POWELL — In a season filled with tribulations, Whitmer football’s campaign ended with a tough loss.
On a night when the offense couldn’t finish plays and the defense made far too many driving-sustaining penalties, Whitmer fell 20-7 to Olentangy Liberty in a Division I, Region 2 first-round playoff game at Liberty.
“I’m proud of ’em, they fought hard all year,” Whitmer coach Ken Winters said. “They’ve went through a lot, they lost two teammates through the past year, that’s hard enough. To come out and fight hard every day, I’m proud of them.”
Liberty (6-5) scored on its first possession, a 10-play, 80-yard march capped by a 2-yard scoring plunge by Ryan Schapker, to take a 7-0 lead.
Then the game turned into a battle of grind-it-out possessions for both teams.
Whitmer came up empty on a 13-play drive, turning it over on downs, but managed to keep Liberty at bay for nearly the remainder of the half. The Panthers (7-4) marched into scoring territory on a 12-play drive, but came up empty with 3:20 remaining on a poor field-goal snap and subsequent incomplete pass into the end zone.
"We responded after their scoring drive, really made them work," Winters said. "We fell apart a little before the half. That missed field goal was really big for us."
It became even bigger when Liberty drove from its own 15 into scoring position, nailing a 29-yard field goal as the half expired.
Whitmer had more fits and starts in the second half, staying strong on defense, but going three and out on both of its third quarter possessions.
Another Liberty field goal moved the lead to 13-0, which took Whitmer out of its comfort zone and into more of a passing mindset. Quarterback Brady Ford, who finished 9-for-21 for 94 yards and a touchdown, got hot in the fourth quarter, until his bomb was picked off at the 5-yard line by Nathan Maag, who rumbled 95 yards untouched for the score, pushing the margin to 20-0.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard with 3:11 remaining when Ford found Devin Morgan for an 8-yard touchdown.
Liberty made a concerted effort to pinch plays to the inside so they could handle Whitmer running back Taron Crawford. For the most part, it was successful.
Crawford was a workhorse, carrying 19 times for a hard-fought 59 yards. Ford had 59 yards on the ground, and Armon Bowman was a weapon early on jet and fly sweeps, netting 40 yards on seven carries.
"We did a solid job running the ball, we just couldn't finish," Winters said.
Liberty coach Steve Hale knew his team would be in for a dogfight, so he was thrilled with the way it answered every challenge.
"We were able to take away some of their weapons," Hale said. "We know their offense can be dangerous. We did a really nice job up front pushing them off the line and running the football. We got momentum early and really never let them back into the game."
The Panthers were, at times, their own worst enemy, committing eight first-half penalties, including an unsportsmanlike conduct violation and a personal foul, both assessed at the end of the half and marked off on the first possession of the second half. Liberty kicked off from the Whitmer 30 and nearly recovered an onside kick attempt, but was flagged for illegal touching.
In all, the Panthers were whistled for 14 penalties.
Whitmer also had a pair of face-mask penalties, a pass interference, and three offside violations, all of which kept Patriots drives going. The offside penalties were especially aggravating as the Panthers were trying to get a jump on the snap count.
“That’s been the story all year, we’ve been our own worst enemy," Winters said. "We’ve done it all year and that’s why we haven't been able to win the big games.”
First Published October 29, 2022, 3:16 a.m.
