LAKE TWP.: The Perry football team is Columbus bound for the second year in a row under veteran coach Keith Wakefield.
A combination of hard-nosed rushing on offense and disciplined play on defense propelled Perry to a 14-3 victory over Hudson in a Division II state semifinal on a crisp Friday night on Alumni Field at Lake High School’s Blue Streaks Stadium.
Senior running back Nick Myers and junior quarterback Max Baker gave Perry (12-2) quite the 1-2 punch against Hudson (11-3), as each player eclipsed 100 yards rushing.
Myers rushed for 129 yards on 20 carries, and Baker gained 123 yards and scored two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Perry will play two-time defending Division II state champion Cincinnati La Salle in the Division II state final at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Ohio Stadium. The Lancers beat Nordonia two years ago in Columbus and then beat Perry last year on the Ohio State campus.
The Panthers finished with 266 rushing yards on 46 carries behind offensive linemen Ryan Jackson, Josh Branch, Evan Douglass, Matt Carrick and Dylan Casler and tight end Zach Blackiston. Baker completed 3-of-7 passes for 21 yards.
Hudson gained 99 yards rushing on 27 carries, with Kevin Callahan totaling 60 yards on 12 carries. The Explorers juggled their usual trio at quarterback — Colt Pallay, William Wallace and Jackson Parker — and completed 7-of-27 passes for 52 yards.
Senior Jonah Wieland gave Hudson a 3-0 halftime lead on an 18-yard field goal with 2.5 seconds left in the second quarter. Senior Evan Westerbeck set up the scoring play with his second interception from his defensive back position.
Perry took control of the game in the second half with 14 unanswered points. The Panthers opened the third quarter with a quick four-play drive that covered 62 yards and ended with a 12-yard touchdown run by Baker and an extra-point kick by Mason Brown with 9:45 on the clock. Myers broke free for a 40-yard run two plays before the touchdown that made it 7-3.
Perry continued to run the ball on offense and play tenacious defense throughout the second half. Baker capped a 10-play, 77-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run, and Brown made the kick with 9:25 to go in the game to make it 14-3.
Hudson was unable to get its offense going in the second half against a feisty Perry defense. The Panthers defense played like a hard-hitting bunch all evening with Carrick, Blackiston, Kevin Miller and Paul Keane along the line, Sir Elliott and Jarrett Mercier as linebackers and Strickland, Kirchner, Andy Price and Tevion Cleveland in the secondary.
Sophomore Robby Kirchner and senior Malachi Strickland each snagged an interception in the first half for Perry as Hudson tried to gain big chunks of yards on long passes. Panthers junior Dominick Bowman grabbed an interception with 9.2 seconds to go to seal the victory.
In addition to two interceptions, Westerbeck recovered a fumble with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Hudson also had two dropped passes that could have resulted in touchdowns as receivers were unable to haul in passes near the end zone.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the #ABJVarsity high school blog at www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.