DeSales in state title game; three teams fall in semifinals

Four diocesan high school teams began this past weekend with state championship aspirations, and one remains in the running.

Columbus St. Francis DeSales (9-1) advanced to the Division III state final with a 23-13 victory over Kettering Alter (8-3) on Friday, Nov. 13 at London High School in a semifinal matchup between two Catholic schools with storied football histories. 

Senior running back Quintell Quinn rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries to help DeSales grind out the victory. The Ohio University commitment scored on runs of 6, 10 and 21 yards. The latter two came at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter to expand the Stallions’ lead to 23-7.

Quarterback Will Hobgood added 69 yards rushing on six carries, and Jason Velazquez II recovered a fumble to set up Quinn’s last touchdown. DeSales outgained Alter 284-250 in total yards.

The Stallions will appear in a state championship game for the ninth time in school history, facing Chardon (11-0) at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 in Division III at Fortress Obetz.

Newark Catholic’s football season ended in the Division VII semifinals with a 20-13 loss to Warren John F. Kennedy (10-2) on Nov. 13 at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The semifinal appearance was a state-record 26th for the Green Wave (7-4) but their first since 2006.

Trailing 20-6 late in the fourth quarter, Newark Catholic scored with 16 seconds remaining on a 9-yard pass from Cole Canter to Brandon Buchanan. The Green Wave recovered an ensuing onside kick to get the ball back. A 19-yard completion from Canter to Buchanan put the ball at Warren Kennedy’s 22-yard line, but a game-ending pass into the end zone was knocked away.

Canter finished with 181 passing yards, and Tanner Elwell had five receptions for 92 yards.
In volleyball, Columbus Bishop Watterson and Newark Catholic fell in the state semifinals.
Watterson was defeated 3-1 by top-ranked Parma Padua Franciscan in Division I at Vandalia-Butler High School on Nov. 13, finishing its season with a 17-7 record. The Eagles had advanced a week earlier by winning a volleyball regional title for the first time in school history.

In the semifinal loss, Watterson was led by Ava Hoying with 13 kills; Sydney Taylor and Olyvia Kennedy with 12 each; and Gina Grden with 10. Sophie Mangold contributed four blocks.

The Eagles dropped the first set 25-17 and came back to win the second 25-15 before losing the final two sets 25-21 and 25-23. In the fourth set, Watterson overcame a 19-15 deficit to tie the score at 20-20 and again at 22-22, but Padua Franciscan took two of the final three points to close out the match.

Newark Catholic (20-6) suffered a 3-1 loss to New Bremen in the Division IV semifinals on Nov. 14 at Vandalia-Butler High School. The Green Wave also lost in the semis a year ago. 

New Bremen took the first two sets 25-18, 25-16 from Newark Catholic, which sent the match to a fourth set with a 25-22 win in the third. But the Green Wave couldn’t sustain the momentum and was outscored 25-13 in the decisive set. 

Brynn Peddicord collected 12 kills and five aces for Newark Catholic. 

Another fall sports team from Watterson fell just short of moving forward to the state semifinals earlier this month, when the Eagles lost 1-0 to Olentangy High School in a Division I girls regional soccer final.

In the state cross country championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, Lancaster Fisher Catholic finished 10th in the Division III boys 5,000-meter race and Bishop Watterson was 17th in Division II boys competition.