All three phases were clicking — and it added up to a win.
Indian Lake recorded a 31-14 victory over Mariemont on Friday in the Region 20 football semifinals in its last performance in front of the home fans.
The Lakers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, scoring on the opening drive, then cashing in after recovering a fumble.
The Warriors battled back and made it 21-14 by halftime. In the third and fourth, Indian Lake got a defensive touchdown and a field goal, while keeping the Warriors off the board entirely.
Indian Lake is now 10-2, and advances to the regional final next week to face #8 North Union. The Wildcats edged Carlisle 36-33 in the other semifinal.
Indian Lake and North Union met on Sept. 26 with the Lakers winning 17-14.
Against Mariemont, junior QB Brady Golliday completed 13 of 20 passes, covering 149 yards, with one a 40-yard touchdown to Colin Bendler.
He also did his share with his feet, running 19 times for 109 yards, with a 15-yard touchdown as a part of that.
Noah Shirk ran 17 times for 72 yards and caught six passes for 52 yards.
Brodey Reisinger had four catches for 46 yards, and Bendler had three grabs for 51.
The Lakers had two sacks, with Gavin Henry forcing a fumble and returning it 46 yards for a score, and also making an interception. Avery Pequignot hit a 21-yard field goal, and made four PATs.
For Mariemont, which ends the season at 8-5, Zach Maier threw for 181 yards, going 11 of 20, with one touchdown. He was injured in the third quarter and replaced by Carson Quiambao, who was 4 of 12 for 68 yards.
Mariemont had just 22 yards rushing on 15 carries. Jack Simpson had eight receptions for 112 yards, and Evan List pulled in five balls for 115 yards, with one score.
Coach Jonn Rapp of Indian Lake said, “The coaches had a great game plan. The kids came out with a lot of energy, and it showed because we were able to come out and jump on them early, and then things kind of settled down for both teams there in the middle. And I was really proud how then we got back on the gas pedal later in the game.”
He added, “I was most impressed with how the players and coaches all adjust in game and I think that’s helped us a lot throughout the year, and it’s allowed us to kind of stay in control and keep doing what we want to do, instead of them forcing us what they want to do.”
The Lakers received the opening kickoff and went to the air to begin the drive. Golliday connected with Reisinger for a 15 yard gain and first down at the 37. They alternated runs and passes as they moved into Warriors territory, including converting on fourth down with a pass to Reisinger.
Another 11-yard throw to the big junior got them to the Warriors 42, and two plays later, Golliday went back and heaved it 40 yards to the edge of the end zone. Bendler outmaneuvered the defender and came down with it for six points with 7:43 to play in the period.
Mariemont started at its 20. They moved the chains with a throw to List, but three plays later, a mistimed pitch on an option play allowed the Lakers to pounce on the ball at the 36.
After a loss and incompletion, Shirk had a seven-yard gain. That brought up another fourth down. Golliday hit Shirk on a swing pass to the right, and he picked up 12 yards to keep things going.
Golliday had a couple of good runs, and Shirk capped off the drive with a 2-yard burst at 1:21 of the first period. The PAT put them up 14-0.
Mariemont had a couple of short gains before switching directions for the second quarter. Simpson had a 10-yard reception for a first down at the 30. Maier then had a short run, with the Lakers flagged for a late hit after he slid to the turf.
Maier threw short to Simpson to convert on third down, then saw him break another over the middle down to the Lakers’ 3-yard line. Owen Dunning went across the goal line to cut the lead in half with nine minutes left in the period.
The Lakers set up at the 20 following the kickoff. They went to the textbook definition of grinding out yardage, alternating between Golliday and Shirk, plus one run by Reisinger.
Golliday had runs of 12 and 19 yards early in the march. After getting into the red zone at the Warriors’ 14, he dropped back. Seeing no good options, he took off up the middle and juked his way for a 15 yard touchdown with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the half. Pequignot’s kick made it 21-7.
However, the Warriors weren’t willing to simply go quietly into the break. Maier threw to Simpson for 12 yards, then got a big 31 yard gain to List, moving to the Lakers’ 27.
After an incompletion, he heaved another long ball to the end zone, and List pulled it and somehow stayed in bounds with 1:20 left.
Indian Lake’s final possession of the half relied more on the passing attack. Four completions, two each to Shirk and Reisinger, advanced them to the Mariemont 36 with just under a minute to go. But the drive would stall there and they turned it over on downs with 24 seconds left.
Mariemont got back across midfield, but the final throw was incomplete and it remained 21-14 at the break.
The Warriors received the third quarter kickoff, but three of the four passes were incomplete. They then put the ball on the ground again. This time, Henry scooped it up and raced untouched 46 yards to restore the two-score margin with just 60 seconds gone off the clock.
Each team then had its first punt of the night, with the Warriors using six plays and the Lakers five.
Mariemont, now with Quiambao under center, was again unable to get much progress. This drive ended with a fake punt attempt being sniffed out by the Lakers’ defense.
That gave Indian Lake the ball at their 43 yard line. They stuck mainly to the ground, using Shirk as well as Aaron Rapp, who had a total of eight carries for 16 yards on the night. Pequignot would cap it off as he easily hit a 21-yard field goal with 10:29 to play.
The defense got sacks on consecutive plays, then stopped the Warriors just short on fourth and 25.
After the Lakers punted, the final Warriors drive ended with an interception by Henry. Indian Lake killed off the remaining time.
Next week’s game will be at a site to be announced by the OHSAA on Monday, with the winner moving on to the state semifinal.
“We get to play for a regional title. We get to breathe some week 14 air,” said Rapp. “When it gets like this, you start thinking about how I don’t want to stop hanging out with the coaches and players. So we get to do it for at least seven more days, and I’ll never take it for granted.”
