BLOOMDALE — Elmwood outscored Tinora 27-3 in the second half to win, 34-15, in a Division V regional quarterfinal playoff game Friday.
The Royals, 11-1, will get to play their Wood County rivals, Eastwood (12-0) in a regional semifinal next Friday at a site to be determined. Tinora finishes the season 8-4.
During the regular season, the Eagles defeated the Royals in the Battle of the Woods, 49-48, in a game that ultimately determined the championship of the Northern Buckeye Conference.
To get there, however, Elmwood had to overcome a 15-7 third quarter deficit to defeat Tinora Friday by scoring 27 points unanswered.
The Rams scored first on a safety after blocking a punt, and a 23-yard field goal gave the Rams a 5-0 first quarter lead.
Elmwood senior running back Mason Oliver scored on a 45-yard run to put the Royals up 7-5 with 2:38 remaining in the first quarter.
After Tinora missed a second field goal attempt, the Rams got the ball back and scored on a 13-yard pass to junior Grady Gustwiller, taking a 12-7 lead with 41 seconds remaining until halftime.
Senior Connor Endicott scored from nine yards out, senior quarterback Hayden Wickard scored from six yards, and Alex Arnold scored from 39 and 10 yards to account for Elmwood’s 27 second half points, which also included a two-point conversion and one-point conversion kick.
Wickard completed 15-of-26 passes for 148 yards, including six to Mason Mossbarger for 92 yards, five to Micah Oliver for 35 yards, two to Arnold for 25 yards, and three to Endicott for 24 yards.
Mason Oliver ran for 127 yards on 18 carries, Wickard had 81 yards on eight carries, and Arnold ran for 70 yards on 10 carries.
Endicott led the Elmwood defense with six tackles and four assists and Adam Meyer had four tackles and four assists.
