Hopewell-Loudon stayed perfect Friday night, Nov. 13, shutting out McComb 33-0 at Bascom in an Ohio High School Athletic Association Division VII, Region 26 semifinal. The final score is listed in the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide regional-semifinal list, The Columbus Dispatch’s third-round scoreboard, High School On SI’s statewide finals and the Reflector’s Friday scores.
The Chieftains, the region’s No. 2 seed, entered the night 11-0, according to the OHSAA’s regional-semifinal pairings, and the shutout was their second straight in the playoffs. The Fostoria Free Press reported that Hopewell-Loudon blanked Gibsonburg 22-0 in the Nov. 6 regional quarterfinal after receiving a first-round bye as one of the region’s top four seeds.
McComb, the No. 3 seed, finishes its season 10-2. The Panthers entered 10-1 after a 28-24 quarterfinal win over Edon, a result listed in High School On SI’s Nov. 6 final scores and reported by the Fostoria Free Press, but they never got on the board against a Chieftains defense that has now posted back-to-back postseason shutouts.
Hopewell-Loudon is coached by Brian Colatruglio, according to Ohio Sports Rankings’ team snapshot, and the Chieftains’ 12-0 record keeps them among the shrinking group of unbeaten teams left in the Division VII bracket after Friday’s semifinals, the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide list shows.
The sources used for this story published no individual scoring plays or player statistics for the semifinal itself, so none are reported here. The scoreboards agree on the outcome and the margin: a five-score shutout that was never in doubt in the record published by four separate statewide lists.
McComb’s season ends in the regional semifinal for the Panthers, who won 10 games and reached the third round of the postseason. Hopewell-Loudon, meanwhile, is one win from a state semifinal berth.
The Chieftains advance to the Division VII, Region 26 final on Friday, Nov. 20, against Leipsic, the region’s No. 1 seed, which beat Sycamore Mohawk 26-14 in the other Region 26 semifinal on Friday, according to the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide list. The OHSAA will announce the neutral site for the final on Sunday, Nov. 15.
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