PERRYSBURG — Perrysburg jumped to a 24-0 halftime lead, and then held on to defeat Delaware Olentangy Berlin, 24-8, at Steinecker Stadium Friday.
In the first half, Perrysburg accumulated 237 total yards, holding the Golden Bears to 37 and the Yellow Jackets held a 16-2 advantage in first downs. Time of possession favored the Yellow Jackets, 18:14 to 5:43.
“Everything was working. We dominated,” Perrysburg senior quarterback T.J. Takats said. “We got up early and stayed up the whole game. We got a good win, and we advance to the Sweet 16 now.”
University of Toledo-bound Perrysburg senior running back Connor Walendzak ran for 134 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns in the first half, while the Jackets’ defense held the Bears to six yards rushing.
“To be able to come out like that gave us a big confidence booster for sure,” Walendzak said. “I think we came out and we knew that was going to happen.
“We were confident in our guys. They have a little different defensive scheme, so we’ve been working all week,” he said. “Maybe we caught them by a little bit of a surprise that we were able to effectively run the ball so well but hats off to the offensive line to be able to do that.”
Perrysburg coach Dirk Connor said the strong first half fit in perfectly with the coaching staff’s gameplan.
“This turned into the type of game we wanted it to be,” Conner said. “We thought we could grind, we thought we could be physical up front and we did that tonight.
“If you want to win this time of year you have to win up front and you have got to be physical. I’m just super proud of those guys up front,” Conner continued. “Hats off to our receivers. They blocked so well tonight, and they kind of knew that when we prepared for this week — this was going to be a running game.
“So, for them to jump in and do it, these guys don’t care what their stats are. They just want to win, and we were able to do that tonight.”
Walendzak ran for 33 and two-yard touchdowns, Takats ran for a one-yard score, and senior kicker A.J. Bibbs booted a 28-yard field goal and went 3-for-3 on conversion kicks.
In the third quarter Berlin mounted its first sustained drive of the game, scoring on a three-yard run by junior back Mason Ziegler.
Junior quarterback Harrison Brewster hit senior Jared Moeller on a two-point conversion pass, bringing the Bears to within two possessions, 24-8, with 5:45 remaining in the third.
Berlin had two more second half possessions, but the first drive died at the Perrysburg 35, and the second possession resulted in a punt.
Walendzak became the workhorse in the second half as the Yellow Jackets consumed clock, finishing with 180 yards rushing on 27 carries.
Walendzak said the offensive line was awesome.
“They played well the whole game. They fought a ton of stuff,” he said. “They (Berlin) made a ton of adjustments in the second half, so to be able to come out and handle all of those and still be able to run the ball effectively — credit goes to them.”
On a fourth-and-one at the Perrysburg 43, Walendzak took a wildcat snap and got the necessary two yards with just over three minutes remaining, and Berlin never got their offense on the field again.
“It is always awesome to be able to come out and know that I was able to help my team win it big in the second week of the playoffs,” Walendzak said. “A week 12 win to be able to go on to week 13, and just be able to do that with the guys out here, I’m really proud and really happy for us.”
Takats is ready to hand out the awards to Walendzak and his offensive line after what he saw Friday.
“The O-line did a really good job today,” Takats said. “Connor Walendzak, he should win Mr. Ohio, that is all I can say.”
Berlin came out the second half with a lot of emotion and changed up their schemes, switching to their passing game.
“They started bringing the house the second half, but we still had to stick to the game plan,” Takats said. “It’s been a heck of a season.”
Conner like the way his team responded to Berlin’s second half comeback attempt, but he won’t refer to it as a “response.” It’s just football, the coach said.
“I think they responded fine. I think we’re getting to the point we don’t have to respond. There is no emotional change or response when things happen,” Conner said. “It’s play the next play. This is big-boy D-I football and the other team is going to do something good once in a while. Keep playing.”
Perrysburg ended with 324 offensive total yards to Berlin’s 168, the Jackets had a 22-12 advantage in first downs, plus the Jackets had no penalties or turnovers.
Takats ran for 45 yards on 14 carries and junior back Nick Oros ran four times for 17 yards.
Takats completed 11-of-14 passes for 84 yards. He threw six passes to senior receiver Jack Borer for 49 yards and junior receiver Gavin Fenneken caught four passes for 17 yards.
On defense, 6-4, 190-pound junior linebacker Andrew Hunt had a sack for a seven-yard loss, and sophomore defensive back Grey Swanson had a first quarter interception, setting up Bibb’s field goal.
Perrysburg, 11-1, advances to the Division I regional semifinal round of the state playoffs, where the Yellow Jackets will face Powell Olentangy Liberty (7-5), 28-14 winners over Dublin Jerome (9-3) Friday, at a neutral site next Friday.
“Hats off to my kids, I’ve got an amazing coaching staff that just did a tremendous job. Just an awesome night,” Conner said.
For Berlin (8-4), Brewster completed 11 of 15 passes for 96 yards, including three to Moeller for 31 yards, and Brewster ran for 47 yards on 10 carries.
