DAYTON, Ohio – It was all St. Xavier in Friday night’s OHSAA Division I state semifinals, as the Bombers used stout defensive play to shut down the Middletown Middies 21-6.
Amongst frigid conditions, St X. handled the Middletown offensive attack with ease, holding the Middies offense to just two field goals.
Led by standout seniors Kobe Klapper and Brayden Reilley, the Bomber defense was able to win at the line of scrimmage and shut down any Middies offensive attack.
Early in the game, Middletown’s JoJo Ward hit his star receiver Ace Cooper over the middle for a big gain, but that was the most success the Middies would find through the air all evening.
“It’s the buy-in,” said Klapper about the defense’s success. “We all are buying into what Coach (Specht) is teaching, everyone’s playing for one another, especially the underclassmen. I think it’s everyone buying in and believing in each other.”
After forcing an early punt, the Bomber offense went right to work, leaning heavily on Daniel Vollmer’s rushing prowess to move their way down the field, capping off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Vollmer from Jackson Frey.
The first major turning point in the game came on the next Bomber drive. Frey threw a screen pass intended for Jake Britt, but Frey threw it behind Britt; a backwards pass that was picked up by the Middies defense and set up Ward and the Middletown offense at the Bomber five yard line.
After the turnover, Clapper and the Bombers defense did their job, not allowing Middletown to reach the end zone and forcing them to attempt a 30-yard field goal, which sailed wide right.
After the failure to capitalize on the turnover, the Middies defense was still a tough out for the Bomber offense, who managed to score at the very beginning of the second quarter, when Britt took a direct snap from four yards out into the endzone.
Up two scores, St. X continued to suffocate any Middies offensive attack, holding Middletown to just six points through the first half, which would end up being the only points for Middletown all evening.
Despite the two-score lead, Middletown’s defense still played strong, forcing a second Bomber turnover in the waning seconds of the first half — an interception off of Frey.
With no timeouts left, Ward and the Middies offense could not capitalize on the turnover, leaving Middletown with no points to show for two crucial turnovers.
Coming out of the half, St. X received the ball, but looked markedly different — their star, Vollmer, was out of the game with a lower body injury.
In Vollmer’s absence, head coach Steve Specht turned to the ever-reliable Britt to pick up where the injured halfback left off. The two-way senior star was up to the challenge, as he powered the Bomber offense in the second half, racking up big yards both on the ground and through the air.
The highlight of the night for St. X’s offense was a 30+ yard touchdown by Britt, as he took the screen pass virtually untouched to the end zone, pushing the Bombers lead to 21-6.
From there, St. X never looked back, holding serve on defense and draining the remaining clock in the game.
When the final whistle blew, Frey took a knee that sent St. X to Canton, where they will square off with Olentangy Orange (14-0) for the state title next Friday night.
Coach Specht and the Bombers will look to add to the history books next Friday, as they seek their fifth state championship and first since 2020.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Steve Specht, St. Xavier
SCORING BY QUARTERS
St. Xavier: 7-7-7-0-21
Middletown: 3-3-0-0-6
SCORING PLAYS
M: Carson Hagin 30 field goal
S: Daniel Vollmer 10 pass from Jackson Frey (Owen Davidson kick)
S: Jake Britt 3 run (Davidson kick)
M: Hagin 23 field goal
S: Britt 35 pass from Frey (Davidson kick)
RECORDS: St. Xavier (11-2); Middletown (11-3)
UP NEXT: OHSAA Division I state championship, St. Xavier vs. Olentangy Orange (14-0)
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
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