HOLLAND, Ohio — Two months after losing to Perrysburg by 31 points, Springfield won the rematch that mattered. The second-seeded Blue Devils beat third-seeded Perrysburg 21-14 on Friday night, November 13, at Springfield in an OHSAA Division I, Region 2 semifinal, according to the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide scoreboard. The Columbus Dispatch’s statewide scoreboard and High School On SI’s statewide scoreboard both confirmed the 21-14 final.
The pairing, set by the OHSAA, matched Springfield (9-2 entering) against Perrysburg (10-1 entering) with a regional final berth on the line. The two Northern Lakes League programs know each other well: Perrysburg won the regular-season meeting 44-13 on September 11, according to MaxPreps’ Perrysburg schedule.
Perrysburg arrived in form. The Yellow Jackets routed Westland 42-6 in the regional quarterfinal, according to the NLL Sports bracket, and their only regular-season loss came against Whitmer, 28-14 on October 23, according to MaxPreps’ Perrysburg schedule. Springfield, meanwhile, had taken the region’s No. 2 seed and a home semifinal — and used both.
Friday’s 21-14 result flipped the September script by two touchdowns in Springfield’s favor. A Perrysburg team that had scored 42 points in its quarterfinal was held to 14, and Springfield — beaten 44-13 by this same opponent in the season’s second month — closed out the win on its own field to reach the regional final.
Perrysburg’s season ends at 10-2, with both of its losses coming in the season’s biggest games: the Whitmer defeat that decided the top of the league race, and Friday’s semifinal. Springfield improves to 10-2 and has now won the program’s biggest rematch of the year, avenging a 31-point loss with the season on the line.
The other Region 2 semifinal was a rout: Wayne beat Hilliard Darby 56-14 on Friday, according to the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide scoreboard. Wayne’s 56-point night makes the regional final a meeting between the region’s hottest offense and the defense that just held a 10-1 team to two touchdowns.
What happens next: Springfield (10-2) faces Wayne in the Division I, Region 2 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: MrJacon000, CC BY-SA