It was more dramatic in the victory formation than it needed to be, but Kyle Cox got up quickly and snagged the high snap to avoid disaster and seal the 24-20 win over Olentangy Orange. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Linebacker James Wilcox returned a fourth-quarter interception 75 yards to set up the game-winning score as UA avenged an Ohio Capital Conference Central Division defeat against Olentangy Orange in a playoff rematch.
Lewis Center, OH– It was easy for senior linebacker James Wilcox to smile through the pain that was lingering in his hands as he and his Upper Arlington teammates soaked in the atmosphere at Olentangy Orange following their Division I, Region 3 quarterfinal Friday night.
The Pioneers were leading by a field goal five minutes into the fourth quarter and seemed on their way to adding to their advantage when quarterback Levi Davis rolled to his right and attempted to throw downfield.
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Wilcox was standing less than five yards away from Davis when he stepped into the line of the throw, reeled it in for an interception, and sprinted 75 yards downfield to set up what would become the game-winning touchdown.
The fifth-seeded Golden Bears picked off Davis three times – including a pick-six by defensive back Zach Corna – and came away with a 24-20 victory at fourth-seeded Orange.
“My thumbs are hurting a bit, but we’re good,” Wilcox said. “Honestly I made a mistake last week by not attacking the quarterback when he rolls out of the pocket and I decided not to make the same mistake this week. I went aggressive and got him, and he happened to throw it right to me. (We needed their offense to) get off the field. (We had) to get our offense on the field to end the game.”
Veteran central Ohio columnist Jarrod Ulrey writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros
The Bears and Orange tied Olentangy Liberty for the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division championship each at 4-1, and UA will get another shot at the Patriots as well when the teams meet next Friday in a regional semifinal at a yet-to-be-determined neutral site.
Liberty, the region’s top seed, beat eighth-seeded Groveport 27-7 to improve to 10-2 overall and set up the rematch.
UA, which also is 10-2 overall, returned an interception for a touchdown and recovered a fumble at the goal line Oct. 11 against Orange but lost that matchup 28-20.
Andrew Theado evades three Orange defenders during a week two playoff game. The Bears defeated the Pioneers 24-20 to advance.
In the rematch, a 36-yard field goal by UA’s Edward Oakley cut his team’s deficit to 20-17 with 10 minutes, 34 seconds remaining.
Orange then moved from its own 28 to the Bears’ 24 in five plays on the ensuing drive before Wilcox returned his interception to the Orange 5.
On the next play, junior Luke Backes lined up as the wildcat quarterback and ran in for the touchdown with 7:29 remaining.
After UA’s defense forced a three-and-out, the Bears took over at their 44 with 6:05 left and moved to the Orange 1 before running out the clock.
“(Wilcox) just made a great play,” UA coach Justin Buttermore said. “I couldn’t really see it well, but the guys up in the box said he kind of jumped when (Davis) was going to throw it and picked it off. We had some huge plays to get some stops, with three picks, one that went for a touchdown and one that almost went for a touchdown. And we needed all of them obviously.
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“Our goal in the second half was to try to prevent those big plays and try to make some of our own. To our kids’ credit, we bent a little bit but made some big plays when we had to.”
UA took a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Backes with 3:30 left in the opening quarter after a 22-yard punt return from Nick Ardelea set his team up at the Orange 26.
Zach Corna appeared to have perfect timing to deny Terryn Thomas the ball, but the officials said he arrived just a tad early.
Davis completed a 46-yard pass to senior Terryn Thomas that moved the Pioneers to the UA 27 on the next possession, and two plays later, Davis was nearly sacked for a big loss but scrambled and ran through a hole in the middle of the defense and in for a 29-yard touchdown.
With 6:53 left in the first half, Orange was faced with third-and-19 from the UA 37 when Davis was intercepted over the middle of the field by Corna. He then ran 56 yards for a touchdown that gave UA a 14-7 lead.
“(Davis) is so talented,” Corna said. “We saw it the first (time we played them this season). He really hurt us, so we game-planned a lot. He’s a great player and we made plays on defense that came up big.
“I think we’re just a smart (defensive) unit. We know our tendencies. We play fast and tough. It feels good, but we’re deep into the playoffs and it’s just survive and advance.”
Orange, which went 4-7 a year ago before improving to 9-3 this fall under first-year coach Wes Schroeder, tied it at 14 with 5:24 left before halftime when Davis hit Thomas for a 38-yard touchdown.
Levi Davis to Terryn Thomas was a big part of the Orange offense, including this catch in front of Upper Arlington defender Luke Nelson.
Davis gave the Pioneers a 20-14 lead with 4:38 to go in the third quarter when he shot through the middle of the field for a 22-yard touchdown run.
UA limited senior running back Cohen Weaver to 40 yards on 10 carries, but Thomas wound up with eight receptions for 151 yards and one touchdown.
Davis finished 13 of 21 passing for 193 yards and one touchdown and rushed 12 times for 101 yards and two scores, but he also was intercepted by senior defensive back Noah Gehlert late in the first half in addition to his other two picks.
“(Wilcox) made an unbelievable play,” Schroeder said. “They made some adjustments to stop us in the running game a little more this time, and we adjusted a little bit, but we are who we are. We had to take shots over the top.
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“(Davis is) a competitor and I feel for him. Obviously I wish I could have done more. It was a good year, a fun year with a playoff win. We won a league championship and had nine wins.”
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UA senior quarterback Kyle Cox threw just one incomplete pass in the first half and finished 14 of 18 for 117 yards, hooking up with eight receivers.
UA edged Liberty 31-28 on Oct. 4 to hand the Patriots their only league loss, but Liberty closed the regular season on a three-game winning streak that included defeating Orange 50-22 in Week 10 to forge the three-way title share.
Backes, whose uncle, Jeff Backes, was Ohio’s Mr. Football in 2000 when the Bears won the state championship, enjoyed being thrust into a key role.
“(UA football has) always been a tight-knit community and it’s been fun, especially since I’ve been at the varsity level,” Luke Backes said. “Our defense obviously put us in position with three picks. We haven’t (run the wildcat) a lot from 5 yards in, but I had to go out and make a play.
“We’ve just got to soak this in right now. A rematch with (Liberty) is always going to be great.”
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