High School Football: Valley View hangs on, beats Oakwood 20-19

The Spartans held on and beat Oakwood 20-19 on Friday at Niswonger Field in a Southwestern Buckeye League matchup that lived up to the billing.

Valley View senior running back Anthony Valenti broke free on a 40-yard TD run up the middle with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter to give the squad a 20-13 lead.

Credit: Bryant Billing

Credit: Bryant Billing

Valley View and Oakwood each turned it over on downs deep in each other’s territory. The Lumberjacks then drove inside the 10-yard line after a series of short gains.

It took three tries, but Devine broke through a mass of players on a run up the middle on a third-and-one with 2:42 left to cut the gap to one point.

A bad snap after their previous touchdown had cost the Lumberjacks the lead and resulted in the game staying tied 13-13.

Oakwood tried for a two-point conversion this time. After a Valley View timeout, senior quarterback Zach Lutz took a few steps back and threw a short pass over the middle to Devine, who was being covered by Valenti. He leapt to try and catch it, but it just went over his left hand.

The Lumberjacks didn’t recover an onside kickoff, and Valley View ran out the clock.

The Spartans (5-1, 3-0 SWBL Buckeye) have won five straight since opening the season with a 49-48 overtime loss to Coldwater.

It was the first loss for Oakwood (5-1, 2-1), which is off to its best start since 2008.

This story will be updated with quotes from Valenti, Valley View coach Matt King and Oakwood coach Jay Lane, as well as more photos.

Oakwood led 7-6 at halftime. Both squads quickly scored in the second half.

The Spartans went on a lengthy drive to open the quarter and capped it when Valenti hauled in a 12-yard TD catch with 7:09 left to give the squad a 13-6 lead.

The Lumberjacks scored soon after on a 62-yard TD reception by Michael Woeste. But a bad snap doomed the extra-point attempt, resulting in a 13-13 tie with 7:05 left.

Valley View turned it over on downs deep in Oakwood territory. The Lumberjacks then did the same with about 90 seconds left in the quarter.

Each squad punted on their first possession in the first half, then Oakwood turned it over on downs near Valley View’s 30-yard line. The Spartans drove and scored on a 36-yard TD reception by Valenti with 1:58 left in the first quarter, but Oakwood blocked the extra point to keep the lead 6-0.

The Lumberjacks punted early in the second. Valley View turned it over on downs, then Oakwood quickly scored on a 48-yard TD reception by Urban Kummerer to take a 7-6 lead with 4:30 left after a successful extra-point attempt.

Valley View is scheduled to travel to Madison in Week 7 while Oakwood is scheduled to host Brookville.