Charlie Donehue gets fired up after a big sack on St. Edward quarterback Thomas Csanyi early in the first half. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Thanks to a defense that created three turnovers, Olentangy Liberty stymied seven-time state champion Lakewood St. Edward to punch its ticket to the program’s first-ever state championship game.
Mansfield, OH – Throughout much of what has blossomed into the deepest playoff run in program history, Olentangy Liberty has leaned on a neutralizing, turnover-producing defense and an offense capable of big plays when needed.
The Patriots were matched with no ordinary opponent – three-time defending Division I state champion powerhouse Lakewood St. Edward – on Friday in a state semifinal at Arlin Field but showed that the same formula was more than enough almost from the get-go.
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Taking advantage of three turnovers that helped produce a three-score lead, Liberty came away with a 21-7 victory that sends the program to its first state final.
Fourth-ranked in the final Associated Press state poll, the Patriots (13-2) will face second-ranked Cincinnati Moeller (14-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday for the championship at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
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“We’ve emphasized taking the ball away, running to the football, and it shows up in our efforts and fundamentals,” senior linebacker Austin Stamp said. “Our biggest games, we show up and take the ball away. It’s something we emphasize and try to do, and it was the biggest difference tonight. Liberty’s never been (to a state final), and that’s huge. We’re finally getting to the next step and getting to Canton.”
Liberty, which lost in consecutive state semifinals from 2016-18, set the tone on the game’s opening play when St. Edward quarterback Thomas Csanyi was intercepted by junior safety Carter Kuhn. He returned it 35 yards for a touchdown but it was called back by an illegal block.
Carter Kuhn grabbed what appeared to be a pick-six on St. Edward’s first offensive series, but it was nullified by an illegal block on the return.
Nevertheless, the Patriots took advantage of the good field position and scored four plays later when senior quarterback Andrew Leonard ran in from 17 yards for a 7-0 lead.
The Patriots took advantage of another miscue on the ensuing kickoff when senior Zach Cunningham recovered a fumble at the St. Edward 30, but the possession ended with a 43-yard missed field goal by senior Sean Hendricks.
Liberty had another chance to score before halftime after driving to the Eagles’ 13 but wound up with another missed field goal by Hendricks, this time from 35 yards.
“We made some schematic changes but we kept the same plan (heading into the second half), which is play together, play selfless, do your job, and play as hard as you can,” Liberty coach John Sansbury said. “It was a great start. Obviously it made us realize we’re here and we can play with these guys. I’m so proud of these guys because they’ve worked so hard and they deserved this.
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“The weather, the wind, and the cold had an impact. They made some mistakes and we were able to capitalize. Our guys played really hard and they swarmed to the ball.”
With 9:33 left in the third quarter, Stamp recovered a fumble by Csanyi at the Liberty 39.
On the next play, Patriots senior running back Jake Struck burst through a hole for a touchdown to give his team a 14-0 lead.
Lincoln Gardner upends Bradley Eaton during a D1 state semifinal game at Arlin Stadium in Mansfield.
St. Edward, which won one of its seven state titles in 2018 when it defeated the Patriots 42-16 in a state semifinal at Arlin Field, began the postseason with a .500 record and as the No. 7 seed in Region 1.
A postseason run that included a 13-7 win for the regional title over No. 1-seeded Mentor helped St. Edward finish 9-6.
“Battling through the injuries we have all year and getting to this point, winning 22 straight playoff games in Division I, that’s pretty special for this group of seniors,” Eagles coach Tom Lombardo said. “We didn’t play a great game today. Give credit to Liberty because they played a better game.”
St. Edward put together one of its best drives of the game midway through the third quarter, but on fourth-and-12 from the Liberty 25, Csanyi completed a pass to Luke Hess that was stopped three yards short to turn it over on downs.
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“Our defensive line gets great pressure every game, and we bring the energy every week,” said Liberty senior linebacker Lincoln Gardner, who had two tackles for loss during the third quarter and 10 tackles overall. “We think we’re the best defense in the state and we play like it, too. Our takeaways have been a big key point all year long, and we were able to capitalize on that tonight.”
Christian Moulton pulls down an Andrew Leonard pass and finds paydirt, stretching the Liberty lead to 21 in the second half.
Three plays into Liberty’s next possession, Leonard hooked up with senior Christian Moulton for an 80-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.
St. Edward produced a 15-play, 72-yard drive capped by a 3-yard run by Nate Gregory to make it 21-7 with 7:14 remaining, but Liberty sealed it with a 30-yard run by Struck during the game’s final minute on fourth-and-10 from the Eagles’ 32.
“We were kind of focused on next-play mentality, do whatever you can do to win the game and get on to the next week, but that was just a scramble drill, I got open and my quarterback found me,” Moulton said. “We knew we could pass or run on them. It’s good to know we can stay consistent in the run and pass and they don’t know what’s coming.
“It’s a good feeling to be (in a state final) for the first time. We’ve got to look at it like every other game and have a next-game mentality.”
Andrew Leonard doing what he does best…beating the defense on the ground and in the air.
Struck finished with 125 yards on 15 carries, with Leonard – an Ohio Mr. Football finalist – rushing for 42 yards and throwing for 136 yards as the Patriots continued a turnaround season after going just 4-8 a year ago.
Moeller was a state semifinalist a year ago but is back in a state final for the first time since 2013 when it won its ninth state championship.
“The foundation was set by (former) coach (Steve) Hale, who had been here for 20 years,” said Sansbury, a 2005 Liberty graduate who played under Hale before taking over as the program’s coach in 2023. “These are still his guys and he deserves credit for the foundation he made. We focus on ourselves, and being the best we can be. Obviously we feel like we can play with anybody.”
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