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ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS

ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS
Calendar
Captains
Milt Wentzel
10
Winner St. Xavier STX 8-2
7
Lakota West LWEST 9-1
Winner
St. Xavier STX
8-2
10
Final
7
Lakota West LWEST
9-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
STX St. Xavier 0 3 0 7 10
LWEST Lakota West 0 0 7 0 7

Game Recap: Football |

St. Xavier Outduels Lakota West, 10-7

Late-Game Heroics Lead St. Xavier to State Semifinal Berth

WEST CHESTER, Ohio – Brogan McCaughey connected with Liam Clifford in the corner of the end zone with 27 seconds to play to give St. Xavier a 10-7 win over Lakota West in the OHSAA Division I, Region IV final.  The win over Lakota West (9-1) allows St. Xavier to claim its first regional crown since it won its last football state title in 2016.

"Lakota West is so athletic," head coach Steve Specht said.  "They're really good. Their secondary has a lot of speed. We couldn't sustain anything."

Earlier in the fourth quarter, the Bombers had a pair of drives deep into the Firebirds territory thwarted.

McCaughey tossed an interception in the end zone on the first of three drives inside the Firebirds' 20 yard line.  On the night, he completed 15-of-38 passes for 151 yards. 

Charles Kellom enjoyed a game-high 114 yards rushing on 22 carries.  Luke Vrsansky finished with 66 rushing yards on 13 carries.

The Firebirds' (9-1) scored on a 14-yard touchdown run with 6:44 left in the third quarter to claim a 7-3 lead.

St. Xavier (8-2) averaged 50 points per game over its three previous playoff games.  After taking over on its own 23 with 2:41 to play, the Bombers converted a pair of fourth downs on their way to scoring the go-ahead touchdown.

The Bombers came back to win after trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time this season since the 38-24 win at Elder.  On Sept. 11, they trailed 24-17 before scoring three times in the final 8:51 for the two touchdown win.

"Going into the game, everybody was talking about our offense versus their defense," Specht said after raising the regional championship hardware. "We always tell the kids there are three facets to the game – offense, defense and special teams. Lakota West's defense is special. We made one more play. Our defense played lights out. Our special teams played lights out. This was a classic battle."

The two teams combined for seven punts in the first 12 minutes.  The pass-oriented St. Xavier offense adjusted to the running game. With 4:17 to play before the intermission, Mason Rohmiller's 32-yard field goal gave St. Xavier the lead, at 3-0.  The field goal was Rohmiller's ninth of the season and sixth consecutive good try.

The Bombers gained 70 yards rushing and just four passing in the second stanza, while their defense limited the Firebirds to 18 yards of total offense in the second quarter.  In a defensive battle, the Bombers held the host Firebirds to 0-for-7 passing in the first half.

Matthew Devine led the Bombers defense with 11 tackles, including two for loss.  Grant Lyons collected eight tackles and forced a fumble.  For the night, the defense forced four Firebirds fumbles and notched 11 tackles for loss.

On a night in which Clifford became St. Xavier's all-time leading receiver, the game-winning touchdown reception was his fifth catch of the game.  Terrel McFarlin also collected five catches for 42 yards. 

St. Xavier advances to face Springfield (9-1) in the OHSAA state semifinal round.  The neutral site matchup is set to take place at Alexander Stadium in Piqua.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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