Bloom-Carroll wins last-second thriller against Bishop Hartley to advance
By: Gavin Carrig
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CARROLL, Ohio (WOUB) — The cool and crisp air on a late Friday October evening in southeast Ohio can only mean one thing, the start of the OHSAA high school football playoffs. Everyone knows just how stacked Region 11 is, with teams such as Bishop Watterson, Steubenville, and Tri-Valley, to name a few, highlighting the region. In the playoffs, anything can happen, and it sure seemed that way when Bishop Hartley hit the road and traveled to Carroll to face the Bulldogs, with Bloom-Carroll coming out on top by a singular point, 44-43.
The Bulldogs would score on the game’s first drive, as Jude Blaire would punch it in to open up the scoring, 7-0 Bloom. Bishop Hartley would answer right back, with Robert Lathon bulldozing his way into the endzone on the first play from scrimmage for a 79-yard rushing score, all tied up at 7.
Bloom would go into the halftime break up 31-27, highlighted by the performance of senior quarterback, Ethan Thanthanavong, who seemed to do just about everything on the night.
Out of the half, the Hawks’ Robert Lathon would find the endzone for his second rushing touchdown of the night, as Bishop Hartley would also take 6 minutes off the clock on their drive. The ensuing Bulldogs drive was once again highlighted by Thanthanavong, as the senior punched his way into the endzone, Bloom up 38-35.
Hartley would answer right back, this time it was Brandon Hambric doing the dirty work and grabbing the lead right back for the Hawks, 43-38. The last Bulldog drive of the game was what this one all came down to. Bloom drove down the field, taking time off the clock with them. The Bulldogs would score on a pass from Thanthanavong to Rusty Hutchinson, but it would end up being called back after an offensive holding and unsportsmanlike conduct against Bloom, making it 3rd and close to 40. That’s when the Thanthanavong magic would strike again, as he dropped back, bought himself time, and delivered a dime to Michael Stevenson, making it a much more manageable 4th and 4 from the Hartley seven-yard line. Thanthanavong then dropped back and took it into the endzone himself for the go-ahead score, but a failed 2-PT conversion would keep the lead at just one, 44-43.
The Hawks would try and get something going with just 19 seconds left on the clock. They were able to move down the field pretty well, but time was not on their side. They would be able to drive down to the Bloom 35-yard line, and with four seconds left, they needed hope and a prayer. Quarterback Matt Galich would drop back and buy himself time to his left, as he heaved one up towards the end zone hoping for that prayer, but it would not be answered, as the ball was batted down by multiple Bloom defenders to seal the one-point win for the Bulldogs.
Bloom-Carroll moves on to face #4 seed Licking Valley (10-1) next Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.