Valley View Clinches Division Title, Playoff Berth

Germantown, OH — Ranked third in the Associated Press state poll, the Valley View Spartans needed a fourth quarter rally to overtake the upset-minded Oakwood Lumberjacks, 15-8 and secure a second in the OHSAA computer rankings. The win gives the Spartans their first 10-0 season since 1998.

Valley View began the game in typical Spartan fashion, cruising down the field fueled by big runs from jr. QB Teddy Beuhner and capped off by a 9-yard trot into the endzone by jr. RB Brock Bolen. Bolen's TD broke the single season scoring record set by Aaron Focht in 1995. Bolen wouldn't see paydirt again until the fourth quarter comeback.

The Lumberjacks weren't reluctant to just roll over an play dead. Jr. QB Jeff Bonner, jr. RB Nick Schubert, and jr. RB Gabe Schoenlein moved the Lumberjacks down the field before a Brandon Ritze interception foiled their attempt to even the score. It now became a defensive struggle until fourth quarter action heated up.

Overthrown and dropped passes, interceptions and sloppy field conditions forced the Spartans to punt the ball away on each successive possession throughout the first half. Schubert and Schoenlein, shifting to LB on the defensive side of the ball, played havoc with the Valley View running game.

Spectacular efforts by the Valley View defense within the red zone denied Oakwood the endzone and forced punting situations of their own. The Lumberjacks still refused to fold however, and continued to move the ball effectively, with the Spartans defense stiffening with every encroachment into the red zone.

It was the start of the fourth quarter when the Oakwood Lumberjacks engineered a drive that finally took them to the Spartan endzone. The two point conversion made the score 8-7 and the Spartans found themselves trailing in the fourth quarter for the first time this season.

Valley View roared right back with a score of their own set up by a third and nine pass to Ross Peters that litteraly saw Peters catch the ball as it bounced several times off the Oakwood defender. A shovel pass to Joe Swanson on the two-point conversion gave the Spartans 15-8 lead that would be good enough to capture the Divisional Title.

Valley View's win knocked the Lumberjacks out of the Division IV playoff picture and secure the number two spot in the OHSAA computer rankings. Perinneal foe, Wyoming, potentially matches up with the Spartans in first-round playoff action.

Valley View Online will have the complete playoff preview when official pairing are made on Sunday.

Notables