Edison edges Huron for Bay title share

MILAN TWP. — Ninety yards. No passes. Edison drove nearly the length of the football field on a possession that began midway through the third quarter and ended on Cayden Clere's one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth. The touchdown gave the Chargers a 10-point lead and they held on to defeat Huron 24-21 on Friday at Freedom Field to win their third straight Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division championship. The drive took 15 plays — all runs — and chewed up 8 minutes, 16 seconds. "Once we get it going we feel good about it," said Edison coach Jim Hall of the Chargers' running game. "(Quarterback) Cole (Lemeister) does a great job reading the option and getting us into the right plays. Our backs ran hard, our line blocked well. We took advantage of things we saw and I thought we executed really well." The win gives the Chargers a 7-3 record to finish the regular season. Edison will host a Division V playoff game next Friday. The Chargers finished 3-1 in the Bay, sharing the division title with Bellevue. "That's awesome," Hall said. "The Bay was as balanced as I've ever seen it .It's a great accomplishment for these seniors." Huron, which played one of the toughest Division VI schedules in the state, finished 3-7, 1-3 and out of the playoffs. The Tigers led 7-3 at halftime, scoring on Landon Hohler's one-yard run on the game's first possession. Alex Davidson answered with a 32-yard field goal before Hohler made an interception in the end zone with 30 seconds on the clock to preserve Huron's halftime lead. "Really proud of the way the kids plays," Hall said. "We were down 7-3 at half and I reminded them at halftime that we were down 10 last week. Keep battling, keep fighting, make some breaks go your way. Our offense showed up in the second half." Edison took the lead early in the third quarter when Leimeister found a wide-open Andy Strecker in the end zone for a 32-yard score. "We had two guys in the flat and I saw Andy on a deep post," Leimeister said. "He was wide open. I love it when that happens." It was the last pass Leimeister threw. Huron threatened to regain the lead on its next possession, helped by a 29-yard pass from Hohler to Caleb Staley. Staley finished the game with eight catches for 120 yards. On a first down play, Hohler went for a deep pass, but Leimeister picked it off at the Edison one-yard line. "There was a guy on a deep route and I went up and made a play," Leimeister said. "I wish I could've got in the end zone to get us on the 20, but we put a great drive together." Leading 10-7, Edison went exclusively to the ground game, going 99 yards without a negative play. Four different backs carried on the drive. Clere had seven carries for 65 yards. He finished the game with 148 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts. "Our line did an amazing job; it makes the game so much easier when you can win the line of scrimmage," Leimeister said. "It was working. There was no reason to change anything. I would love to pass the ball more, but our backs did a great job of getting at least five yards on every run. That sealed the deal for us." Huron responded with a scoring drive of its own. Hohler was 4-for-4 passing for 50 yards on the drive. Hayden Wilson leaped into the end zone for a one-yard score to pull Huron to within 17-14 with 7:42 to play. Hohler completed 19 of 25 passes for 220 yards and an interception. Edison clinched the game with a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive — all on the ground. On third-and-4 from the Huron 46, Clere broke loose for 35 yards. Ryder Kramb capped the drive with a one-yard plunge to give Edison a 24-14 lead with 2:19 to play. The Chargers finished the game with 251 rushing yards on 47 attempts. Huron got within three with a 60-yard scoring drive. Hohler scored on a one-yard run with 21 seconds left before Edison's Blaise Garn recovered an onside kick to seal the victory. Huron 7 0 0 14 — 21Edison 0 3 7 14 — 24 H — Landon Hohler 1 run (Carter Brennan kick)E — Alex Davidson 32 field goalE — Andy Strecker 32 pass from Cole Leimeister (Davidson kick)E — Cayden Clere 1 run (Davidson kick)H — Hayden Wilson 1 run (Brennan kick)E — Ryder Kramb 1 run (Davidson kick)H — Hohler 1 run (Brennan kick)