A fourth quarter defensive scoop and score propelled Meadowdale to a 19-13 victory over rival Dunbar on Friday night at Welcome Stadium and their second straight Dayton City League title.
Raye-Redmond, a senior, recovered a fumbled snap near midfield and returned it 52 yards untouched for the go-ahead score with 6:11 remaining.
“I was just trying not to fumble it and made sure I scored to win the game,” Raye-Redmond said. “...We were just trying to make a stop because a couple big plays was my fault, and when I got the scoop and score all that went out the window.”
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Meadowdale head coach Elliot Dangerfield pointed at his chest before the team walked off the field and informed him, “you won the game for us.”
“I thought the quarterback had jumped back on it, but then I saw my guy skirt out and I think ran half the distance with him down the sideline,” Dangerfield said.
Dunbar had a final chance to potentially tie or take the lead and drove the ball back to midfield before a sack and dropped pass ended their chances. Meadowdale ran out the final 1:56 of the clock.
“This is just extraordinary after the long drought and I don’t know the last time we went back to back,” Dangerfield said. “It feels great and these kids, all these young men, deserve it.”
The wait between championships was a much shorter one for Meadowdale this time than the 25 years the program endured from 1999 until last season.
Meadowdale (5-5, 4-0) never trailed Friday, but Dunbar never went away.
Meadowdale grabbed the lead on its opening drive when Courtney Russell hauled in a screen pass and weaved through the defense for a 49-yard touchdown. His defense produced three consecutive three-and-outs to start the game before the Wolverines found some success of its own.
A long punt return by Ulysses Porter got his offense near the red zone late in the first half. After a William Wilson reception got the ball down to the 2-yard line, Porter punched it in to make it a 7-6 game at halftime.
“I knew both defenses were playing pretty tough, and it was going to take a long drive,” Dangerfield said. “And we had time on our side.”
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Much like the first half, the Lions opened the second with another scoring drive capped off on a short run by Dominick Ramsey. Dunbar (3-7, 3-1) blocked the ensuing extra point and seemingly began to seize momentum afterward.
The Wolverines got its own defensive stand with a fourth down stop at its own 10 late in the third quarter. Multiple penalties backed up its offense on its next possession, but a double pass on a fourth and long play saw Wilson make as diving catch to extend the drive.
Porter ran in his second touchdown of the game two plays later to tie the game 13-13.
Dunbar got a three-and-out on defense and had the ball back at Meadowdale’s 48-yard line before Raye-Redmond’s heads up play dashed its hopes.
“It’s just special to our coaches, players, principal and everybody,” Raye-Redmond said.
The OHSAA will announce its playoff pairings on Sunday and neither team is expected to mathematically qualify.
Meadowdale won two trophies, one for beating Dunbar, and another for winning the league championship, that it still is raising high.
“No better way to go out than like that,” Dangerfield said. “Win your championship back-to-back and take the seniors out on the right foot.”
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