STRASBURG, Ohio — Strasburg-Franklin turned a close playoff game into a rout in the final 14 seconds of the first half Friday night, Oct. 30, beating Frontier 56-21 at Ron Hurst Stadium in the first round of the OHSAA Division VII, Region 27 playoffs, according to The Times Reporter.
The sixth-seeded Tigers led the 11th-seeded Cougars 28-14 late in the second quarter when they struck twice in the final 14 seconds before halftime, The Times Reporter reported. The second of those scores was the play of the night: junior Brody Baughman intercepted a Frontier pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown — a pick-six that blew the game open and sent Strasburg to the locker room ahead 42-14, according to The Times Reporter.
The Tigers, who improved to 8-3 with the home victory, pulled away from Frontier behind a strong offensive showing, The Times Reporter reported. Frontier, from Cumberland, finished its season at 5-6.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know: Strasburg-Franklin won 56-21; the game turned on two Tigers touchdowns in the last 14 seconds of the second quarter, capped by Baughman’s 96-yard interception return; and the win was Strasburg’s eighth of the season against three losses, according to The Times Reporter. What we’re still waiting on: the full individual statistics for the Tigers’ offense, which had not been published with The Times Reporter’s first-round roundup. NewsForce247 is reporting only the scoring details The Times Reporter verified rather than filling in numbers that have not been released.
Strasburg’s win was part of a strong first-round night for Tuscarawas County programs, all reported by The Times Reporter. Fifth-seeded Dover beat Columbus South 41-7 in Division III, Region 11, and fifth-seeded Claymont came back to beat Beaver Local 30-12 in Division IV, Region 15, while Garaway shut out Elgin 42-0 in Division VI, Region 23. Strasburg’s Tuscarawas County neighbors’ results are covered in our Dover playoff report and our Garaway shutout report.
The bracket now sends two of those winners toward each other: Claymont will host West Muskingum in a Division IV, Region 15 quarterfinal on Friday, Nov. 6, according to The Times Reporter — the same West Muskingum team whose 35-14 win over Philo is covered in our West Muskingum playoff report. Dover, meanwhile, travels to Athens in Division III, and Garaway travels to Nelsonville-York in Division VI, The Times Reporter reported.
The county’s success was not limited to the four winners already named. Fifth-seeded Newcomerstown also advanced Friday, beating Centerburg 38-22 in Division VI, Region 23, according to The Times Reporter. And in the Division IV, Region 15 bracket that Claymont and West Muskingum now occupy, unbeaten Indian Valley (9-0) enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed after a first-round bye, The Times Reporter reported. Strasburg’s 56 points were the highest total posted by any Tuscarawas County team in the first round — a statement that the Tigers’ offense, and not only their defense, is peaking at the right time of the year.
For Strasburg, the road gets steeper immediately. The Tigers (8-3) hit the road for a Division VII, Region 27 quarterfinal against No. 3 seed Toronto, according to The Times Reporter. The Red Knights enter at 9-1, The Times Reporter reported.
Toronto arrives battle-tested. In their last contest, the Red Knights beat Cameron (W.Va.) 28-21 in a non-league game, according to The Times Reporter. That sets up a classic November contrast on Friday: a Toronto team that has won nine of ten, at home, against a Strasburg team that just hung 56 points on a playoff opponent and ended its opener with its defense scoring points of its own.
Baughman’s pick-six is the kind of play that travels well in November: a defense that can flip a game in one snap gives an underdog seed a puncher’s chance on the road. Strasburg will need its offense, which put up 56 points in the opener, and at least one more momentum swing like Friday’s closing seconds of the first half.
What happens next: Strasburg-Franklin plays at Toronto on Friday, Nov. 6, in the regional quarterfinals, according to The Times Reporter. The winner advances to the Region 27 semifinal the following Friday. NewsForce247 will follow the Tigers’ trip north and report the result on Nov. 6.
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY 3.0