“It’s just kind of disappointing that somebody had to lose it,” said Coldwater coach Chip Otten.
Anna sophomore Logan Ziegenbusch threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Tyson Vaubel to cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter, but his pass on the two-point play was intercepted by Coldwater senior Nolan Mescher. The Rockets couldn’t get any closer.
The Cavaliers advanced to the state final four for the 19th time in program history. They advanced to the final four for the fourth time in six years.
The Rockets, which beat Coldwater 14-7 on Sept. 12, finished their season 10-4.
Anna’s last state tournament appearance was in 2019 when it won the program’s first state championship. Anna also fell to the Cavaliers 45-21 in last year’s regional final.
“You’re looking at two of the best schools in the state going at it, and that’s why it’s a two-point football game and we came up on the wrong end of it,” said Anna coach Nick Marino. “The kids did everything right. The ball bounces this way or that way, you know, it’s life. But our kids really fought really hard and I’m proud of those kids.”
The Cavaliers were driving midway through the first quarter when Homan’s pass was intercepted at the 1-yard line by Vaubel. On the next play, however, Rockets junior Trenton Roberts was tackled in the end zone by Coldwater sophomore Nolan Gruss to give the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Cavs senior kicker Bryce Couchot hit a 37-yard field goal to give Coldwater a 5-0 lead.
After an interception by Coldwater junior Derek Dues, the Cavs added another 42-yard field goal from Couchot to make it 8-0.
On the next possession, Ziegenbusch broke loose for a 47-yard TD run to make it 8-6. The Rockets were unable to tie the score as sophomore’s pass fell short on the 2-point play.
The Cavaliers drove to Anna’s 1-yard line with 10 seconds remaining in the first half, but senior Caleb Schroer caught a pass from Homan and was stopped short of the goal-line as time expired.
“Our defense played as hard as you can ask them to,” Marino said. “We were in bad situations all night, gave up one real big play on the whole night, and it was the difference in the game. I guess it ended up being the difference, but that’s how football is. One play is always the difference in the game in a two-point football game.”
On the second play of the third quarter, Homan hit Obringer to give the Cavs an 8-point cushion.
The Rockets wouldn’t watch their season end without a fight as Ziegenbusch found Vaubel to cut the lead to two points midway through the fourth quarter, but Mescher’s key play turned out to be the difference for the Cavaliers.
“I guess as we look back at it there were a lot of little things that we always talk about making big plays,” Otten said, “and you think ‘a 2-point play was a big play in the game?’ and heck yeah it was.”
Coldwater (10-4) advanced to play Bascom Hopewell-Louden (12-1) in a Division VI state semifinal at a site to be determined. The Chieftains beat Carey 35-0 to advance to the state semifinal.
The winner will play either Kirtland (12-0) or Colonel Crawford (13-1) in the D-VI state title game at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. The Cavaliers beat Kirtland 31-7 to win the state championship last season.
“We’ve never played (Hopewell-Louden), so that’s fun,” Otten said. “It’s fun to play somebody new.”
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