- Ponatoski, Hill, Miller Jr. Earn top honors in Division I
- Burnam, Butler, McLaughlin top the Division II list of accolades
- Daniel, Pavey tabbed as the District’s best in Division IV
- Amburgy named Division V Southwest District OPOY
- Batavia’s Stacy named Division III District Coach of the Year
- Coyle, Harris, Hogan honored in Division VI
- 2024 OPSMA Division VII All-Southwest District Teams
- Best Bets: Week 13
- Preview: #4 Princeton vs. #1 Moeller
- TSF Week 12 Recap Show
Wayne dominates Springboro
- Updated: November 15, 2015
CENTERVILLE, Ohio – Led by running back Antwand Wilson, the Wayne Warriors flexed their offensive muscle in Saturday night’s 52-21 win over the Springboro Panthers. Wilson carried the ball nine times for 194 and two touchdowns, finishing with an impressive 21.6 yards per carry
Wayne running back Antwand Wilson / (photo by Matt Kirkman)
“I’ll tell you what, Antwand Wilson, how about him coming out,” Wayne head coach Jay Minton said. “We knew he had it in him all year, and he’s showing it now. That’s what we have to do in the playoffs. Play great defense, and get that running game going.”
Wayne racked up 654 yards of total offense. This was the third consecutive game that Warriors have scored at least 50 points.
“It’s a team effort,” Smith said. “We all play together as a team. We’re always focused, and we always finish. We all have one goal, and that’s week 15.”
Daryl McCleskey made big plays for Wayne on both sides of the ball early on. After he picked off a Springboro pass, McCleskey found the end zone on a 30 yard touchdown reception to give his team a 7-0 lead.
After the Warriors extended their lead on a Matt Wilcox touchdown run, the Panthers responded when quarterback Elijah Cunningham found Nick Kovacs from 8 yards out, trimming the deficit to seven.
The only touchdown of the second quarter came on a 29 yard pass from Deweaver to L’Christian Smith. Following a Nate Strong field goal, Wayne held a 24-7 halftime lead.
The Warriors would go on to light up the scoreboard in the second half, scoring four touchdowns, including a 73 yard touchdown run by Wilson to wrap up the victory for Wayne.
Springboro concludes a successful season with a 9-3 record, including the first division one playoff victory in the school’s history.
“My hat goes off to those guys, they didn’t make it easy” Minton added. “We knew they were the number one offense in the league for a reason. Elijah Cunningham is one of the best we’ve ever gone against.”
Alex Feldman tallied nine receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown for the Panthers.
Prior to becoming the head coach at Springboro, Ryan Wilhite spent six seasons as the offensive coordinator for Wayne.
“Ryan is real close to us, he’s meant a lot to us,” Minton said. “We go against those guys every preseason. We knew it would be as emotional as it was physical.”
Wayne will move on to third round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Warriors will face Hilliard Davidson. The Wildcats eliminated Wayne from the playoffs back in 2013.
“When you line up against Hilliard Davidson, you know what you’re in for,” Minton added. “We’ve had some good experiences against Brian White’s teams. It’s an excellent, well coached team. They’re very disciplined, they don’t make too many mistakes. We’ve got to produce and keep it going, because they’re going to be tough.”
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