USA TODAY ARTICLE: No. 19 Hilliard Davidson claims Ohio prep football crown
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Hilliard Davidson won one for the record books.Bo Delande ran for a record five touchdowns and added the winning 2-point conversion in double overtime to lead the Wildcats to the Division I state championship 36-35 over Mentor on Saturday night.
Delande scored on a 4-yard TD, then the Wildcats decided to try for the victory, again going to their senior running back.
He scored easily on the left side, holding the ball aloft, then spiked it high in the air, setting off a frenzied celebration.
It ended the state's first Division I overtime title game, which set records for total points and individual rushing touchdowns and tied the mark for the biggest comeback.
Delande fumbled on the play before his final touchdown and Mentor's Danny Kelley fell on it at the 1 but the ball squirted out and Wildcats lineman Mike Saul recovered it at the 4.
After Delande scored, the Wildcats (15-0) lined up for an extra point, but called time out. They came back out in an I-formation and put the season in Delande's hands.
He was soon swallowed up by screaming fans and his teammates. Delande finished with 236 yards on 47 carries.
Delande cramped up on Hilliard Davidson's first overtime possession and had to leave for a play, but returned on fourth and 2 and barreled 10 yards to Mentor 2. He scored on the next play.
Mentor's Bart Tanski responded quickly with a 16-yard TD to Steve Orkis to send it to double overtime.
The Cardinals (13-2) scored on Bill Deitman's 1-yard run in the final overtime.
Hilliard Davidson, which lost in the semifinal last season, trailed 14-0 before tying it in the third quarter.
Tanski hit Tyler Schutz for a 6-yard TD to give Mentor a 21-14 lead with 8:50 remaining in regulation.
But the Wildcats tied it again on Delande's 1-yard TD run, making it 21-21 with 3:29 left. He took a pitch out right and went in untouched on fourth and 1. Joey Ciamacco set up the tying score with a 50-yard kickoff return to the Mentor 46.
The Cardinals had a chance to win it in regulation, but Tanski was picked off by Ciamacco with 1:19 left after Brandon James fell down running his route.
Tanski, a junior, was 24 of 31 passing for 327 yards and four touchdowns. James had 11 catches for 172 yards and a score.
Mentor, the state's largest school with 2,500 students, took an early lead when James got position in front of a defensive back and leaped for a 27-yard TD grab with 8:59 left in the first.
Tanski then connected with Schutz on a 20-yard TD with 9:37 left in first half for 14-0 lead. Schutz caught it despite being screened by his defender.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Delande scored on a 4-yard TD, then the Wildcats decided to try for the victory, again going to their senior running back.
He scored easily on the left side, holding the ball aloft, then spiked it high in the air, setting off a frenzied celebration.
It ended the state's first Division I overtime title game, which set records for total points and individual rushing touchdowns and tied the mark for the biggest comeback.
Delande fumbled on the play before his final touchdown and Mentor's Danny Kelley fell on it at the 1 but the ball squirted out and Wildcats lineman Mike Saul recovered it at the 4.
After Delande scored, the Wildcats (15-0) lined up for an extra point, but called time out. They came back out in an I-formation and put the season in Delande's hands.
He was soon swallowed up by screaming fans and his teammates. Delande finished with 236 yards on 47 carries.
Delande cramped up on Hilliard Davidson's first overtime possession and had to leave for a play, but returned on fourth and 2 and barreled 10 yards to Mentor 2. He scored on the next play.
Mentor's Bart Tanski responded quickly with a 16-yard TD to Steve Orkis to send it to double overtime.
The Cardinals (13-2) scored on Bill Deitman's 1-yard run in the final overtime.
Hilliard Davidson, which lost in the semifinal last season, trailed 14-0 before tying it in the third quarter.
Tanski hit Tyler Schutz for a 6-yard TD to give Mentor a 21-14 lead with 8:50 remaining in regulation.
But the Wildcats tied it again on Delande's 1-yard TD run, making it 21-21 with 3:29 left. He took a pitch out right and went in untouched on fourth and 1. Joey Ciamacco set up the tying score with a 50-yard kickoff return to the Mentor 46.
The Cardinals had a chance to win it in regulation, but Tanski was picked off by Ciamacco with 1:19 left after Brandon James fell down running his route.
Tanski, a junior, was 24 of 31 passing for 327 yards and four touchdowns. James had 11 catches for 172 yards and a score.
Mentor, the state's largest school with 2,500 students, took an early lead when James got position in front of a defensive back and leaped for a 27-yard TD grab with 8:59 left in the first.
Tanski then connected with Schutz on a 20-yard TD with 9:37 left in first half for 14-0 lead. Schutz caught it despite being screened by his defender.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ThisWeek Sports Best Individual Performances: No. 1, Bo Delande
Former Hilliard Davidson High School football standout Bo Delande fondly recalls high-stepping into the end zone with the winning two-point conversion in the 2006 Division I state championship game.
The 6-foot, 185-pound running back's score lifted Davidson to a 36-35 double-overtime win over Mentor on Dec. 2, 2006, at Fawcett Stadium in Canton. It was the Wildcats' first state championship and the first Division I state final decided in overtime.
Delande finished the game with five touchdowns and 236 yards rushing on 47 carries. His five touchdowns set a state tournament record.
"I think about the game all the time," Delande said. "It's something me and my buddies still talk about. I'll remember that forever - not only for my personal performance but also the team as a whole. I'll always remember that game."
Delande, a 2007 Davidson graduate, keeps many mementos of that special season at his parents' home in Hilliard, including his state championship ring.
Although he played a key role in the win, he realizes the victory was a team effort.
"I credit the offensive line," Delande said. "Also, we had Connor Dietz at quarterback. We had Clay Trubiano (at slotback). Our defense was pretty tough, too. They helped out a lot. We had a talented team that year."
With Davidson trailing 35-28 in the second overtime, Delande took the handoff from Dietz on first down at the Mentor 10-yard line and fumbled at the 6. Mentor's Danny Kelley appeared to recover the ball at the 1, but the ball squirted loose and Davidson lineman Mike Saul recovered it at the 3.
Delande scored on the next play, making it 35-34. Then, during a pair of timeouts by the Wildcats, kicker Colby Catlett ran on and then off the field. Catlett actually was lined up for the extra-point attempt that coach Brian White later admitted would have been a fake before the second timeout was called. After the second timeout, White opted to put his offense on the field and give the ball to Delande.
"None of us coaches had any idea during the course of the game that Bo had scored one, two, three, four or five touchdowns," White said. "It's not like we purposely were trying to get him to score touchdowns. We were running our offense. The thing that gets lost a little bit - and I believe Bo would be the first to admit this - is the offensive line we had that year was pretty special."
A preferred walk-on at Ohio State in 2007 who is preparing for his senior season with the Buckeyes, Delande finished the 2006 season with a program-record 2,208 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns on 398 carries. He was named first-team all-OCC-Buckeye Division and all-district and special mention all-state.
"Bo has been a huge part of our offense this year," White said during the 2006 season. "He isn't necessarily the fastest kid on the field. He normally isn't the biggest kid, isn't the strongest kid, but I find it hard to believe there's too many kids tougher than him that are on the field when we're playing.
"He never falls backward, he's always falling forward. He gets positive yardage."
Davidson rushed for 345 yards on 72 carries against Mentor, outmatching the Cardinals' no-huddle offense that passed for 327 yards.
"That had to be the most ridiculous ending to a game, let alone a season, that I can remember," said Dietz, who is entering his senior year at the U.S. Air Force Academy. "Everything fell into place."
"It was a pretty special night for everybody in Hilliard," White said. "It was one of those things that you never expect to happen and when it happens I don't know if you really know how to react to it. Everybody tells you enjoy the moment, but at that time you're so concentrated on what you're trying to accomplish, I don't know that you can really enjoy it. We've certainly looked back upon it with some fond memories since then."
Delande, who had rushed for 1,304 and nine touchdowns as a junior at Davidson, is the oldest of three brothers who have excelled athletically for the Wildcats.
Spencer Delande was a key member of the football team when it won the 2009 state championship by defeating Cleveland Glenville 16-15 in the Division I final. Chase Delande won the Division I state wrestling title at 145 pounds last March as a junior and also is a member of the football team.
The 6-foot, 185-pound running back's score lifted Davidson to a 36-35 double-overtime win over Mentor on Dec. 2, 2006, at Fawcett Stadium in Canton. It was the Wildcats' first state championship and the first Division I state final decided in overtime.
Delande finished the game with five touchdowns and 236 yards rushing on 47 carries. His five touchdowns set a state tournament record.
"I think about the game all the time," Delande said. "It's something me and my buddies still talk about. I'll remember that forever - not only for my personal performance but also the team as a whole. I'll always remember that game."
Delande, a 2007 Davidson graduate, keeps many mementos of that special season at his parents' home in Hilliard, including his state championship ring.
Although he played a key role in the win, he realizes the victory was a team effort.
"I credit the offensive line," Delande said. "Also, we had Connor Dietz at quarterback. We had Clay Trubiano (at slotback). Our defense was pretty tough, too. They helped out a lot. We had a talented team that year."
With Davidson trailing 35-28 in the second overtime, Delande took the handoff from Dietz on first down at the Mentor 10-yard line and fumbled at the 6. Mentor's Danny Kelley appeared to recover the ball at the 1, but the ball squirted loose and Davidson lineman Mike Saul recovered it at the 3.
Delande scored on the next play, making it 35-34. Then, during a pair of timeouts by the Wildcats, kicker Colby Catlett ran on and then off the field. Catlett actually was lined up for the extra-point attempt that coach Brian White later admitted would have been a fake before the second timeout was called. After the second timeout, White opted to put his offense on the field and give the ball to Delande.
"None of us coaches had any idea during the course of the game that Bo had scored one, two, three, four or five touchdowns," White said. "It's not like we purposely were trying to get him to score touchdowns. We were running our offense. The thing that gets lost a little bit - and I believe Bo would be the first to admit this - is the offensive line we had that year was pretty special."
A preferred walk-on at Ohio State in 2007 who is preparing for his senior season with the Buckeyes, Delande finished the 2006 season with a program-record 2,208 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns on 398 carries. He was named first-team all-OCC-Buckeye Division and all-district and special mention all-state.
"Bo has been a huge part of our offense this year," White said during the 2006 season. "He isn't necessarily the fastest kid on the field. He normally isn't the biggest kid, isn't the strongest kid, but I find it hard to believe there's too many kids tougher than him that are on the field when we're playing.
"He never falls backward, he's always falling forward. He gets positive yardage."
Davidson rushed for 345 yards on 72 carries against Mentor, outmatching the Cardinals' no-huddle offense that passed for 327 yards.
"That had to be the most ridiculous ending to a game, let alone a season, that I can remember," said Dietz, who is entering his senior year at the U.S. Air Force Academy. "Everything fell into place."
"It was a pretty special night for everybody in Hilliard," White said. "It was one of those things that you never expect to happen and when it happens I don't know if you really know how to react to it. Everybody tells you enjoy the moment, but at that time you're so concentrated on what you're trying to accomplish, I don't know that you can really enjoy it. We've certainly looked back upon it with some fond memories since then."
Delande, who had rushed for 1,304 and nine touchdowns as a junior at Davidson, is the oldest of three brothers who have excelled athletically for the Wildcats.
Spencer Delande was a key member of the football team when it won the 2009 state championship by defeating Cleveland Glenville 16-15 in the Division I final. Chase Delande won the Division I state wrestling title at 145 pounds last March as a junior and also is a member of the football team.