Liberty doubles up Moeller for D-I crown

DIVISION I OL. LIBERTY 28MOELLER 14CANTON –Christian Moulton caught eight passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns in leading Powell Olentangy Liberty to a 28-14 win over Cincinnati Moeller in the Division I state championship game at Canton's Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday.Liberty quarterback Andrew Leonard completed 17-of-23 passes for 272 yards, including touchdown strikes to Moulton covering 14, 20, and 61 yards. The 61-yard catch-and-run score put Liberty up 21-7 with 7:05 left in the third quarter.Cooper Gearhart returned a fumble 80 yards for one of Moeller's two scores. DIVISION VII MARION LOCAL 74HILLSDALE 0CANTON – Maria Stein Marion Local extended its state-record winning streak to 64 games and won its 15th state championship—most of any school in state history—by defeating Jeromesville Hillsdale, 74-0, in the Division VII state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.Marion Local completed its fourth consecutive 16-0 season. Hillsdale finishes 14-2 after advancing to its first state championship game.Parker Hess carried the ball five times for just 36 yards in the first half, but scored four touchdowns on runs of 4, 3, 1 and 3 yards to tie a Division VII state championship game record.Victor Hoelscher caught a 37-yard touchdown pass and returned a punt 66 yards for a score as part of Marion Local's 33-point first quarter, the second-most points scored in a quarter in state championship game history regardless of division.Ethan Heitkamp scored on runs of 1 and 12 yards and finished with 57 yards on six carries. Justin Knouff was Marion Local's leading rusher—all 60 of his yards came on a touchdown run in the second quarter—and he completed 4-of-6 passes for 94 yards and the touchdown pass to Hoelscher.Marion Local finished with 345 total yards on 33 plays while holding Hillsdale to 75 total yards. The Flyers' 74 points set a Division VII title game record and rank second in state championship game history across all divisions. DIVISION III WATTERSON 19TOL. CENT. CATH 14 CANTON – Bishop Watterson scored a long fourth-down play midway through the fourth quarter, then converted a key fourth- down on a game-winning drive that earned the Eagles a 19-14 win over Toledo Central Catholic in Friday's Division III state championship game.Toledo Central Catholic, looking to claim a third straight state title, led 7-0 at the half and 14-13 on Jeremiah Fuller's 87-yard kickoff return after Waterson had tied the game.Watterson pulled within 14-13 when Dominic Theado hauled in a long TD pass from Drew Belisari on fourth down. TCC's Antonio Elizondo blocked the PAT kick, keeping the Irish ahead 14-13.Following another key completion on Waterson's next possession, Belisari snuck into the end zone to put the Eagles up 19-14 in the final minutes.Bishop Watteron's defense then sealed the win, coming up with a third-down sack and a fourth-down stop with 44 seconds on the clock.Bishop Waterson capped a 16-0 season and avenged a loss to TCC in last year's state championship game. Central Catholic finished 14-2. DIVISION II AVON 20CIN. ANDERSON 13 CANTON – On a frigid, snow-covered field at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Avon quarterback Nolan Good ran for 190 yards and a score and passed for 143 yards and a touchdown to lead his team to a 20-13 win over Cincinnati Anderson in the 2024 Division II state championship game.Avon capped a perfect 16-0 season with its first state title, while Anderson (15-1) finished runner-up for the second time (2008) to go along with a state title in 2007.Avon posted 437 yards of offense in the wintry conditions, and the Eagles' defense came up with two fourth-quarter stops to seal the win.Quiante' Smith scored on a 10-yard run with 3:54 left in the third quarter to give Avon a 20-13 lead, and Anderson drove inside the Avon 10-yard line on the ensuing possession. A goalline stand by the Eagles' defense included a fourth-down stop at the 2-yard line and gave Avon the ball back with 10:18 remaining.Avon moved the ball inside Anderson's 20-yard line and drained nearly six minutes off the fourth quarter clock, but an interception ended the drive and Anderson took over at its own 3-yard line with 4:28 left. Eighteen plays later, Anderson faced fourth-and-9 from the Avon 22 with 8 seconds left; a throw into the end zone was broken up as time expired.Good's 190 rushing yards came on 19 carries, while he completed 8 of 15 passes for 143 yards.Cincinnati Anderson quarterback Justice Burnam ran 32 times for 148 yards and completed 19 of 33 throws for 150 yards and a score.