GALION — Following their 8-2 finish to the regular season, the Galion Tigers football squad qualified for week 11 action in Division 4, Region 14 play as the No. 3 seed. With the awarded seed, Galion earned a home game in the Regional Quarterfinals and would play hosts to the No.6 seeded Ottawa-Glandorf Titans (7-3).
Ottawa-Glandorf would receive the opening kickoff and need just 3:30 to march 65 yards for a score via an eight-yard touchdown run from Eric Heebsh. Ethan Alt would tack on the extra-point to put the Titans up early; 7-0. The Tigers would respond though on the ensuing drive that would be capped by a Wilson Frankhouse to Isaiah Alsip connection through the air from 12-yards out. Surefooted Dominic Pittman added the point-after and the score was tied at seven with 4:58 remaining in the opening frame.
A little over two minutes later, following a Brayden Eckels interception of O-G quarterback Jacob Balbaugh, Frankhouse and Alsip would again connect, this time for a 60-yard aerial bomb and with Pittman’s PAT, go up by a tally of 14-7 with 2:22 remaining still in the first quarter.
With 3:38 gone by in the second, the Titans would see Heebsh dash in for a 17-yard ground score and Alt add the extra-point to once again knot the score, this time at 14 points apiece. However, Pittman would give Galion the lead entering halftime as he boomed a 30-yard field goal through the uprights to put the home team ahead again; 17-14.
After lengthy possessions from both teams in the third quarter, O-G would reach the scoreboard again thanks to a one-yard keeper from Balbaugh while Alt put them ahead by a score of 21-17. With 6:40 remaining in the contest, the visitors would put the game away as Caleb Kuhlman intercepted Frankhouse and took the pick in from 80-yards out while Alt tacked on the final point of the game to give the Titans a 28-17 victory.
Galion posted 377 yards of total offense (235 passing, 142 rushing) on the evening to Ottawa-Glandorf’s 238 (119 passing, 119 rushing) but penalties and four turnovers proved to be the thorn for the Tigers in their first playoff appearance since 2015.
Frankhouse finished his junior season going 21/28 through the air for 211 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Before the game on Saturday, he had thrown just five interceptions in his first 10 games. The QB also picked up 107 yards on the ground on 22 carries. Alsip wrapped his high school career with 111 yards on 11 catches and two touchdowns, carried the ball once for 10 yards and went 1/3 passing for 24 yards and an interception in the loss. Pittman was 2/2 on extra-point attempts and tallied the 30-yard field goal. Eckels had the early interception, forcing the Titans’ only turnover in their victory.
Ottawa-Glandorf will now move on to play the No. 2 seed Wauseon next Saturday in Regional Semifinals action. Wauseon defeated No. 7 seeded Bellevue; 41-18. In the top portion of the Division 4, Region 14 bracket, No. 4 Shelby downed No. 5 Milan Edison; 31-21 while the No. 8 seed Clyde surprised the top-seeded LaGrange Keystone squad; 28-20.
