Division IV in Ohio means small school from small town. My wife's nephew is the local "Mr. All-World" football player. QB on offense, middle linebacker on defense and is the team's punter as well. His name is Adam Wallace, #45.
Pic of our own star, #45. And forgive the pics, 10th row stands with a 5D2 and a 135L:
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by snyderman3, on FlickrHere are the stats for the QB, (clipped from a news article after the game) Adam's team faced Saturday afternoon:
Mauk caps a career that includes national prep standards for passing yards (18,511), attempts (2,001), completions (1,287) and touchdowns (214).
Google the kid's name if the numbers appear unbelievable. Here's a pic of the other QB after being flushed by a solid D-Line rush all day long:
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by snyderman3, on FlickrGame recap:
Adam, #45 for the Norwayne Bobcats, threw for 4 TD and ran for 3 more. A state of Ohio record, points scored by an individual (42 pts) in a state championship game.
One of Adam's 2nd quarter TD runs:
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by snyderman3, on FlickrThe other QB, Maty Mauk of the Kenton Wildcats threw 6 TD passes, another state record, most TD passes by an individual in a state championship game.
At the end of the 3rd quarter our team held a 28-22 lead. The 4th quarter saw a combined FORTY points scored in a shootout not likely to repeat itself in HS state championship game history.
Kenton scores a go ahead TD in with 2:51 to play in the game taking the lead for the first time all afternoon.
Here's a shot of #45 stopping his counterpart for little or no gain. And remember, this kid doesn't leave the except during kickoff both ways:
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by snyderman3, on FlickrKenton kicks deep to our guys, cover the kick well and we're looking at 1st and 10 from our own 20.
Adam drives the team down the field without using a timeout. With 31 seconds left on the game clock, Adam connects on a 30 yard TD pass to regain the lead 48-42.
We kick to Kenton who sets up shop around the 35 yard line with 27 ticks left on the clock. Three plays later, they've crossed midfield. With 13 seconds to play, they were able to take THREE shots at our goal line. The third of which was intercepted with NO time on the clock to seal the win and Ohio Div IV state championship game for Adam and his teammates.
Bar none, this was the most exciting football game I've ever witnessed. To lead the entire game--in a game that was supposed to be a lopsided LOSS for our guys--and to come back in the 4th quarter with a 9-play, 80 yard drive to regain the lead was beyond what anyone could have expected.
Had Maty Mauk and Kenton been able to score on that final drive with only 31 seconds, one could only tip his cap to the national HS record-holding HS quarterback.
We'd have been disappointed, but win or lose, it still would have been the most exciting football game ever witnessed.
Thanks for reading. We're so happy for Adam and his team and really proud of how hard they played Saturday.
dave
