Colerain Youth Overpowers Wayne

Colerain (Ohio) uses sophomore running backs to power themselves into the third round over Huber Heights Wayne.

Huber Heights Wayne (Ohio) knew coming in they would have a tough battle on their hands. With super sophomore Braxton Miller in street clothes, the Warriors would look to knock off Colerain at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.

From the opening kickoff the Warriors faced adversity. Senior running back Erique Geiger, who has been the key to the Warriors offense since Miller's injury, would find his day cut short as he was knocked out returning the opening kickoff. Geiger would never return, and the Warriors never recovered.

Behind offensive lineman Brandon White, Colerain would grind out 345 yards rushing. Junior quarterback Greg Tabar led the Cardinals with 146 yards, while sophomores Trayion Durham and Tyler Williams combined for 193 yards with Williams scoring 3 touchdowns.

Without Geiger Wayne looked for sophomore Anthone Taylor to pick up the slack. Taylor who missed all the regular season due to academic issues, would carry the ball 17 times for 80 yards. But the Warriors failed to score with their closest attempt coming on a missed field goal from 38 yards.

Defensively senior safety Javon Marshall would carry the load for the Warriors with 18 total tackles (13 solo). Junior Josh Harrison would add 8 but the effort wasn't enough to stop the Cardinals.

Colerain is not only young and talented on offense but also on the defensive side of the ball. Sophomore Chris Dukes and junior Jovant Harrison led the way with 7 tackles apiece. Dukes a 5-foot-9 160-pound cornerback also had 3 pass break-ups on the day.

The victory advances Colerain to the Region 4 championship game next weekend, where they will play Elder the GCL (Greater Catholic League) champion at the University of Cincinnati @ 7:00 p.m. for the right to play for a chance to go to Canton for a state title.