In the regional finals of the OHSAA football tournament, the Lakota West Firebirds took on the Moeller Crusaders in what would end up being the second and final loss for the Firebirds this season. The Firebirds put up a valiant effort against Moeller, but the Moeller defense continued to stop the Firebirds and their potential game-winning drive in the final seconds of play.

In the first quarter, Moeller’s offense was off to a hot start against the Firebird defense that has typically been lights out. However, the first few drives for the Moeller offense set the tone for this game. Moeller put up a touchdown in the first 12 minutes on offense, and on defense, held the Firebird’s offense to a scoreless quarter. In the second twelve minutes, the Firebirds had a little more vigor and managed to put up 9 points. The step forward did come with a slight step backward, as Moeller was able to throw another touchdown up on the board. At the half, the score was 14-9 Moeller, but the sideline did not seem too worried. After all, Coach Bolden is insanely good when it comes to making halftime adjustments and getting the team reset.

Just like clockwork, in the third quarter, West was able to score another touchdown, and the Moeller offense would be shut out after yet another round of incredible halftime adjustments. However, the fourth quarter would unfortunately not go the Firebirds way. Moeller was able to eke out another touchdown on the Firebird defense. As for the Firebirds offense, they were being shut down, until later in the quarter when they were able to start driving. However, one of the last drives of the game came to an end after a bad snap, which caused a palpable sense of disappointment on the sideline. Quarterback Mitch Bolden looked absolutely crushed. You could tell he wanted one more shot at winning this football game. With under a minute left on the clock, the Firebirds started a potential game-winning drive. However, the clock was not on West’s side, and the Firebirds lost 21-17.