ELYRIA, Ohio — From 2016-19, the Walsh Jesuit Warriors won just four games in four years, a stunning fall for a once-proud football program.
Head coach Nick Alexander knew the climb back would be difficult, but maintained faith in his process. It appears the fruits of his labor are finally paying off.
Walsh Jesuit dominated on both sides of the ball to take down Benedictine 34-20 Friday night in the WKYC.com High School Football Playoff Game of the Week. Not only do the Warriors advance to their first regional final since 2011, but they also snap an eight-game losing streak against the rival Bengals.
Both teams struggled to hang onto the football or take advantage of opportunities at times, and indeed the game started with a Walsh fumble on the opening kickoff followed by a blocked Benedictine field goal attempt. A 58-yard touchdown grab by Trey Bell gave the Warriors (11-2) a 10-7 first-quarter lead, and later a Tyrin Rodgers fumble recovery near the goal line led to a drive that ended in a Jack Romanini score that made it 17-7.
Benedictine (8-3) fought back to tie it after a Brandon Boyd interception set up a Javion Baker TD, and trailed only 24-20 at halftime when a long Boyd return led to a Christian Cora field goal. But the Bengals couldn't score at all after the break, as a Ceejay Yarboro pick and yet another fumble doomed them late.
Walsh will face Archbishop Hoban next Friday night in the Division II, Region 7 final at a to-be-determined neutral site. The two teams previously met back in Week 4, with the Knights prevailing over the Warriors 35-34 in double overtime.
You can re-listen to tonight's game in the player below, with Dave "Dino" DeNatale and Mark "Munch" Bishop on the mic. You can also scroll down for more scoring updates from around Northeast Ohio.
