CANTON, OH – On a cold Friday evening at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the first-ever matchup between St. Xavier and Olentangy Orange was an exclamation point for the Pioneers, as they capped off their perfect season with a 28-14 win over the Bombers.
Despite never squaring off, the game played out as if these two squads had played each other dozens of times in the past, a physical football game highlighted by splash plays on offense and stringent defense from both sides.
Early in the contest, the Pioneers defense made their presence known, as senior Zane Konzcak dove in front of Jackson Frey’s pass to give the ball back to star quarterback Levi Davis and the high-flying Orange offense.
Trying to set the tone early, Orange Head Coach Wes Schroeder left his offense on the field for a fourth down, but St. X’s defense came up with the clutch play, as Jax Hendon knocked the pass attempt down to force the turnover-on-downs.
What followed, however, was an orange-colored wave of offense for the remainder of the first half. The Pioneers offense figured out the vaunted Bomber defense’s biggest weakness: deep passes.
Led by senior MC Walker, the Orange offense repeatedly kept coming up with chunk pass plays down the field. Walker showed off incredible athleticism and concentration on more than one play, which included a toe-tapping sideline grab, which set up the Pioneers first touchdown; a 4- yard run by Davis on fourth down to end the first quarter.
St. X’s offense found a little momentum on the following drive, as Frey found senior wideouts Logan Von Holle and Cam Taylor for solid passing plays, which set up a 39-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Jake Britt, tying the game at seven-a-piece.
The Davis-Walker connection continued to dazzle throughout the rest of the first half, as after a long, 10+ play drive, Davis dropped back from five yards out of the endzone, and threw it up for
Walker along the sideline – who adjusted mid-air and made a one-handed catch that sapped the air out of the home sideline draped in Bomber blue and white.
With just 13 seconds left in the half, Davis found his running back, senior Lucas Fickel wide open over the middle of the field for a 15-yard catch-and-score. As the first half came to an end, the Pioneers held a commanding two-score lead over the Bombers.
In the second half, the Bombers offense tried to muster consistent, sustained drives but could not unlock the Orange defense, struggling to gain more than 100 total yards for the half.
Olentangy made a major statement on their first drive of the second half, as the Pioneers leaned on Lucas Fickel, who capped off his impressive drive with his second touchdown, this time a four-yard rush, to push the lead to three scores.
Led by the impressive trio of senior linebackers Kobe Clapper, Aden Reeder and Brayden Reilly, the Bombers defense showed no quit, playing fast and physical, giving their offense every opportunity to claw their way back into the game.
Frey and the Bombers responded with a solid, 60+ yard drive combining a heavy dose of Jake Britt, both rushing and receiving. Frey made his biggest throw of the night, a fade route to Logan Von Holle, which set up St. X in the Olentangy redzone for the first time all night.
In a rare misstep by the Orange defense, they let Aiden Newdigate streak free on a seam route into the endzone for a touchdown. With the game now within two scores, it was up to the Bomber defense to get a stop.
Orange would not be denied, methodically rushing the ball behind Fickel and Davis, running out the last five-plus minutes of the game, and when the final whistle blew, it was the Pioneers who ended their season victorious, the program's first state title in its short 18 year history.
The box score from the game tells the whole story: St. X was outgained in yardage 403-192, which included 133 yards on the ground for Fickel, 177 through the air for Davis, and 123 receiving for Walker.
For the Bombers, Frey had 114 yards on 27 attempts through the air, including his fourth- quarter touchdown. Britt filled in nicely for the injured senior Daniel Vollmer, gaining 86 all- purpose yards and a touchdown on the evening.
While the game did not end the way the Bomber seniors wanted, Head Coach Steve Specht attributed the state final run to their leadership and play.
“They’re everything,” said Specht of his seniors. “These men are incredible people both on and off the field, and they’re going to do great at the next level. I am awfully proud (of his seniors).”
With the state championship win, Olentangy Orange became the first undefeated OHSAA DI State Champion since 2010.
SCORING BY QUARTERS
OO: 7-14-7-0-28
X: 0-7-0-7-14
SCORING PLAYS
OO: Levi Davis 2 rush (Tyler Gibson kick)
X: Jake Britt 39 rush (Owen Davidson kick)
OO: MC Walker 4 pass from Davis (Gibson kick)
OO: Lucas Fickel 15 pass from Davis (Gibson kick)
OO: Fickle 4 rush (Gibson kick)
X: Aiden Newdigate 12 pass from Jackson Frey (Davidson kick)
RECORDS: Olentangy Orange (15-0), St. Xavier (11-3)
