TriStateFootball.com

Madison Senior and Mohawk Nation moving on

LIBERTY TWP, ohio – Just eight days ago Madison Senior played in and won its first ever playoff game. The program made history again on Friday night after handling postseason stalwart CHCA in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. With the victory the Mohawks advance and will play West Jefferson in the Division 5, Region 20 regional championship.

Down by six at intermission after a frustrating drive saw Madison Senior come away with no points and turn the ball over on downs on the CHCA 16 yard-line with seven seconds left in the second quarter. It would be the last time the Mohawks would squander an opportunity.

Less than a minute into the third stanza junior Evan Crim would recover an Eagles fumble that gave Madison Senior the ball 15 yards from paydirt. Classmate Cameron Svarda would find the treasure 2:03 later with his second touchdown run of the night. The extra point by Graham Reich gave the Mohawks a 14-13 lead, one they would never relinquish.

On CHCA’s next possession Madison Senior came up with another fumble recovery in Eagles territory at the 33 yard-line. One play later quarterback Mason Whiteman made the Eagles pay for the miscue.

The run wasn’t over, literally. The Mohawks forced a three-and-out. The CHCA punt put Madison Senior on its own 33. The line had begun wearing down the Eagles and Svarda finished off the possession finding the end zone for a third time on a 47-yard touchdown scamper. The Mohawks finished the night with more than 300 yards of total offense, all on the ground. Unofficially Svarda had more than half of those.

Madison Senior head coach Steve Poff (photo by Greg Shoemaker/TriStateFootball.com)

Sensing his team was running downhill, Madison Central head Coach Steve Poff made a bold call early in the fourth quarter. At their own 38 Poff decided to go for it on fourth down and one yard to go and his boys executed. Keeping the drive alive culminated in what would be the final dagger in CHCA’s playoff dreams. Tyler Baumgartner would score on a 20-yard run to culminate the drive. The Mohawks had put up 28 unanswered points taking a commanding 35-13 lead.

CHCA would get a couple of late touchdowns passes but the clock and the Madison Senior ground game were against them. The Mohawks did what the Eagles couldn’t, run the ball in November As Madison Central has come to find out if you can do that, wins will pile up.

Postgame Audio Interview: Steve Poff, Madison Senior

Madison Senior 7-0-21-7-35
CHCA 7-6-0-14-27

C: Vanatsky 1 run (Sheffer kick)
M: Svarda 5 run (Reich kick)
C: Bernhardt 41 pass from Vanatsky (kick failed)
M: Svarda 3 run (Reich kick)
M: Whiteman 33 run (Reich kick)
M: Svarda 47 run (Reich kick)
M: Baumgartner 20 run (Reich kick)
C: Herman 59 pass from Fisher (Sheffer kick)
C: Bernhardt 27 pass from Vanatsky (Sheffer kick)

RECORDS: Madison Senior (10-2); CHCA (8-3)

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