CANTON — The matchup between Badin and Chardon football was the only state championship game in Ohio this season featuring two perfect teams, so it was no surprise that the game would go down to the final seconds.
After trading blows for 50-plus minutes on a frigid night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Chardon turned in the deciding play when bruising running back Sean Carr plunged in for a 2-yard touchdown with 1:05 left in regulation to give the Hilltoppers a 21-14 lead.
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Chardon's defense delivered the game-winner less than a minute later when Heath Fetchik intercepted Badin sophomore quarterback Alex Ritzie with seven seconds remaining.
Chardon increased its two-year win streak to 28 straight, capping off another perfect season with a Division III state championship. The Hilltoppers became the first 16-0 team in Ohio High School Athletic Association history.
“I think that’s what you expect between the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the state of Ohio in Division III," Badin head coach Nick Yordy said. "I think we played a great game. A game like that comes down to a handful of plays and I think there were a handful of plays that could’ve flipped that game the other way."
The entire back-and-forth affair was played between the trenches with an emphasis on special teams. The two clubs each punted eight times, as each squad waited for the other team to make a crucial mistake.
Chardon was able to capitalize in the final minutes when Badin was penalized on consecutive plays and ended up facing fourth-and-27 from its own 3-yard line. The ensuing punt went 26 yards, setting up the Hilltoppers at the Rams' 29.
Chardon's Andrew Bruce started the possession with an 18-yard run to set up Carr's game-winning touchdown. Bruce provided a spark for a Chardon offense that had just 76 total first-half yards, running for a team-high 88 yards on seven attempts, all in the second half.
Bruce took a jet sweep for a 27-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter to give Chardon a 14-7 lead.
But Badin would quickly answer with a touchdown drive of its own. Senior Jack Walsh broke a 35-yard run, then caught a 13-yard pass two plays later to put Badin in the red zone. Walsh would add a 12-yard burst, then Carter Russo's only carry of the night went for a six-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14-14 with 6:33 left in the third quarter.
Walsh turned in his eighth 100-yard effort in the last nine games, churning out 107 yards on 27 attempts despite facing a stacked box from a Chardon defense desperate to slow him down. He added two catches for 16 yards and finished the season with1,922 rushing yards.
Chardon, which hadn't had a game decided by one possession since last year's win over St. Francis DeSales in the state final, came out of the gates strong and appeared to set an early tone of another cruise-control victory.
Quarterback Alex Henry ran for 70 yards on 18 carries and only attempted five passes. His first throw, however, was a 36-yard touchdown to Nathanael Sulka on Chardon's third offensive snap to make it 7-0 early in the first quarter. But Badin's defense battled back, yielding just one first down for the rest of the half.
"They had the momentum," Yordy said. "These guys have battled all year long. We've been in situations like that. The fact that they scored, it was just about sticking to the plan."
The Hilltoppers defense centered on Walsh and forced Badin punts on its first five drives. The Rams finally broke through after a big play in the passing game when Braedyn Moore made a leaping 25-yard snag near the Chardon sideline.
Ritzie, who was filling in under center for the injured Landyn Vidourek, moved the chains on fourth down with a seven-yard run. Four plays later, Walsh's 19th rushing touchdown of the season tied it at 7-7 going into the intermission.
Badin's defense, which had allowed just 19 points in five postseason games, limited Chardon to just 233 total yards and held the Hilltoppers to a season-low 21 points. Chardon was 4-of-12 on third down and Badin forced eight punts.
Senior linebacker Ely Emmons, the Greater Catholic League-Coed's leading tackler, tallied a game-high 11. Defensive end T.J. Hayes had eight. Moore, who had 33 receiving yards on a game-high three catches, had five tackles, a tackle for loss and broke up a pass that was nearly a game-changing interception near midfield with 8:28 remaining in regulation.
"It was very close. If I would've taken a wider angle, it would've been a pick-six," Moore said.
Badin was playing in its first state championship game in 31 years when the Rams took home the 1990 Division III crown under legendary coach Terry Malone. It was the program's fourth career state title trip after state runner-up finishes in 1978 and 1980.
It will take a reload for Badin to return to these heights in the near future. The Rams will graduate 25 seniors, according to Yordy, but it was a class that left its mark and will go down in Badin football lore, despite Friday's final score.
"In April, right after basketball, I knew we had bad intention in mind," senior defensive end Logan Neu said. "It got us here. Without that work ethic, I don't think we make it here."
Emmons added: "Everyone bonded; I think that's because of the work ethic and everything we've been through, like losing last year in the playoffs. We wanted to be remembered at Badin. We wanted to be in the history books."f
Chardon 21, Badin 14
Chardon — 7 0 7 7 — 21
Badin — 0 7 7 0 — 14
C— Sulka 36 pass from Henry (Tager kick)
B— Walsh 2 run (Niesen kick)
C— Bruce 27 run (Tager kick0
B— Russo 6 run (Niesen kick)
C— Carr 2 run (Tager kick)
Records: C 16-0, B 14-1
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