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Sycamore 24, Wayne 19
Sycamore?s first playoff victory in school history came like everything else for the Aviators this season ? with a sense of drama.
Visiting Huber Heights Wayne refused to let go of the suspense until the final play. That?s when noseguard Caleb Lipsey sacked Wayne quarterback Ryan Bitsko to let the clock run out, and officially post a 24-19 victory in a Division I regional quarterfinal game Saturday night.
Sycamore (10-1) advances to meet Colerain, which beat Moeller 34-31 in three overtimes Saturday. That game will be next Saturday at a site to be determined.
Wayne scored with 3:18 left on a 9-yard pitch to Donnie Evege. A two-point conversion pass was broken up by Cameron Luning, leaving Sycamore with the 24-19 lead.
Sycamore?s offense, which had dominated time of possession all game, needed to come up with one more drive.
After Mitch Allen recovered Wayne?s onside kick attempt, the Aviators were again able to move the ball on the ground.
Wayne finally forced a punt with 57 seconds left in the game, with punter Steve Hull?s kick getting downed at the Wayne 2-yard line. The Warriors completed a pair of passes to get out to their 24, but the Lipsey?s sack ended the game.
Sycamore opened the final quarter with more points. Andrew Hancher kicked a 28-yard field goal with 11:01 left in the game. That put Sycamore up 24-13.
Wayne needed to respond, and got a huge boost when sophomore Erique Geiger returned the kickoff 44 yards to the Sycamore 48. But after getting to the 39, Sycamore?s defense came up with back-to-back sacks to force a punt.
Sycamore took a two TD lead for the first time on the first play of the second half. Quarterback Ryan Bitsko overthrew his receiver and Sycamore?s Mike Latessa cleanly grabbed the ball at the 30-yard line. He went untouched into the end zone, giving Sycamore a 21-7 lead.
Wayne drove the field for the first time all game, taking the ball 70 yards on its next drive for its second touchdown of the game. Joe Gilford went in from a yard out, but the extra-point kick was wide, leaving Wayne trailing 21-13 going into the fourth quarter.
Sycamore dominated the first half, but had just a 14-7 halftime lead due to one major mistake by the offense.
Sycamore scored first, driving the ball downfield on its second possession with a 12-play drive that was capped by a 1-yard QB sneak by Mitch Allen. That put Sycamore up 7-0 with 2:10 left in the first quarter.
A coffin-corner punt pinned Sycamore back at its own 1-yard line on its next drive, and that paid text ignoredoff three plays later. Trying to run a dump pass to the fullback that had already gained 30 yards on two previous occasions in the game, Allen?s pass deflected off the hands of Trevor Lothrop and into the possession of Wayne cornerback and Ohio State-commitment Donnie Evege. Evege strolled into the end zone, tying the game up three plays into the second quarter.
Sycamore re-established its momentum, driving 72 yards for the go-ahead score. It came on a 21-yard pass from Allen to Kyle Battle as he ran a crossing pattern, broke a tackle and accelerated up field to put Sycamore up 14-7 with 2:42 left in the half.
Sycamore had 150 yards of offense in the half. Allen had 17 carries for 57 yards, and completed 4-of-8 passes for 56 yards.
Wayne?s offense was limited to just 31 yards in the half.
Wayne 0 7 6 6 ?19
Sycamore 7 7 7 3 ?24
S?Allen 1 run (Hancher kick)
W?Evege 10 interception return (McCutcheon kick)
S?Battle 21 pass from Allen (Hancher kick)
S?Latessa 30 interception return (Hancher kick)
W?Gilford 1 run (kick wide)
S?Hancher 28 FG
W?Evege 9 run (pass failed)
Records: W 8-3, S 10-1.
