No. 4 seed Huber Heights Wayne survived a one-point classic on Friday night, Nov. 6, beating No. 12 seed Beavercreek 35-34 in a Division I, Region 2 quarterfinal at Heidkamp Stadium, according to the statewide scoreboards published by The Columbus Dispatch, the Mansfield News Journal and the Zanesville Times Recorder. MaxPreps’ schedule record for Beavercreek also lists the 35-34 final.
It was the second straight one-score meeting between the Greater Western Ohio Conference rivals this season. Wayne won the regular-season matchup 21-17 at Heidkamp Stadium on Oct. 16, a game the Dayton Daily News noted when the rematch was selected as a featured Spectrum News 1 and OHSAA.tv broadcast for the quarterfinal round.
Beavercreek (5-7) nearly authored its second straight road upset. The Beavers finished the regular season 4-6, then stunned No. 5 seed Hilliard Bradley 24-21 in the first round, according to reporting by Sports Illustrated and The Columbus Dispatch, before pushing the region’s No. 4 seed to a single point on its home field.
Wayne (7-4) entered the playoffs on a first-round bye as one of the region’s top four seeds and was playing its first postseason game since the regular season ended. The Warriors have now beaten Beavercreek twice this season by a combined five points — 21-17 in October and 35-34 when the season was on the line.
For Beavercreek, the loss ends a postseason run that outlasted its regular-season record by two weekends and came within one point of the regional semifinals. The Beavers’ seniors close their season having won a road playoff game at Hilliard Bradley and taken a conference rival to the final margin in Huber Heights.
Wayne’s win completed a Region 2 quarterfinal round full of Miami Valley storylines. Springfield, the region’s No. 2 seed, shut out Kettering Fairmont 38-0 on Friday, according to the same scoreboards, and Perrysburg beat Galloway Westland 42-6 — results that leave Wayne and Springfield as the region’s two highest remaining seeds, on opposite sides of the semifinal bracket.
Wayne advances to host a Division I, Region 2 semifinal on Friday, Nov. 13, against Hilliard Darby, which upset top-seeded Whitmer 24-21 in Toledo on Friday night. The semifinal winner advances to the regional final, one step from the state semifinals and the December championship weekend in Canton.
Photo: Logan Rickert, CC BY 2.0