@e-rocc said:

Didn't end up mattering.....

Dynamic duo does it for Maple Heights

Tim Rogers, The Plain Dealer, November 28, 2009 7 a.m.

When you have a pair of thoroughbreds it is silly not to ride them to the finish line.

That's what Maple Heights did Friday when it rode the running talents of quarterback Shaq Washington and running back DeVonte Ransom to a surprising 21-17 victory over top-seeded Lake Catholic in a Division II state semifinal game at Bedford's Bearcat Stadium.

When it came down to the final drive, a drive the Mustangs had to have end with a touchdown, the ball -- and Maple's playoff fortunes -- was in their hands.

Washington, a 5-7, 170-pound junior transfer from Glenville, finished with 193 yards rushing on 30 carries and scored the touchdown that gave his team a 13-10 lead in the third quarter.

Ransom, a 5-9, 180-pound senior, had 129 yards on 18 carries.

The game-winning drive, which erased a 17-13 deficit, was a six-play, 65-yard display of efficiency that took 2:07 and a lifetime to complete, as the Mustangs will make the school's first appearance in next week's state championship game against Cincinnati Winton Woods.

The drive started at the Maple 35 and Washington and Ransom did not hesitate to get it under way. It was Shaq up the middle on a keeper for 16 yards and then Ransom around right end for 14. Three more carries by Washington got the ball to the Lake Catholic 22, where it faced a first down at the Lake 10. Ransom, who had scored Maple's first touchdown on a one-yard plunge in the second quarter, went in motion on a play they call a Jet Sweep.

He took the handoff from Washington and skirted around left end, diving over the goal line from about three yards as LeVon Perkins did a nice job of leading the blocking.

The Mustangs (12-2) went back to the same play for a two-point conversion, only this time Ransom had it considerably easier and he side-stepped his way into the end zone.

"I liked the dive on the touchdown," Washington said of his teammate.

Coach Todd Filtz said his team never hesitated, even when it fell behind.

"We never missed a beat," he said. "We've been behind before. In fact, we've been behind in every game in the post-season. The kids know they can put points on the board just about from anywhere on the field."