And then the switch flipped. In what felt like a flash, the outcome suddenly was no longer in doubt.
Senior Max Deckard scored two defensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter as No. 2 Tippecanoe came to life and erupted for 26 unanswered points to win 33-16 over No. 1 London in the Division III, Region 12 title game Friday at Skyhawk Stadium in Fairborn.
“Nobody really knew what was going to happen, but our coach harps on never giving up, sticking with it, and fighting until the end,” Deckard said. “No one gave up. And that’s what happens.”
It’s the second regional title captured by Tipp in school history. The Red Devils other win came in 2022.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Tippecanoe (13-0) will face Bishop Watterson (12-0) in the state semifinals on Nov. 28. Watterson, the defending D-III state champion, won 43-0 against Steubenville in its Region 11 title game Friday at a site to be determined.
Deckard’s first score came on a fumble recovery to give Tipp the lead, and his second on a pick-six sealed the deal late.
“Max has been making plays for us all year,” said Red Devils coach Matt Burgbacher. “Defensively he’s only given up a couple receptions all year. ... He’s a playmaker. And we knew we had that chance today ... if we could get them behind by two scores, we knew they were going to have to throw the ball and we were hoping they would throw it to Max’s side.”
London revved up its offense late in the third quarter and carried its momentum over into the fourth with a 12-yard touchdown run to go up 16-7 with about 11 minutes to play. It was the largest deficit faced by Tipp this season, and only the second time at all it had trailed in a game. The Red Devils last trailed in a Week 7 game against Xenia.
Not even two minutes later, Tipp regained the lead.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Tipp suddenly found its urgency and three chunk plays, aided by a pass interference penalty, saw the Red Devils answer with a 79-yard drive taking only 36 seconds.
On London’s ensuing drive, a fumble on the second play led to a scoop and score by Deckard with 9:45 remaining that put Tipp ahead 20-16.
“They did that reverse play. We practiced it all week,” Deckard said. “[Senior] James Merry knew it was coming, he hit the ball as soon as they tried to reverse. The ball went about 10 yards back, no one around it. I just was hoping I didn’t fumble as soon as I picked it up.”
When it rained, it poured on London. And it began raining a lot.
Senior Drew Husic sacked London quarterback Blake Reay to force a three-and-out and a short punt set up Tipp on the plus-side of the 50. Senior Will Strong immediately took a pop pass 25 yards to get the Red Devils inside the 20. Senior Xavier Melton ran in a 6-yard score a few plays later to increase the lead to 10.
With London (12-1) running out of time and needing to attempt a third comeback win in a row, they were forced to leave their comfort zone and put the ball in the air. Deckard was ready and returned an interception to the house with 3:17 to play to seal the win.
“I was like, there’s no way this is happening right now,” he said. “It’s just a dream come true again.”
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“We talked about it all week and we saw it last week, the turnovers mean you got to take care of the football. We had zero,” Burgbacher said. “They had a couple. The backbreaker was the interception return for a touchdown to seal the deal.”
In all, Tippecanoe scored a touchdown on four of the combined five possessions by the two teams in the fourth quarter. Another interception made by senior Micah Pyles-Dodds put a cap on the Red Devils’ dominance.
Friday’s matchup was one of only two in the state featuring two undefeated teams playing for a regional title.
Tippecanoe grabbed a lead in the first quarter on a 45-yard touchdown pass on the junior connection between Larkin Thomas to Grant Titley. The Red Devils only picked up two first downs on its next four possessions and London eventually grabbed its first lead at 9-7 midway through the third quarter on a 37-yard field goal by Eli Noble.
The Red Raiders went up 16-7 on an early fourth quarter touchdown run by Bryston Toronto before Tipp began its comeback.
“It would have been easy down 16-7 to give in and quit,” Burgbacher said. “I got a headache, but I’m just so happy for those kids, because they earned this victory tonight.”
“Coach told us to make history for our school, and that’s exactly what we did,” Deckard said.
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