COLUMBUS: The competitive spirit was there for 48 minutes Friday, but Mogadore simply could not keep up with Fort Recovery.
Specifically, the Wildcats couldn’t keep pace with Fort Recovery junior quarterback Caleb Martin, who guided the Indians to a 33-14 victory in the Division VII state championship game before a crowd of 7,957 inside Ohio Stadium.
“We were never really able to seize any momentum away from them,” Mogadore coach Matt Adorni said. “They probably surprised us with their overall speed and athleticism. Tape didn’t do them justice. I thought we were going to be OK as far as matching up with them in that aspect, but they proved to be really good route runners.”
Martin completed 25-of-39 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns without an interception as Fort Recovery (13-2) topped Mogadore (13-2) to win its first state football title.
“It is a dream come true to get here, but we wanted to win,” said Mogadore senior Luke Cramer, who wore the No. 24 Wildcats jersey, just like his father and two older brothers.
“It is a letdown that is kind of right now diminishing it for us, but I think a little later on when we look back on it, I think we will be able to take a lot of good from it.”
Martin threw for four touchdowns in the first half, completing 17-of-26 passes for 277 yards, as the Indians, a member of the Midwest Athletic Conference, built a 27-7 halftime lead.
Martin had two touchdown passes in each of the first and second quarters. Seniors Darien Sheffer and Tanner Koch each caught a touchdown pass, for 15 yards and 10 yards at 10:26 and 6:49, respectively, in the first quarter. Senior Brandon Schoen and Koch snagged touchdown catches of 75 yards and 8 yards at 7:05 and 0:51, respectively, in the second quarter. Sheffer made 3-of-4 point after kicks.
“I knew I had to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers, and I did,” Martin said. “They made a lot of stuff happen. I pretty much spread the wealth tonight.”
Mogadore’s first-half points came on a 17-yard touchdown pass from senior Zeddie Pollock to junior Jarad Dunn and a Pollock point-after kick with 8:28 left in the second quarter.
“I’m awfully proud of how our team came out tonight,” Fort Recovery coach Brent Niekamp said. “From the beginning of the game, I thought we came out with really good intensity. I gotta admit I was a little bit concerned with it being our first time here.
“These guys came out just like they came out about every week — ready to play really well for four quarters.”
Both teams tightened up defensively in the second half, when only 13 points were scored. Fort Recovery’s Martin found senior Wes Wenning for a 30-yard touchdown with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, and Mogadore junior Austin Williams rushed for a 6-yard touchdown with 6:50 to go. Pollock’s extra point concluded the scoring.
“I thought we played with a lot of pride and represented ourselves well in the second half,” Adorni said. “I am real proud of these guys after we lost in Week 3. We really rebounded nice, and had a nice stretch run during the middle of our season.
“It is a grind, but it is a good grind. It is hard to manage your way through the playoffs.”
Indians sophomore defensive back Will Homan grabbed two interceptions.
“It starts all the way back in July,” Pollock said of the season. “It is a lot of hard work and effort [that gets you to a state final].”
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the #ABJVarsity high school blog at www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.