DELAWARE — Grayson Davis was a mere inches away from giving the Olentangy Liberty football team its first win of the year.
But linebackers Desmond Nelson and Howard Bates and the rest of the Gahanna defense thwarted what would have been a game-winning two-point conversion at the goal line.
The Lions held on for a 14-13 victory in overtime on Sept. 4, dropping the host Patriots to 0-3.
As the postseason enters the regional quarterfinal round on Nov. 13, Delaware County’s two remaining teams both face off against familiar foes.
Liberty gets another shot at Gahanna and Big Walnut faces off against playoff nemesis Massillon Washington.
The Patriots reeled off five consecutive victories after their first matchup with the Lions. Liberty (7-4), seeded fourth in Division I, Region 3, travels to the top-seeded Gahanna (11-0).
“It felt horrible walking off that field knowing we (lost) another game — especially one that was right there in our hands,” senior wide receiver Carter Nelson said. “As bad as it sounds, I think the losses pull us together. It’s more like a wake-up call.
“It’d be nice if we had that wake-up call earlier,” he said. “But I think – especially after that Gahanna game – everyone started to lock in a little.”
The winner will get second-seeded Upper Arlington or sixth-seeded Pickerington North in the final Nov. 20 at a neutral site.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles (11-0) are seeded second in Division II, Region 7 and face the Tigers (10-1), who they’ve seen four out of the last five postseasons.
Big Walnut lost the first two meetings against Massillon in 2021 and 2022 and won the last two, including last year’s 27-21 matchup in the regional final.
Top-seeded Watterson, which has won the last two Division III state titles and was runner-up in 2023, moved up a division this season and will take a 40-game winning streak into its home playoff game against fourth-seeded New Albany.
“It’s nice that we don’t have to travel,” Eagles coach Curtis Crager said. “That’ll kind of be different this year than we’ve had in year’s past.
“But we’ll have our hands full, for sure. They’re extremely talented on both sides of the ball.”
The two semifinal winners meet in the final Nov. 20 at a neutral site.
Stumpf’s status doubtful
Making the matchup even more challenging is the status of Eagles quarterback Eli Stumpf, who was injured in the second half of last week’s 37-7 win over seventh-seeded Louisville.
Crager couldn’t disclose Stump’s injury, but said he was doubtful to play against Massillon.
Stumpf, a Michigan State commit, is 146 of 201 passing for 2,165 yards, 27 touchdowns and one interception. He’s added 456 yards rushing and five scores on 82 carries.
Senior tight end Jackson Bowers replaced Stumpf against Louisville and had four carries for 48 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Senior running back Nolan Buirley leads the Eagles with 1,783 yards and 28 touchdowns on 190 carries and has a team-best 523 yards receiving and eight touchdowns on 30 receptions.
“Our kids are going to come out well-prepared,” Crager said. “We’ll be ready to fight.”
Liberty knows Gahanna well
Playing a team twice in one year can be a positive or a negative, Liberty coach John Sansbury said.
The Patriots and Lions face off for the fifth time in the last four seasons, with Gahanna winning three of the previous four.
The two met in the playoffs in 2017 and 2018 with Liberty taking both games. Gahanna leads the series 4-3.
Liberty is coming off seeing rival Olentangy Berlin for the second time this season, winning both times, including 15-0 on Nov. 6.
So, the Patriots are well-versed in playing familiar opponents. How does Sansbury approach it? It starts with film.
“Week three seems so long ago,” Sansbury said. “It’s been 10 weeks – every team is going to look differently now. We’re just looking to see who they have personnel-wise.
“Are they running the same stuff? Then we’ll watch week three and kind of see what went well and what didn’t go well.”
Three of the Patriots’ four losses have been by one score. Conversely, they’ve won three games decided by one score.
“Every game has been a close game,” said Nelson, who had two catches for 93 yards against Berlin. “Against UA (on Oct. 2), we came back and took the lead on the last drive. That’s our defense that keeps us in it.”
In the regional quarterfinal, the Patriots held the Bears to 113 yards of total offense in recording their first shutout of the year. Berlin went just 4 of 18 on third downs and 0-for-3 on fourth down.
Liberty also held an almost 10-minute advantage on time of possession.
Evan Fowler hit three field goals and Grayson Davis scored the game’s only touchdown and finished with 23 carries for 67 yards.
The second meeting against Gahanna will show Liberty how far it has come this season.
“I think our guys – especially our seniors – never panicked,” Sansbury said. “We just kept focusing on getting better every single day.
“If that’s good enough – great. If it’s not, then can we still look at ourselves in the mirror and be proud of how we played.”
