tough loss for the Bobcats...
LUCASVILLE VALLEY 21 | GRANDVIEW 14
Grandview can’t stop ground game in loss
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Shawn Mitchell
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
LUCASVILLE, Ohio — Between the bands, the fans and the big-game atmosphere of last night’s regional quarterfinal between Grandview and Lucasville Valley, there was plenty of pageantry to go around in the Division V game.
Boiled down, though, it was a simple children’s game that decided the outcome.
Valley played a better game of keepaway, leading to a 21-14 win and a regional semifinal date with Ready.
The Indians hogged the ball. They kept a balanced — and potent — Bobcats offense off the field for most of the game. They ate up the clock at a voracious rate. They ran and ran and ran some more, gaining 314 yards on 68 carries.
"You’ve got to give credit to them for being able to execute," Grandview quarterback Alex Rouch said. "When you continue to make big plays and are able to sustain long drives, you get what you deserve. That’s a great football team, the best we’ve played this season."
Valley running back Travis Jones led the way with 200 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. David Myers had 52 yards on 11 carries, and Ryan Turner churned out 39 yards and scored two touchdowns. Despite their hefty workload, neither appeared to tire. The Grandview defense did.
"Our kids just physically wore them out," Valley coach Darren Crabtree said. "We’ve had a three- and four-back attack all year. Tonight, they seemed to have the extra step or two. Nothing real long — we knew their speed could run us down — but we wanted to pound it."
That was in marked contrast to the approach of the Bobcats, who reached the playoffs for the first time since 1987 in part because of an exceptional passing game. But it fizzled against some superb man-to-man coverage by Valley (10-1).
Rouch finished 8 of 24 for 91 yards and an interception that came on a game-ending heave. Ben Graves, who entered the game averaging 6.8 catches, was held to three for 28 yards.
But pass-happy Grandview (9-2) did not immediately take to the air. The Bobcats turned the tables on the Indians with a 67-yard opening drive in which they ran the ball on eight of nine plays. A 3-yard run by Josh Rowe and extra point by Ben Bartholomew gave Grandview a 7-0 lead with 7:57 to go in the first quarter.
"They came to our house and broke down the door on that drive," Crabtree said. "But we were able to do what we wanted after that: keep that offense off the field."
Touchdown runs by Jones and Turner put Valley ahead 14-7 at halftime, and it owned the second half.
The Indians dominated the third quarter with an opening drive of 8:33 before being stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1. But Grandview went three-and-out, and Valley went up 21-7 with 10:39 to go on Turner’s second touchdown.
smitchell@dispatch.com