No stopping Coffman QB
Rafferty runs, passes for five TDs; Dublin showdown next
By Steve Blackledge
The Columbus Dispatch
As usual, Jack Rafferty did it with his right arm and legs last night as Dublin Coffman overwhelmed Hilliard Davidson 40-21 in a Division I regional semifinal at Upper Arlington’s Marv Moorehead Stadium.
Rafferty passed for 148 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 224 yards and two scores, propelling Coffman (10-2) into a regional final meeting against crosstown rival Scioto (11-1) at site to be determined. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the Dublin schools.
Last night’s track meet took all of about three minutes to develop. With Rafferty rushing for 73 yards, Coffman marched 80 yards in 12 plays on its first series. On third-and-5, Rafferty hit Kyle Ruhl, who scampered from one sideline to the other on a delay screen for a 10-yard touchdown. The extra-point kick was blocked.
Davidson answered with a nine-play, 6-yard drive of its own. Christen Haywood capped the march with a 4-yard TD run. The extra-point gave the Wildcats a 7-6 lead that would be short-lived.
Three plays after Greg Purdy returned the kickoff 53 yards, Rafferty and Co. were back in the end zone. Sparked by his own 36-yard scramble, Rafferty finished the drive with a 3-yard TD run.
After consecutive- and rare – punts by the teams, Davidson regained the lead. Haywood put the capper on an eight-play, 60-yard drive with a 7-yard TD run, giving the Wildcats a 14-13 lead just one minute into the second quarter.
Not to be outdone, Rafferty engineered an 11-play, 65-yard march to regain the lead for the Shamrocks. Converting four third-down plays and a fourth-down play, Rafferty ran for the final 4 yards for a TD with 7:53 left in the half.
Faced with a second-and-25, Rafferty delivered again, finding a wide-open Pat LaMonica on a 70-yard pass.
Davidson clawed back into the contest with a touchdown just 51 seconds before halftime.
Quarterback Zack Griffith made three clutch completions before scrambling 7 yards, pulling the Wildcats to 26-21.
Haywood, just a sophomore, led Davidson’s run-by-committee attack with 57 yards.
The shootout shouldn’t have surprised anybody. Coffman outgunned Marion Harding 33-21 and Davidson surprised top-seeded Westerville South 45-35 in the quarterfinals.
Rafferty got a short field after Evan Babineaux intercepted Griffith in the third quarter and was quick to capitalize.
Fueled by his 24-yard run, Rafferty capped the drive with an 8-yard TD pass to Clark Koury to pad the lead to 33-21 with 3:48 left in the quarter.
Davidson’s fate was sealed when Babineaux picked off Griffith again with 10:09 left in the game.
From there, it took Coffman six plays to score, as Koury plowed in from the 1 on fourth down, pushing the lead to 40-21.
By Steve Blackledge
The Columbus Dispatch
As usual, Jack Rafferty did it with his right arm and legs last night as Dublin Coffman overwhelmed Hilliard Davidson 40-21 in a Division I regional semifinal at Upper Arlington’s Marv Moorehead Stadium.
Rafferty passed for 148 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 224 yards and two scores, propelling Coffman (10-2) into a regional final meeting against crosstown rival Scioto (11-1) at site to be determined. It will mark the first-ever meeting between the Dublin schools.
Last night’s track meet took all of about three minutes to develop. With Rafferty rushing for 73 yards, Coffman marched 80 yards in 12 plays on its first series. On third-and-5, Rafferty hit Kyle Ruhl, who scampered from one sideline to the other on a delay screen for a 10-yard touchdown. The extra-point kick was blocked.
Davidson answered with a nine-play, 6-yard drive of its own. Christen Haywood capped the march with a 4-yard TD run. The extra-point gave the Wildcats a 7-6 lead that would be short-lived.
Three plays after Greg Purdy returned the kickoff 53 yards, Rafferty and Co. were back in the end zone. Sparked by his own 36-yard scramble, Rafferty finished the drive with a 3-yard TD run.
After consecutive- and rare – punts by the teams, Davidson regained the lead. Haywood put the capper on an eight-play, 60-yard drive with a 7-yard TD run, giving the Wildcats a 14-13 lead just one minute into the second quarter.
Not to be outdone, Rafferty engineered an 11-play, 65-yard march to regain the lead for the Shamrocks. Converting four third-down plays and a fourth-down play, Rafferty ran for the final 4 yards for a TD with 7:53 left in the half.
Faced with a second-and-25, Rafferty delivered again, finding a wide-open Pat LaMonica on a 70-yard pass.
Davidson clawed back into the contest with a touchdown just 51 seconds before halftime.
Quarterback Zack Griffith made three clutch completions before scrambling 7 yards, pulling the Wildcats to 26-21.
Haywood, just a sophomore, led Davidson’s run-by-committee attack with 57 yards.
The shootout shouldn’t have surprised anybody. Coffman outgunned Marion Harding 33-21 and Davidson surprised top-seeded Westerville South 45-35 in the quarterfinals.
Rafferty got a short field after Evan Babineaux intercepted Griffith in the third quarter and was quick to capitalize.
Fueled by his 24-yard run, Rafferty capped the drive with an 8-yard TD pass to Clark Koury to pad the lead to 33-21 with 3:48 left in the quarter.
Davidson’s fate was sealed when Babineaux picked off Griffith again with 10:09 left in the game.
From there, it took Coffman six plays to score, as Koury plowed in from the 1 on fourth down, pushing the lead to 40-21.