HANOVER, Ohio — Licking Valley’s unbeaten season came down to one final snap Friday night, and senior defensive lineman Peyton George made sure it ended the right way. George’s fifth sack of the game — his third of the fourth quarter — dropped Granville quarterback Jackson McMillan at the Valley 28-yard line as time expired, preserving a 22-15 win in a Division III, Region 11 quarterfinal at Randy Baughman Stadium, according to the Newark Advocate.
The victory sends second-seeded Licking Valley (11-0) into a regional semifinal at home at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, against third-seeded Columbus East (10-1), which beat Sheridan 42-28 on Friday. Seventh-seeded Granville finished 8-4. The final score was also reported by the Columbus Dispatch, the Mansfield News Journal and the Zanesville Times Recorder.
Friday’s rematch carried all the weight of the first meeting. On Oct. 16, at the same stadium, Valley beat Granville 42-28 to clinch the Licking County League-Buckeye Division championship, a game in which the Blue Aces rallied from 35-14 down to 35-28 before a long interception return for a touchdown by Levi Lewis sealed it, the Newark Advocate reported. That win capped a second consecutive 10-0 regular season and a third straight league title for Valley.
Valley jumped ahead early again. Dylan Keeley scored on an 8-yard run midway through the first quarter, capping a nine-play, 62-yard drive, and Lewis’ kick made it 7-0, according to the Newark Advocate. Early in the second quarter, Keeley scored again on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal after quarterback Brody Rodgers connected with Carter Nethers for 30 yards to the Granville 15, pushing the lead to 14-0.
Granville, held without a first down early, finally broke through late in the half. After the Blue Aces’ defense recovered a fumble at its own 28, Luke Bosse turned a sideline route into a 31-yard gain and McMillan hit sophomore Carter Rhyan in stride on a 38-yard touchdown pass, cutting the margin to 14-7 at halftime, the Newark Advocate reported.
The game’s decisive play came less than two minutes into the third quarter. George shot through the line and punched the ball loose from a Granville running back, and Keeley scooped it up at midfield and ran 50 yards for a touchdown — then ran in the two-point conversion to make it 22-7, according to the Newark Advocate. “I started toward the quarterback and I don’t know who fumbled, but the ball was right there,” Keeley told the Newark Advocate. “I planted my foot, took off and got into the end zone. It was all just a blur.”
From there, Granville’s defense nearly dragged the Blue Aces all the way back. Granville held Valley to two first downs and 56 total yards in the second half, the Newark Advocate reported. McMillan completed 18 of 23 passes after halftime and finished 20 of 28 for 211 yards. His 7-yard touchdown pass to Bosse on a fade route with 10:35 left, followed by Rhyan’s two-point conversion catch, finished an 88-yard, 12-play drive and cut Valley’s lead to 22-15.
Rhyan finished with 10 catches for 114 yards and Bosse added eight catches for 81 yards for Granville, according to the Newark Advocate. “We came back in the second half, just like we did in the first game, and it was just great effort, great attitude,” Granville coach Heath Hinton told the Newark Advocate. “A credit to our seniors on both sides of the ball. They played their tails off.”
Valley still had to survive one last possession. After Lewis intercepted a tipped pass — Valley’s third interception of the night — Granville’s defense held on fourth-and-7 at the Valley 28 with under two minutes left, the Newark Advocate reported. McMillan drove the Blue Aces to the Valley 23 in the final seconds before George, who finished with 15 sacks this season, ended it. “I bull-rushed into him and was able to push off his shoulder, get past him and right into McMillan,” George told the Newark Advocate. “Our defense played great. Granville is a great team with a great offense, and we learned from last time, especially on the deep balls.”
Valley’s offense was held in check for much of the night — Keeley ran for 48 yards on 16 carries and Rodgers carried 16 times for 49 yards while completing 12 of 19 passes for 125 yards, according to the Newark Advocate — but its defense produced four turnovers to protect the lead. “All season, we’ve been very opportunistic,” Valley coach Randy Baughman told the Newark Advocate. “We try to make plays. It’s high risk, high reward, and it’s fun for the kids to play.”
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on: Licking Valley is the last Licking County team still playing. Heath’s season ended Friday in a 24-17 loss to New Lexington and Johnstown fell 35-19 to Claymont, according to the Newark Advocate. What remains unsettled is how far Valley’s defense-first formula can carry it: the Panthers managed just two offensive touchdowns Friday, both in the first half.
What happens next is a step up in competition. Columbus East (10-1) comes to Randy Baughman Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, after its 42-28 quarterfinal win over Sheridan. The winner advances to the Region 11 final on Nov. 20, one win from a state semifinal berth, and Valley will again lean on George, Keeley and a defense that keeps producing the game’s biggest play exactly when it is needed most.