CAREY, Ohio — Carey needed one extra possession to survive the best defensive team it had seen all month. The seventh-seeded Blue Devils beat No. 11 seed Delta 24-18 in overtime on Friday night, November 13, in an OHSAA Division VI, Region 22 semifinal at Carey, according to the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide scoreboard, which recorded the overtime finish. The Columbus Dispatch’s statewide scoreboard and High School On SI’s statewide scoreboard both confirmed the 24-18 final.
The matchup paired two of the region’s hottest teams. Carey entered 8-4 and Delta entered 9-3, according to the OHSAA pairings published by the Zanesville Times Recorder. Delta had posted two shutouts in its first two playoff games, beating Seneca East 35-0 and Woodmore 28-0, according to the Swankonsports newsline’s Carey coverage.
Carey arrived with its own statement win. The Blue Devils destroyed previously unbeaten Lima Central Catholic 35-13 in the regional quarterfinal, the Swankonsports newsline reported — a road win over an unbeaten team that announced Carey as a lower seed playing well above its line.
Friday’s semifinal was the tight game the pairings promised. Delta’s defense, which had not allowed a point in the playoffs, finally gave up scores, and Carey’s offense, fresh off hanging 35 on an unbeaten, could not run away either. Eighteen points apiece sent the game to overtime, where Carey finally produced the one more score — and the one more stop — that November requires.
Delta’s season ends at 9-4. The Panthers’ two playoff shutouts made them the bracket’s form team on defense, and they held a third straight opponent under three touchdowns in regulation before overtime settled it.
The other Region 22 semifinal was anything but tight: Liberty Center routed Columbus Grove 51-6 on Friday, according to the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide scoreboard. That sets up a regional final between the region’s most explosive remaining offense and the team that just outlasted its best defense.
What happens next: Carey (9-4) faces Liberty Center in the Division VI, Region 22 final on Friday, November 20, at a site the OHSAA announces on Sunday, November 15. The winner advances to the state semifinals on November 27.
Photo: Mbrickn, CC BY-SA