Canton CC uses big second half to beat Edison

STRONGSVILLE — Not this time.A year ago, the Edison football team was in position to win a Division V state semifinal in the closing minutes against Canton Central Catholic, eventually falling (17-14) on the game's final play.But in a rematch Saturday night at Strongsville High School, it was the Crusaders (10-3) scoring 24 unanswered points to win 24-14 and advancing to next week's Div. V state championship game against Coldwater (13-1) for a second straight season at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.And for a second straight season, the Chargers end their season with a 12-2 record to go with Sandusky Bay Conference and regional championships — and a top 10 ranking in the Associated Press state poll (No. 6).Edison quickly marched down the field to begin the game, putting together a 6-play, 69-yard scoring drive that took just 2:12 off the first quarter clock. Standout fullback Sam Stoll burst through the middle of the Crusaders' defense for a 33-yard touchdown run, and James Hill added the PAT for a 7-0 lead.But as quick as Edison scored — the Crusaders had an even faster response. On their ensuing first play from scrimmage, the Crusaders' Jack Murphy found a wide open Jaret Cummins for a too easy 79-yard touchdown pass.Dan Mills hit the PAT to tie the game at 7-7 just 10 seconds later."It was a vertical route and we just didn't get a jam on their receiver like we needed to," Edison coach Jim Hall said of the long TD. "They ran it later in the game and we defended it fine."Maybe it was nerves or whatever, but we just didn't quite run our technique right on that one and they took advantage," he added.On Edison's following possession, quarterback Braden Ehrhardt ran for 15 yards — but was stripped of the ball and the Crusaders recovered at their own 45.Canton C.C. then drove the ball over nine plays, but the drive stalled at the Edison 9. Mills — who kicked the 47-yard walk-off field goal to beat the Chargers in 2015 — easily connected on a 26-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead at the 4:53 mark of the opening quarter.The Edison defense then settled in for the duration of the first half, but the C.C. defense was equally as impressive.The Chargers were limited on their four possessions that followed — but also missed out at a key moment on potential points late in the second quarter. Starting at their own 28, the Edison offense moved the ball to the C.C. 24-yard line with less than three minutes left in the half.But an option pitch by Ehrhardt was swarmed by the Crusaders, who then were able to jump on the loose ball at the 27 for the huge turnover with 2:31 left in the second.Given the way the Crusaders tightened up on defense, Hall knew it was a big turnover."I thought so at that point, it was big," he said. "Our schemes were OK, we just couldn't execute — and a lot of that is credit to them."Leading 10-7 to begin the third, the Crusaders were forced to punt on their first possession — but they pinned the Chargers at their own 14. A quick three-and-out resulted in a punt that gave the Crusaders possession at their own 47.A key third down pass from Murphy to Tee Rupp for 15 yards kept the drive alive, and on the seventh play, Brady Thompson pushed across from a yard out to give the Crusaders a commanding 17-7 lead with 5:12 left in the third.The teams then traded a pair of possessions, but with the Crusaders facing a third-and-7 from the Edison 43, Murphy scrambled for the first down and a lot more. He finally got into the open field with about 20 yards to go for a 43-yard scoring run with 9:28 left in the game — giving the Crusaders a three-score lead at 24-7.[singlegallery=Division V state semifinal football]"I just think we were on the field too much," Hall said of his defense, which forced seven stops total. "I thought we were doing great, but when we kept going three-and-out on offense, that gave them the chance to keep looking at us and breaking us down and so forth. I think that was the issue more than anything."But staring down elimination, the Chargers had a quick answer themselves. On the first play of the following drive, Ehrhardt ran for 31 yards — and a late hit penalty on the Crusaders put them in business at the C.C. 24.Erhardt then found Bryce Ostheimer for 16 yards on a third down to set up a first-and-goal at the C.C. 3. But following the theme of the game, the stingy Crusader defense forced Edison into a fourth-and-goal — which finally resulted in an Ehrhardt TD run from a yard out to make it a 24-14 deficit with 6:30 left in the game.Hill's onside kick attempt after the TD was recovered by the Crusaders near midfield, and they were able to run the clock down to the 2:30 mark before punting it back to the Chargers.With one last chance, Ehrhardt threw four straight incomplete passes against the Crusader defense — giving the ball back to C.C. with 2:06 left, and the Crusaders were able to run out the clock."They don't quit, our guys have fun out there," Hall said. "We ran a few wrinkles that we had, Braden made a nice run and Bryce had a nice catch."Really just a testament to the team to get down the field and punch it in," he added. "We tried an onside kick — we shot everything we had at them trying to get that win."LeadersCanton C.C.: Murphy was 8-of-16 passing for 147 yards and a TD, and ran 18 times for 83 yards and a TD. Cameron Ruffin added 42 yards on eight attempts.Edison: Stoll ran 14 times for 76 yards and a TD, while Ehrhardt ran for 73 yards and a TD on 14 attempts. He also finished 4-of-12 passing for 37 yards, with Bryce Ostheimer (21 yards) and Brady Patterson (16 yards) each catching two passes.After a 24-14 loss against Canton Central Catholic in a Division V state semifinal, the Edison football team thanks the fans in the stands for their support Saturday at Pat Catan Stadium in Strongsville.Edison quarterback Braden Ehrhardt reacts after a hard loss to Canton Central Catholic in a Division V state semifinal Saturday night in Strongsville.As Canton's Brady Thompson nears the Charger end zone, he is tackled by Edison's Bryce Ostheimer and Sam Stoll during Saturday's Division V state semifinal at Pat Catan Stadium in Strongsville. Edison's Braden Ehrhardt tackles Canton's Brady Thompson on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 at Pat Catan Stadium during the Division V state semifinal. Charger Sam Stoll tackle's Crusader Brady Thompson during Saturday's Division V state semifinal in Strongsville.