ELMORE, Ohio — No. 11-seeded Delta spoiled the first home playoff game in Woodmore history Friday night, shutting out the unbeaten Wildcats 28-0 in a Division VI, Region 22 regional quarterfinal. The final was confirmed on the statewide scoreboards published by The Columbus Dispatch, the Mansfield News Journal, High School On SI and the Zanesville Times Recorder, and the Fremont News-Messenger reported the game in detail.
Woodmore came in 10-0 as the No. 3 seed with a first-round bye, but the Fremont News-Messenger reported that the Wildcats managed only eight possessions all night, including one that began with 16 seconds left in the first half. Delta controlled the ball and the clock, capping two long first-half drives from the 1-yard line to build its lead, according to the Fremont News-Messenger.
The Panthers broke the game open after halftime. The Fremont News-Messenger reported that Delta scored twice within a one-minute span in the second half, including a defensive touchdown on an interception, and that the Panthers did not commit a turnover in the game. A Woodmore team that had averaged 40 points per game was held scoreless for the first time all season.
“We ran six plays in the first half. That hurt,” Woodmore coach Scott Stecher told the Fremont News-Messenger. “We didn’t cash in.” Stecher also credited the Panthers to the Fremont News-Messenger, saying, “They executed well. They’re super efficient.”
The loss ends a landmark season in Elmore. The Fremont News-Messenger reported that Woodmore’s 10-win regular season was only the second in program history and that the Wildcats won the Sandusky Bay Conference championship, the program’s first league title since 1997. Friday was the school’s first time hosting a postseason game, and a Delta team that had already won on the road at Seneca East in the first round made sure the celebration ended early.
Delta, now 9-3, came in as the No. 11 seed in the region, according to the OHSAA’s regional quarterfinal pairings, and has now won back-to-back road playoff games. Woodmore finishes 10-1.
Next up for Delta is the Region 22 semifinal on Friday, November 13. Under the OHSAA’s bracket format, the Panthers are paired with No. 7 Carey, which beat No. 2 Lima Central Catholic 35-13 on Friday in a result carried on The Columbus Dispatch and Mansfield News Journal scoreboards, with Carey holding the higher seed and the home field.
Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons