He got by with a little help from his friends as Dreux Prince gets an assist from Brody Howard and backs into the end zone to score Londons’ third touchdown and the eventual game-winner in a 27-13 defeat of Valley View to advance to the regional finals. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
A clutch interception by Carson Lewis helped seal a 27-13 win for the Red Raiders, sending them into a regional semifinal next Friday against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.
London, OH — After putting itself in an early position to pull away from upset-hungry Germantown Valley View, London couldn’t seem to land the knockout blow as time continued to tick in its playoff opener Friday.
A big three-play sequence — one on defense and two on offense — during the game’s final three minutes felt like a long time coming for the Red Raiders as they held off the seventh-seeded Spartans 27-13 in a second-round Division IV, Region 16 contest.
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The win sends second-seeded London (9-2) into a regional semifinal Nov. 13 at home against third-seeded Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (10-1), which was a 38-20 winner Friday over sixth-seeded Wilmington.
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Valley View, which has made eight consecutive playoff appearances including reaching state semifinals in 2022 and ’23, finished 8-4.
“That’s what playoff football in Ohio is all about,” London coach Kyle Cutler said. “You’ve got to make plays when it’s time to make plays, and we made enough plays tonight.”
The biggest took place with 2:48 remaining with the Spartans back to within 21-13 after falling behind 21-0 by halftime.
On second-and-7 from his own 19, Valley View quarterback Brody Gibbs misread the coverage and threw directly at London junior defensive back Carson Lewis, who intercepted it at the Spartans’ 26 and returned it three yards.
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Red Raiders junior quarterback Colt Hughes ran for 19 yards on the first play of the ensuing possession, setting up a 4-yard touchdown run by junior running back Bryston Toronto on the next play to effectively seal the victory.
Valley Views’ Owen Neal coughed up the football as the Spartans tried to close the gap in the second half leading to this Travion Howard fumble recovery celebration with teammate Coltenn Sexton.
“I think (Gibbs) was trying to throw it over me, but I don’t know what happened,” Lewis said. “It was right to me, and I had to make it. It feels great. I was battling through a (left hamstring) injury but had to step up when my team needed me. …
“Our defense is unstoppable. We have a bunch of athletic players on our defense. It really is London against the world. It feels great. I love playing with my guys and wouldn’t want to do it with another team.”
The Red Raiders, who won at least one playoff game for the seventh consecutive season, showed what they could be capable of on their first offensive drive when junior running back Isaiah Near sprinted on a misdirection run for 61 yards to move them to the Valley View 15.
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Although that drive ended with a missed field goal, London scored on two plays—a 44-yard run by Toronto and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Hughes to Near with 2:32 to go in the opening period—for the game’s first points.
It wound up being the only pass the Red Raiders attempted all game.
Deven Cokes got airborne and hauled in a pass just inside Red Raider territory, then somehow evaded the tackle attempt of Terrell Butts and advanced the ball all the way down to the 7-yard line, setting up a Spartan score.
“We don’t pass it too often,” Hughes said. “They were a great team and we just happened to catch them off guard early. We got off our track later in the game, but then got back on it. They’re a legit team and probably the best team we’ve seen this year. We definitely didn’t play our best ball. We made a lot of mistakes, especially on offense. We’ve got to get back to work and get ready to go.
“Having Isaiah and all the weapons we have keeps everyone fresh and keeps the defense guessing.”
Another long play—a 37-yard run by Near with 4:05 left before halftime—set up London’s next score. On third-and-goal from the 6, Near took the handoff, found the left side of the field wide open, and walked in to make it 14-0 with 2:35 to go in the second quarter.
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The Spartans were forced to punt from their own 9 on the ensuing drive, with junior Travion Howard returning it 7 yards to the Valley View 32. After a 22-yard run by Hughes, senior Dreux Prince ran in from 10 yards with 48.2 seconds left before halftime to make it 21-0.
Dual-threat quarterback Brody Gibbs is pursued by London linebacker Vance Moerch. London’s aggressive defense frequently harassed Gibbs in the backfield, eventually leading to a late game interception by Carson Lewis.
“We felt good (after) the first half and had to build on that lead so we could rely on it later in the game,” Near said. “I think (Valley View) realized it was going to be the end of their season, so they had to step it up or they were going to go home, so they definitely stepped it up in the second half.”
Valley View began its first third-quarter possession at its own 2 but Gibbs completed five of his next six passes, including a 16-yarder to Owen Neal at the London 5. Neal, however, fumbled on the play and Howard fell on it for the Red Raiders.
The Spartans weren’t to be denied on their next possession as Gibbs completed two passes and Garrett Brewer followed with a 6-yard scoring run with 23 seconds to go in the third to make it 21-7.
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In what is becoming an all-too familiar scene for opposing defenses, Bryston Toronto is hoisted high by teammate Brody Howard after scoring London’s final TD of the night. The Red Raiders will play Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy in a regional final next week.
Valley View’s next drive ended with a turnover on downs at the London 32, but it made it 21-13 with 5:35 remaining when Brewer took a pitch from Gibbs, scrambled and then connected with Isaac Johnson for a 59-yard touchdown on a halfback pass. The Spartans missed the extra point, making the score 21-13.
“(We) had to make a decision and then played really, really hard,” Spartans coach Matt King said. “I’m really proud of them. You’re at this point in the season where you just can’t make mistakes. We had too many penalties in the first half. They had some big plays in the first half. They didn’t score on a lot of the big plays, but we gave up chunk plays, and you can’t do that.”
Toronto finished with 20 rushes for 99 yards and one touchdown, Near had 11 carries for 127 yards and one touchdown rushing to go along with his scoring reception, and Hughes added 39 yards on the ground to lead the Red Raiders.
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Gibbs was limited to 3-for-10 passing for just 33 yards in the first half but finished 14 of 33 for 227 yards.
Isaiah Near sacks Valley View quarterback Brody Gibbs with less than a minute remaining in the 4th quarter to end the Spartans’ season with an 8-4 record.
“(Lewis) was in the right place at the right time, and he made a heck of a play (on his interception),” Cutler said. “(Valley View found what was working and it was more efficiency on their part. They do a great job and I’ve got a lot of respect for them. Some of it was us with some uncharacteristic plays, and their trick plays, which gave them some momentum.”
Cutler said he’s heard that CHCA has “got a lot of athletes.”
In what will represent the first matchup between the programs, the Red Raiders have won six in a row and the Eagles haven’t lost since their second game this fall.
“It comes from discipline, hard work, and faith,” Near said. “We’re going to watch as much film as we can, study as much as we can, and go out and do our thing and play.”
Carson Lewis, despite still nursing a sore hamstring, comes up big with an interception thrown right at him after lurking, apparently unseen, in the left flat.