Girard snaps Barnesville football's perfect season in Division V regional semifinals
· Yahoo Sports
BARNESVILLE − The Girard Indians' high-powered offense cleared their toughest postseason hurdle yet on Friday, Nov. 13, marching into Shamrock Stadium and ending Barnesville's undefeated season with a 39-26 victory in the OHSAA Division V Region 17 football semifinals.
With the win, the 12-0 Indians advance to the regional final, while a historic Shamrocks campaign concludes at 11-1.
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Early lead and a halftime lead
The Indians wasted no time setting the tone in front of a packed crowd, marching down the field on the opening drive to take a 7-0 lead.
Barnesville − accustomed to dictating the pace behind a physical ground game all season −answered right back. The Shamrocks leaned on their offensive line to push into the red zone, where senior running back Trey Toliver punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 7-7. It was the 102nd rushing touchdown of Toliver's storied career.
Girard reclaimed the momentum just before halftime, with Pearson engineering a crisp scoring drive capped by a play fake and 16-yard pass down the left sideline to Joey Alejars with 28 seconds left in the first half to give the Indians a 14-7 advantage.
Pearson and Indians pull away
Girard controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the third quarter, accumulating 405 yards of total offense on the night. Pearson delivered a big performance, accounting for six total touchdowns. He rushed for 69 yards and four scores on 17 carries, while completing 13 of 19 passes for 189 yards and two more scores.
Running back Christian Mahone also did damage early, piling up 102 yards on 13 carries in the first half to keep the Shamrocks' front seven off balance. Pearson added a pair of TD runs in the second half to stretch the Indians lead to 39-20, putting Barnesville in an unfamiliar two-score hole late.
Shamrocks fight to final whistle
Facing elimination on their home turf, the Shamrocks refused to fold. With Girard loading the box to contain Toliver, limiting the workhorse back to 86 yards on 23 carries, Barnesville turned to the air.
Senior quarterback Colt Carpenter stepped up in the pocket, finishing 12 of 19 passing for 154 yards. He spread the ball to his perimeter targets and connected with Phoenix Graham for a 4-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter. Girard's defense stiffened on the ensuing Barnesville possession, halting the Shamrocks' final comeback bid and slamming the door on their unbeaten season.
Girard advances to face top-seeded Perry in next week's Region 17 championship game.
Afterward, Barnesville coach Blake Allen credited Girard's defensive front for bottling up the Shamrocks potent rushing attack and took full responsibility for waiting too long to lean into the passing game.
"They had a big front and did a good job containing Trey and our ground game," Allen said. "We started to open it up there in the fourth quarter−I probably should have done that earlier in the game. But hats off to them, they have a great team."
Allen praises resilient senior class
Despite the ending, Allen reflected with pride on the grit of a tight-knit senior class that weathered significant roster attrition to deliver an 11-1 final season.
"I'm proud of our kids, the seniors, the fight they showed all year," Allen said. "I think this is the most resilient group we have had. They faced a lot of adversity during their career, they started with 20 their freshman year and we are down to 12. Just all heart, all grit, and I'm so proud of them."
Allen singled out the leadership of Carpenter, who took over the reins under center despite offseason uncertainty at the QB spot, alongside the efforts of Toliver and the Shamrocks' veterans along the trenches, including Christien Hannahs, Braxton Byers, Kaiden Berry and Graham.
"We didn't even know who was our quarterback was going to be to start the year," Allen added. "Colt Carpenter stepped in and was a warrior−,you saw that out there tonight. Trey and his outstanding nightly effort and the special season and career he put together. Our line with Christien Hannahs, Braxon Byers, Kaiden Berry, Phoenix Gram−all of them. Just a great group, we love them."
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This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Girard snaps Barnesville football's perfect season in Division V regional semifinals