UP THE MIDDLE — Big Red’s Savier Faulks rushes through a hole for yardage against Sheridan’s defense during Friday’s Division IV, Region 15 Championship at New Philadelphia’s Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium. — Andrew Grimm
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NEW PHILADELPHIA — “Love and trust.”
Those are the words Hall of Fame Big Red head coach Reno Saccoccia used to describe what propelled his team to a second-straight regional title on Friday night.
Savier Faulks broke a 58-yard touchdown run with 5:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Big Red defense came up big late to propel top-seeded Steubenville to its 13th-straight win and second-consecutive Region 15 championship with a 14-7 victory inside Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium.
“Love and trust in each other,” Saccoccia said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that love and trust in each other, and it was evident (Friday).
“Love and trust, love and trust.”
With the win, Big Red will play in the Division IV state semifinals for a second-straight year. They will take on Kettering Archbishop Alter next Friday for a chance at a trip to Canton.
“We’ve won 20 of these in 40 years … but every single one is special and this one is special,” Saccoccia said of the regional title.
Faulks’s go-ahead score capped what was a 168-yard night for the senior on 28 totes of the pigskin.
As big as his late score was, perhaps the stand by the defense that preceded it was even bigger.
With the score knotted at 7-7 and the No. 2 seed Generals (12-2) marching deep in the Big Red end, Big Red’s interior line made a key stop on a third down play to set up a fourth-and-2 at the Steubenville 21.
Sheridan QB Caden Sheridan, who finished with 154 rushing yards in the game, was wrestled to the ground shy of the marker — a long discussion and a measurement confirming the huge stop for the Big Red D.
“There were a lot of big plays, but that was a very big play,” Saccoccia said. “In a game like this, every play is a big play, but that play was a big play.”
“When we lined up, I thought we had the edge. Their kid shed a block and made a play,” Sheridan head coach Paul Culver said. “I felt like we were a play away. You look for breaks in games like this, and we had a chance to make our break, and didn’t do it. But, credit to them for making that play.”
After Faulks’ score, which came after a key third down completion by Aydan Manning to Jace Kernahan, the defense came up big again, forcing a turnover on downs and then, on the last drive of the game, Kyleigh Hopkins came up with a fumble recovery to clinch the victory.
Big Red’s first score came on the final play of the first quarter. Jalen Minniefield, who finished with 85 yards on just six carries, broke free for a 45-yarder as the clock hit zeros.
That came after Big Red had thrown an interception in the end zone on its first drive and turned it over on down inside the 20 on its second.
“It wasn’t pretty, but it was a hard-fought game,” Saccoccia said. “We overcame a lot of mistakes and a lot of adversity — mistakes by the coaches and the players.”
The Generals knotted the score on a 5-yard scoring run by Sheridan in the second quarter.
From then until Faulk’s game-winning run in the fourth, the defenses held serve.
Manning left the game with an injury at one point but returned to complete four of his last five passes. He finished with 112 yards on the night, hitting Isaac Hill for four of his seven completions for 59 yards.
The state semifinal will be played at Westerville Central High School next Friday night.