Regional 21 Championship
Tigers 7
Western Reserve
Blue Devils 49
Clegg would connect on 7 of 15 passes for 196 yards and 3 touchdowns, while rushing for 88 yards on 5 carries. He would also have an interception on defense, all while fighting the flu bug.
The Devils took charge right off the bat with a solid drive into Tiger territory, however they would turn the ball over on downs. Following an exchange of possessions, Shadyside would have a punt from deep in their own territory get partially blocked and only went as a 9-yard boot.
From there the Devils would draw first blood as they would cover the 21-yards, with Donnie Bolton plowing in from 5-yards out. With a Parker Clegg extra point the Devils had a 7-0 lead with 2:11 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers would respond to the Devils score. They would then go on an impressive drive with Jacob Spencer getting into the end zone with 10:39 remining in the second quarter. A Cody Hudson extra point would knot the game up at 7-7.
From there the Devils would take control of the game. The Devils would drive deep into the Tigers end of the field when they were faced with a fourth and seven, however a penalty against Shadyside gave the Devils an opportunity to go for the first on fourth and two. Bolton would pick up the first down, and then score on a 1-yard run on the next play at the 5:07 mark of the second quarter. The drive would cover 80-yards, on 13-plays and eat up 5:22 of the second stanza.
On Shadyside's next possession, the defensive pressure would force the Tigers freshman quarterback into a mistake as Clegg would pick off an errant Austin Dorris pass at the Devils own 49-yard line.
The Devils would capitalize as they would make the Tigers pay with another score. Clegg would hook up with Tim Cooper on a 63-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 remaining in the first half. The score pushed the Devils lead to 21-7.
The Devils would start to really pour it on as on the Tigers next possession they were forced to punt the ball from deep in their own territory. The D.J. Shoemaker punt was then blocked by Bolton and team mate Tommy Marlowe. Bolton would pick up the ball and rumble 18-yards into the end zone with just 2:04 remaining in the second quarter, with the Devils up 28-7. The Devils would take that score into the halftime intermission.
The Devils would tack on another score at the 4:32 mark as Clegg would hit Thomas Benyo on a long 64-yard touchdown pass. The score would push the advantage for the Devils to 42-7.
Then again the Devils would showcase their talent when they would score again when fullback Tommy Marlowe would get into the action with a 7-yard touchdown run with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown would make the score 49-7, the final tally.
From there the Devils and Tigers would make wholesale changes in personnel as both teams would play the fourth quarter with back-up players.
On the night, running back Donnie Bolton would lead the rushing attack with 70 yards on 18 carries. Tommy Marlowe would rush for 41 yards on 3 carries and 1 touchdown. Nick Alison would also get into the passing stats with 3 of 5 passes for 23 yards.
For Shadyside they were led by Brooks Ramsey on the ground with only 17 yards on 8 carries, while quarterback Dorris would connect on 5 of 20 passes for 84 yards and one interception. Shadyside would only accumilate a total of 103 yards on the night.
The Devils would completely dominate the game with a total of 64 plays for 431 total yards, and they would control the ball for 24:45 in time of possession.
"This is a great win for us," Clegg would say after the contest. "We have a great team, and we have the best linemen in the state. The defense played great as they have all season."
The Devils will play in a state semi-final game next Saturday night at a location to be named. Unless the OHSAA rebrackets the State Finals, the Devils may face Buckeye Central, a 40-0 win over Bealsville in a Region 23 Final on Saturday night.
Shadyside end the season with a 9-4 record.
