Lynch, and fullback Jimmy Hobson.
Ashley has 27 touchdowns this season and has rushed for 1,381 yards.
St. Xavier's defense did not take kindly to the opening Wayne drive. Wayne quarterback Alex Earley, the Southwest District Division I offensive player of the year, guided the Warriors downfield and handed to Joe Gilford for a 1-yard TD.
Specht said St. X thereafter did not blitz as much, usually rushing just three players and dropping more men into coverage to keep Earley at bay. Earley finished with 161 yards passing on 19-of-32 attempts but was intercepted twice.
St. X held a 396-231 edge in total offense. The Bombers ran for 280 yards and threw for 116, while Wayne rushed for just 55 yards and threw for 176.
"Earley is good, and we found that out immediately," Specht said. "We started playing a lot of two-deep stuff and spied him every time. Our defensive coaches and players did a great job of adjusting."
St. X's defense followed the blocked punt with interceptions by linebacker Joe Ries and defensive back Tim Fagel on the next two Wayne series.
The Bombers' defensive standouts included DE Alex Albright with a sack, 1½ tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a role in the blocked punt. Statisticians credited Albright with the block, but Albright said it wasn't him.
Defensive back Frank Morand was the top St. X tackler with six assists and two solos, and he also broke up two passes and recovered a fumble.
St. X, rated No. 9 nationally by USA Today, also got some revenge for the 1999 Bombers' team. The '99 Bombers, considered one of the best teams in school history, were upset by Wayne in a regional semifinal game.
Wayne7000 - 7
St. Xavier719133 -42
W-Gilford 1 run (Fickert kick)
SX-Ashley 2 run (Milligan kick)
SX-Craig 20 blocked punt return (Milligan kick)
SX-Ashley 13 run (kick failed)
SX-Ashley 32 pass from Scherer (pass failed)
SX-Ashley 16 run (run failed)
SX-Cionni 2 run (Milligan kick
SX-Milligan 28 FG
Records: W 11-2, SX 13-0.
Click to expand...
 
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St. Xavier 17 Davidson 10

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051127/SPT030101/511270406

Sunday, November 27, 2005 <!-- ARTICLE HEADLINE --> Bombers hold on to win
Morand interception seals St. X's hard-fought 17-10 win
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer


<!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --><!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT--> OXFORD - St. Xavier senior defensive back Frank Morand was itching to make a play. He did, and the Bombers are headed to the Division I state football final for the first time since 2001.
Morand intercepted a pass in the end zone with 44 seconds left, clinching a 17-10 win for No. 1-ranked St. X over No. 7 Hilliard Davidson in a state semifinal game at Miami's Yager Stadium on Saturday night. Attendance was estimated at about 10,000.
Morand said he wanted to make up for a 72-yard Hilliard Davidson touchdown pass in the first half. Morand was among St. X defenders in the area, and he lost his footing as Wildcats receiver Joey Ciamacco raced untouched into the end zone.
"Fortunately, I was able to make up for it," a smiling Morand said. "We knew we had to get it done on that last drive. This is what we've been working for all year."
St. X (14-0) will vie for its first state title in four championship game appearances, having finished runner-up in 1992, 1998 and 2001. The Bombers will face No. 8-ranked Massillon (13-1) for the state title at 7 p.m. Saturday at Canton's Fawcett Stadium. Massillon beat Lakewood St. Edward 21-17 in Saturday's other state semifinal in Akron.
"We're not ready to celebrate yet," said Steve Specht, the Bombers' second-year head coach.
"When it's over we'll look back and realize what we've done, but right now, we've got to get ready for Massillon," Specht said.
St. X was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press state poll and is No. 9 nationally in the USA Today ratings. Davidson (13-1), located near Columbus, was No. 7 in the final AP state poll.
One Columbus-area newspaper billed the game as "Davidson vs. Goliath." Although both St. X and Davidson were 13-0, Cincinnati schools have had their way with Columbus teams at this level. Since the Ohio playoff system began in 1972, Cincinnati teams are 13-2 vs. Columbus schools in the Division I state semifinals and/or final.
"It was a battle," Specht said. "We knew it might be this way. If you see Davidson on film, you'll see they're kind of small but they're very quick. They're a lot like us, and those kids played us awfully hard."
The pivotal play, in retrospect, was St. X linebacker Fred Craig's sack and forced fumble on Davidson quarterback Don Curtis near the Bombers' 7-yard line just before halftime. Bombers defensive end Alex Albright recovered the loose football on the 2-yard line and went in to score, and St. X led 17-7 with 1:24 left before halftime.
"I just got a pretty good read on it, and I was able to knock it away from him," Craig said. "Alex was able to take it in, which was great."
St. X was outgained 248-182 in total yards, but the offense made enough plays to win.
Bombers running back Darius Ashley carried 15 times for 99 yards. Ashley's 55-yard run to the 2-yard line set up a 2-yard TD run by Chris Cionni, which gave St. X a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
Davidson stifled the Bombers' offense in the second half, holding St. X to 35 total yards after halftime. On the final drive, Davidson marched to the Bombers' 22-yard line with time running short.
Brad Brookbank tipped away a Davidson first-down pass, Albright made a tackle for a 1-yard loss on second down, and a Davidson pass was incomplete on third down. On fourth down, Morand came up with his theft.
Davidson coach Brian White said his team earned some respect, but the upset obviously would have been better.
"We always hear about how Central Ohio teams can't compete with the Cincinnati teams, but I thought we played well enough to be mentioned in the same sentence with them," White said.
St. X doesn't mind, for the Bombers are the ones who will be taking the field in Canton next week.
"It's been elusive for us," Craig said, referring to St. X's 0-for-3 championship game record. "We can't think about that, so we'll just focus on next week. That's all that matters."
<table class="enqtable" border="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr class="enqtdhead"><td align="left">St. Xavier</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">3</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">14</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left"> -17</td></tr><tr><td class="enqtd" align="left">Hilliard Davidson</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">7</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">0</td><td class="enqtd" align="left">3</td><td class="enqtd" align="left"> -10</td></tr></tbody> </table> SX-Milligan 36 FG
SX-Cionni 2 run (Milligan kick)
HD-Ciamacco 72 pass from Curtis (Larger kick)
SX-Albright 2 fumble return (Milligan kick)
HD-Larger 19 FG
Records: St X 14-0, HD 13-1
Click to expand...
 
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TD%20Darius%203.JPG


Darius headed towards the end zone on his 50 yard TD run against Massillon in the championship game. You can see '07 RB/S Brian Gamble of Massillon (#26) on the ground in the background, after Darius shook off his attempt at a tackle and outran 2 other Massillon defenders to take it to the house.
 
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