Hartley beats Steubenville for D-IV title as time expires

MaxPreps Ohio Minute
60 seconds of high school highlights from around the Buckeye State.

Division IV State Final: Bishop Hartley (Columbus) 24, Steubenville 21

BOX SCORE/STATS

WHAT WE LEARNED

1. Deja Vu all over again: For the second straight year Hartley beat Steubenville by three in a closely contested state championship. Last year the Hawks won 31-28 in a game that wasn’t decided until an interception with 44 seconds to go. This season the game wasn’t decided until the last snap - a 31-yard field goal for the win by Matteo Agriesti.

2. Four of a Kind: Hartley became the 12th school in state history to win four state titles.

3. Five of a Kind: Steubenville moved into a second-place tie with Coldwater, Columbus DeSales and Mogadore for most state runner-up finishes with five. Big Red also finished second in 1987, 1988, 2007 and 2014. Ironton and Newark Catholic have finished runner-up six times.

4. Turn of events: The game’s biggest play came with 1:32 left when Steubenville attempted a 41-yard field goal for the lead. The kick was no good and Hartley linebacker Cody Kirkbride returned the miss 59 yards to set up the game-winning drive. Four plays later Agriesti’s kick ended the drama.

5. Close Call: Had Steubenville been able to pull out the win, Big Red would have tied the D-IV state final mark for largest deficit overcome (14 points). Steubenville trailed 21-7 in the second quarter.

TOP PLAYERS

*Marquette Dixon, sr., RB, Hartley
Ran for 178 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries.

*Nick Onega, sr., RB, Hartley
Ripped off a 62-yard run en route to 107 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

*Jalen Mcgee, sr., Rb, Steubenville
Carried the ball 20 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. Had eight tackles, a sack, a tackle-for-loss and a forced fumble.

*Charles Reeves Jr., sr., TE, Steubenville
Caught three passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. Had three tackles.

*Jaden Manley, sr., DB, Hartley
Had four tackles, two tackles-for-loss, two pass break-ups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Also caught one pass for a 32-yard touchdown.

*Cody Kirkbride, sr., LB, Hartley
Had team-high nine tackles. Also had a tackle-for-loss and forced fumble and returned a missed field goal 59 yards to set up the game-winning kick.

*Zane Zimish, sr., LB, Steubenville
Had a game-high 10 tackles.

STATS/NUGGETS/NOTES

6 - Number of pass break-ups Hartley defenders had.

58 - The numbers of games (out of a possible 60) that both the senior classes at Hartley and Steubenville played in. Both teams made the final the past two years and lost in state semifinals in 2013 and 2014.

8,636 - Attendance.