High school football playoffs: Medina fades, loses to Canton McKinley

CANTON — Looking for its second playoff upset in as many weeks, the 11th-seeded Medina football team gave third-seeded Canton McKinley all it could handle for three quarters Friday before fading in a 30-7 Division I, Region 1 quarterfinal at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Behind three touchdowns by Shad Davis (13 carries, 83 yards), the Bulldogs (9-2) scored the final 23 points, including 16 in the pivotal fourth quarter. "It's tough," Medina senior quarterback Beckett Vogrin said. "These are my brothers that I've had since I was 5, 6 years old. I've played my whole life with them and love them all to death. It's hard." Vogrin went 13-for-31 for 123 yards and two interceptions but engineered a game-tying, 81-yard touchdown drive coming out of halftime. Power running set up an 18-yard touchdown to Ashton Knowles on a streak in which Knowles beat his man badly for the score. Vogrin added a team-high 33 yards on 13 carries. The Bulldogs advanced to play at second-seeded Mentor (11-0) in a regional semifinal. The Bees (4-8) played stellar defense in the first half to keep the game close, making a series of game-changing plays after falling behind 7-0 on the first drive, when Davis ran in for a score on a 3-yard sweep to the left. A sack by Medina's Cliff Nicholson and a pass breakup by Dylan Pay set up two punts that began to shift momentum. Johnny Nunn then recovered a botched snap after McKinley drove to the Medina 26, and Cooper Sokolowski picked off Bulldogs quarterback Trent Hayden late in the first half on the Bees 5-yard line. "In the first half, we knew we had a shot when no one else thought we did," Sokolowski said. "We stayed in there. That's about it." Medina was fired up to be down only one touchdown and knowing it would get the ball to start the third quarter. "It was just about doing it for everybody," Nicholson said. "We fought, we fought, we fought: 7-0 going into halftime, we're running into the tunnel getting hyped. We didn't pull it out, but we made it happen with what we had (in the first half)." The touchdown drive by Medina sparked an offense that was dormant in the first half, gaining just 28 yards to 180 for McKinley. The Bees had 25 penalty yards in the first half and finished with 189 yards total offense for the game. After Medina tied the game, McKinley recovered an onside kick and went 55 yards while using primarily toss sweeps to Davis out of the T-formation with leading rusher Kyelin West (20 carries, 132 yards) and Isaac Brooks also in the backfield. Davis put the Bulldogs ahead 14-7 on a 2-yard run with 2:22 left in the third quarter. "We gave them no options but to (switch to the T-formation)," Nicholson said. Three of McKinley's four touchdowns were scored after failed onside kicks. After a Medina punt, Davis scored from 3 yards for a 21-7 lead. The Bees then drove deep into McKinley territory. Vogrin tried to find leading receiver Brian Wuchter (5 catches, 43 yards), but the two couldn't connect and Damere McClellan picked off the pass to squash Medina's momentum. "Wuchter is an amazing receiver, spectacular," Vogrin said. "I did too much trying to make a play and trying to let him make a play because of how great he is." Medina started its next offensive series pinned back and tried a double lateral pass, but the throw back to Vogrin was off the mark and went out of bounds in the end zone for a safety. Derrick Gordon III took advantage of great field position after a failed onside kick and scored from 28 yards for the final score with 2:29 left. Despite the loss, Medina players left with their heads held high after upsetting No. 6 seed Strongsville in the first round of the playoffs. "I can't say any bad things because we're at the hall of fame stadium," Nicholson said. "In June, the goal was to win a playoff game. To feel this high feels amazing, because I know we worked our (butts) off and we just kept fighting." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Division I, Region 1 Quarterfinal Canton McKinley 30, Medina 7 MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;0 0 7 0 — 7 McKINLEY &emsp;&emsp;7 0 7 16 — 30 First Mc — Shad Davis 3 run (Thomas Mankowski kick), 7:58. Third Me — Ashton Knowles 18 pass from Beckett Vogrin (Landen Cusick kick), 7:44. Mc — Davis 2 run (Mankowski kick), 2:22. Fourth Mc — Davis 3 (Mankowski kick), 9:44. Mc — Safety (ball lateraled out of end zone), 2:52. Mc — Derrick Gordon III 28 run (Mankowski kick), 2:29. &emsp;&emsp;Me &emsp;&emsp;Mc First downs &emsp;&emsp;13 &emsp;&emsp;19 Rushing &emsp;&emsp;23/68 48/258 Rushing average &emsp;&emsp;3.0 &emsp;&emsp;5.4 Passing &emsp;&emsp;13/31 &emsp;&emsp;7/10 Passing yards &emsp;&emsp;123 &emsp;&emsp;70 Total offense &emsp;&emsp;54/191 58/328 Punting &emsp;&emsp;5/46.6 3/37.0 Penalties &emsp;&emsp;6/40 &emsp;&emsp;6/45 Fumbles &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;2/0 &emsp;&emsp;2/1 RUSHING: Medina — Vogrin 13-33, Brian Wuchter 6-20, Syd Lloyd 2-10, River Blomquist 1-3, Caleb Sherman 1-2. McKinley — Kyelin West 20-132, Davis 13-83, Gordon 8-50, Isaac Brooks 1-1, Braylon Crook 3-0, Trent Hayden 3-(-8). PASSING: Medina — Vogrin 13-31-123-2. McKinley — Hayden 7-10-70-1. RECEIVING: Medina — Wuchter 5-43, Sherman 2-38, Knowles 1-18, Lloyd 3-10, Jayden Taglicod 1-7, Blomquist 1-7. McKinley — Darius Hill 3-56, Gordon 2-11, Deejay Britt 1-3, West 1-0.