ColumbusSports.com : Your place to stay informed and talk about the sports scene and sports teams in and around Columbus.

Darby gave their all, but fell to Coffman in the regional finals.

Saturday Night Finals 11/17 -- Last night's showdown between Dublin Coffman and Hilliard Darby did not disappoint on the thrill meter as the throng of some 10,000 fans who showed at Upper Arlington were treated to a wild shootout, with the Shamrocks coming out on top as a one TD victor. Coffman (13-0) started the scoring with a 58 yard TD completion from Zack Stoudt to OSU recruit Jake Stoneburner, and the two hooked up for another score later in the game. Stoudt threw for 319 yards on the night. Darby fought hard until the end, coming within one score but getting stopped on a fourth down play at the Coffman 5 yard line on a swing pass that came up short of the first down marker by inches. QB Jeremy Ebert threw 4 TD passes for Darby. Westfall's hero Seth Hardin was kept out of the endzone on the ground this week, but he caught two TD passes and had an interception on defense to lead Westfall (13-0) to the state semifinals as they held off a comeback and won after a missed fourth quarter two point conversion. Pleasant's Cody Harris threw for a TD and rushed for two others in the second quarter to overcome an early fumble and lead Pleasant (12-1) to another playoff win. RB Jake Lawrence had 146 rushing yards for Pleasant. In Division VI, RB Mark Nichols led the Newark Catholic Green Wave with 291 yards and 5 TDs, and also got a pick on defense to undermine a furious Shadyside comeback that included 4 TD passes. Local scores from last night were:

• Dublin Coffman  42, Hilliard Darby 35
• Pleasant  21, Pemberton Eastwood 12
• Westfall 14, St. Clairsville 12
• Newark Catholic 41, Shadyside 28

Storm Klein of Licking Valley is OSU and state bound.

Friday Night Finals 11/16 --  Ready continued its dominant push through the playoffs Friday night with a 35-7 pasting of Fredericktown, giving up only 5 first downs in the victory. Zac Dawson had 130 yards on the ground and Colin Leidinger added 123 for Ready, which set a school record with 12 victories. DeSales did not fare as well, bowing out of the post-season, but had a 63 yard TD pass from Thomas Gentile to Kenny Stafford in a comeback effort after falling behind big early. West Jefferson unfortunately was blanked last night and saw its state hopes dashed by last year's champ, Maria Stein (Marion Local). The Licking Valley Panthers paraded to victory, though, in a tight battle that saw 2009 OSU-bound junior Storm Klein blast into the endzone on fourth down in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. Klein was held modestly in check at 82 yards, but the Panthers as a team amassed 203 on the ground. Big Walnut kept up the big push through the playoffs, holding off Clyde's comeback, stopping 4 downs in Eagle territory inside the final 2 minute mark. QB Ethan Wetzel ran for 123, and Corey Wolfe added a 57 yard run and a 47 yard punt return. Local scores from last night:

• Licking Valley  21, Canal Fulton NW 17
• Bishop Ready  35, Fredericktown 7
• Louisville  25, DeSales 20
• Maria Stein (Marion Local) 24, West Jefferson 0
• Big Walnut  21, Clyde 14

Regional Final Preview for 11/16 and 11/17 -- The going gets tough now as many of the lower seeds have been eliminated in a year that has seen most regions in each of the six divisions top heavy with high seeds advancing. Higher seeds are winning at a 75% clip this year. Fredericktown (Div. V) is the lone semi-local exception at #7, but they must play #1 seed Ready at Olentangy Friday night in a game that is sure to attract many of the Silver Knight faithful.

Westfall's Seth Hardin lit up Waverly last week for 6 TDs and 442 ground yards, breaking a 1929 Ohio playoff rushing record.

The obvious game to attend this weekend in the Columbus area is the monumental battle at Upper Arlington on Saturday night between #1 and #3 Div. I seeds Hilliard Darby and Dublin Coffman, which boasts OSU recruit WR Jake Stoneburner. Darby QB Jeremy Ebert is headed to Northwestern and LB B.J. Machen has been recruited by the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech. However, getting a lot less attention is a potential gem to be played at Gahanna Saturday night in Div. IV between #1 St. Clairsville (12-0) and local powerhouse Westfall (12-0), whose RB Seth Hardin exploded the brains of stat geeks last week with 442 rushing yards and 6 TDs for the Mustangs, which is believed to have shattered a 1929 Ohio playoff record. Westfall has taken some heat for a supposedly soft schedule, so this will be a big one to watch.

Our neighbor to the north in Div. IV., Pleasant, travels to Findlay to take on #1 Pemberville Eastwood. Friday night, Div. II #1 DeSales (12-0) will play Louisville in Lexington, Big Walnut goes to Tiffin against Clyde, Licking Valley, boasting star RB junior and 2009 OSU bound Storm Klein, draws #1 Canal Fulton NW (12-0) at New Philadelphia, which is also the site for Newark Catholic's Saturday game against Shadyside, while a battle of the unbeatens in Div.V is staged between local favorite West Jefferson and perennial power Maria Stein (Marion Local) in Troy.

Tags: high school sports