MARYSVILLE — These Lakers have gone to 11.
Indian Lake extended its playoff run for at least one more round, claiming the Region 20 championship with a 35-21 win over North Union at Impact Stadium on Friday night.
The Lakers will be making their first-ever trip to the Division V state semifinals and take on Liberty Center, the Region 18 champion, at a site to be announced.
Indian Lake improves to 11-2 on the year, while North Union ends the season at 9-5.
The game was played in a driving rain, with both teams relying heavily on their run games for the most part.
Indian Lake ran 41 times for 346 yards, with four touchdowns by Noah Shirk and one by Brady Golliday.
Shirk had 19 carries for 187 yards, with scores coming on runs of 20, 8, and two from 3 yards. Golliday kept it 16 times, for 47 yards. His longest run was a 17-yard score.
Golliday did throw a few times, completing 7 of 12 passes for 38 yards. Three went to Brodey Reisinger for 22, and three to Colin Bendler for 11.
North Union ran 45 times, gaining 235 yards and scored twice on the ground. Nick VanHoose had 15 runs for 33 yards and Griffin Osborne went 12 times for 46 yards. The scores came on runs of four yards by Osborne and 30 by Dainon Lindsey (his only rush of the game).
Lindsey also had a 30-yard catch from Nickolas Hajjar for six points. Hajjar was 8 of 10 for 88 yards on the night. Lindsey had four catches for 62 and VanHoose pulled in three for a total of 20.
Defensively, Keaton Yohey had a sack and Colin Bendler had a game-sealing interception.
The first half was a slugfest, with each team managing to put seven points on the board in the second quarter.
In the second half, the Lakers scored twice in each quarter, while holding the Wildcats to one score per period.
Coach Jonn Rapp of Indian Lake said, “My hats off to the coaches and players. The conditions like this are exactly like a year ago, and we were able to learn the lessons, apply the lessons and put the work in to get back here.”
He noted that the team was able to adjust well after halftime. “One of my favorite things about this team is our ability to have an elite game plan, but then be able to adjust on the play, and I’m so proud of them for being able to do that.”
Indian Lake got the ball first, but had to punt after making one first down. North Union started at its own 18. VanHoose ran it several times, including a big 17-yard burst as the Wildcats marched out to midfield. A couple runs by Osborne, then a pair by VanHoose got it to the Lakers’ 34. Wyatt Arver then ripped off a big gain down to the 11.
VanHoose took four handoffs, but was stuffed on fourth and short at the 5.
Indian Lake had a three-and-out. North Union caught the punt on the fly near midfield and managed to return it all the way to the Lakers’ 15.
VanHoose ran it five yards, then Osborne four, then Van Hoose two. After switching ends to start the second quarter, Osborne punched it across and Greyson Bledsoe added the PAT for the 7-0 lead.
Indian Lake started at the 28 after the kickoff. A couple runs by Shirk moved the chains 10 yards. Golliday threw to Reisinger for seven, but the drive stalled after that and a punt by Pequignot gave North Union the ball at their 24.
North Union got out to around midfield on eight plays, then had to punt after Osborne was tackled for a loss on third down.
Golliday ran for a short gain, then handed off to Shirk for 10 more. They then went to Gavin Henry, who gained 12 yards to the 45. Golliday threw to Bendler for another five, and then took it himself for seven and a first down.
He completed a pass to Reisinger. The ball came loose as he was being pulled down, but the Lakers recovered at the 34. Golliday then converted on third down with a run, and threw to Reisinger for 10 yards.
Two plays later, he scrambled to the left and got the Lakers on the board with 1:14 to go in the half. Pequignot added the PAT to knot it up.
North Union ran the final minute out with a few handoffs, and the teams headed off to try and dry out and come up with adjustments for the second half.
In the third quarter, North Union got the ball first but was held to a three-and-out by the Lakers defense.
The Lakers went to Henry, who broke off a huge run from the Lakers’ 35 all the way to the Wildcats’ 30.
After a couple runs by Shirk, Golliday got a first down with a 6-yard pass to Bendler. Shirk then covered the remaining territory of 20 yards to give Indian Lake its first lead with eight minutes to go in the frame.
North Union did not take long to respond. After a couple runs to start the drive, Hajjar had a run almost exactly as long as Henry’s. The defense stopped the run a couple of times. Hajjar then heaved one over the middle and Lindsey somehow came down with it. The PAT got it all even at 14 with 4:31 to go.
Starting after the kickoff from the 35, Shirk had runs on four plays, as they advanced to and then past the midfield stripe. Dawson Stevenson gave Shirk a break, busting loose for a 25-yard gain down to the 9. Two plays after that, Shirk went to the end zone to make it 21-14 with 30 seconds left.
The Lakers held North Union to another punt after the sack by Yohey. Starting at their 41, Shirk went through the middle. He then spun his way free from a North Union tackler grabbing his leg and did not stop until getting into the red zone at the 18.
Stevenson had a couple of solid runs, and Shirk polished it off with a 3-yard burst to make it a two-score advantage, 28-14, with 8 1/2 minutes to go.
The Wildcats kept things tense, however. Hajjar and his squad went to the air, completing passes on five of the drive’s seven plays, going 80 yards in under three minutes.
The last two completions were both for 30 yards to Lindsey, one on fourth down and the other for six points.
Indian Lake returned the ensuing kick to the 19. After Reisinger had his only rush, which advanced it 26 yards, Shirk took over with runs of 15, 11, and 18, then a 3-yard plunge with 2:29 showing.
The Wildcats still had two timeouts. But their fate was sealed as Hajjar’s pass on the third play was picked off by Bendler. Indian Lake then kneeled it out to officially claim the regional title.
The site for next week’s games will be announced by the OHSAA on Sunday. One semifinal will be the Lakers and Liberty Center, with the other matching Wheelersburg and Cardinal Mooney of Youngstown.
The state championship is set for Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hall of Fame stadium in Canton.
