TIPP CITY, Ohio — The most prolific offense in Division III, Region 12 met the defense that had just pitched a playoff shutout, and one point separated them. Second-seeded Tippecanoe held off third-seeded Archbishop McNicholas 28-27 on Friday night, November 13, in an OHSAA Division III, Region 12 semifinal at Tipp City, according to the scoreboards published by the Cincinnati Enquirer, The Columbus Dispatch, the Mansfield News Journal and High School On SI — all four lists agreed on the 28-27 final.
The semifinal paired the region’s two most convincing quarterfinal winners. Tippecanoe routed Goshen 49-7 in its quarterfinal, with senior quarterback Larkin Thomas running for a touchdown and throwing two more, Press Pros Magazine reported. McNicholas arrived off a 10-0 shutout of Archbishop Alter, a defensive performance CSWaff Media’s semifinal preview highlighted as the contrast to Tippecanoe’s 49-point outburst.
Tippecanoe entered Friday at 10-1 and riding a nine-game winning streak, Press Pros Magazine reported. The Red Devils’ only loss all season came on this same field in Week 1, a 27-14 defeat against Bellbrook — a detail that gives next week’s regional final its charge, because Bellbrook is the team waiting there.
McNicholas, the No. 3 seed from Cincinnati, had built its run the opposite way: defense first, including the Alter shutout, and Friday the Rockets took the region’s No. 2 seed to the final point. A 28-27 final is the narrowest margin in Region 12’s tournament so far, and it ended a McNicholas season that carried a shutout win in the quarterfinal round.
Tippecanoe’s season, by contrast, has been a study in scoring depth. The Red Devils put 49 points on Goshen after a first-round bye, beat previously unbeaten Butler 42-0 in September behind four rushing touchdowns from Thomas, Press Pros Magazine reported, and have now won ten straight games since the Week 1 loss — every one of them building toward a second meeting with the only team that has beaten them.
In Friday’s other Region 12 semifinal, Bellbrook beat Miami Trace 24-21, according to the Mansfield News Journal’s statewide scoreboard. That result guarantees the regional final is the rematch Tippecanoe has wanted since August: the Red Devils’ season began with a loss to Bellbrook at home, and their season now continues with Bellbrook again, this time with a regional championship as the prize.
What happens next: Tippecanoe (11-1) faces Bellbrook in the Division III, Region 12 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: formulanone, CC BY-SA