“Going over to Greeneview,” Wooten said, “and going to their place and putting ourselves where we always wanted to be — in a championship situation — and then coming from behind and winning that game, I think set us up mentally for what we were going to face and what we will face.”
Greenon beat Greeneview 21-20 on Oct. 2 in the final game of the regular season. After a first-round bye, the Knights beat No. 9 seed Taft 30-28 in the second round of the Division V, Region 20 playoffs. No. 8 seed Greenon (6-1) will play No. 1 Roger Bacon (7-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday in Cincinnati.
Taft was a tougher matchup than its seed indicated. It played only one regular-season game. Cincinnati Public Schools started the season late because of the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to exiting the playoffs with a 2-2 mark, Taft was 41-13 the previous five seasons.
Greenon took a 24-22 lead on a 17-yard pass from Clay Hough to Evan Davis with 4:58 left in the third quarter. Nathan Hawks, who kicked a tie-breaking 47-yard field goal earlier in the third quarter, made field goals of 43 and 32 yards in the fourth as Greenon stretched its lead to 30-22. Taft scored in the final minute but was stopped short of the goal line on a two-point conversion run as it tried to tie the game.
That was one of a number of big plays by the defense.
“We were able to create turnovers, and that’s something we’ve done all year long," Wooten said. “We created three turnovers. So far in seven games, the Blackshirts have come up with 15 turnovers.
“We really had a lot of kids step up. Kam Cox is our team captain and leader of our team. He does a little bit of everything for us. He had a great night defensively. Trevor Stewart had (18) tackles: solos and assists. Zack Stevens had a great game, and he’s had a great year for us. He plays defensive end as a sophomore. I think he’s third on the team in tackles just behind Stewart and Cox.”
By beating Taft, Greenon earned a matchup with an opponent has won seven games by a margin of 347-79. Roger Bacon is making its seventh playoff appearance and second in a row. It lost 28-27 to Valley View in the second round last season.
Roger Bacon beat Carlisle 49-6 last week. Corey Kiner leads the offense with 28 rushing touchdowns and 196.9 yards per game.
“They’re kind of spearheaded by the running back, but they’re a well-rounded team," Wooten said. "They’ve got some nice pieces around him. Their quarterback does a good job of understanding their offense and doing what they ask of him. They’ve got a big tight end. I think he’s 6-4, 250. And they have a couple skilled kids. But everything runs around their running back. He’s pretty impressive. We’ve got to keep him in front of us. That’s our challenge.”
Greenon or Roger Bacon will play No. 4 seed Versailles (4-2) or No. 5 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (6-1) in the regional semifinal.
Greenon is one of five teams from Clark and Champaign counties alive in the playoffs. Here’s a look at this week’s other area games:
Friday
Division I, Region 2
No. 3 Springfield (7-1) at No. 2 Northmont (8-0): These teams met in Week 4 of the regular season. Springfield blew a 28-7 first-half lead and a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead and lost 38-35 in overtime.
Northmont has won five games by seven points or fewer. Its latest dramatic victory came last week when Cade Rice threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:20 to beat Marysville 48-41. Rice threw seven touchdown passes in all and has thrown 30 in eight games.
Springfield’s Te’Sean Smoot has thrown 21 touchdown passes and had three last week in a 31-19 victory against Wayne.
Northmont ranks fourth, and Springfield is sixth in the state poll. The winner plays No. 1 Dublin Coffman (8-0) or No. 4 Powell Olentangy Liberty (7-1).
Saturday’s games
Division IV, Region 16
No. 6 Graham (7-0) at No. 3 Cincinnati Wyoming (6-0): Brady King threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns last week as the Falcons beat No. 11 Eaton 28-14. The seven victories are the most for Graham since it finished 8-2 in 2009.
Wyoming hasn’t played since Oct. 2 when it beat Cleves Taylor 49-0 in the last week of the regular season. Wyoming received a first-round bye and then was scheduled to play Taylor again, but a positive COVID-19 test at Taylor forced it to forfeit.
Wyoming has outscored its six opponents 229-23. Its best victory came in Week 2 against Mariemont (40-6).
The winner plays No. 2 Indian Hill (7-0) or No. 7 Valley View (5-2).
Division V, Region 20
No. 7 Shawnee (4-2) at No. 2 Blanchester (6-1): This is a 49-mile trip down Route 68 for Shawnee, which advanced with a 34-0 victory against No. 10 Middletown Madison. Drew Mitch threw two touchdown passes to Jamon Miller, who had six receptions for 161 yards, and Tyler Mercer ran for two scores.
Blanchester, which is making its fifth playoff appearance and second in a row, beat No. 15 Madison Plains 55-33 last week.
The winner of this game will play No. 19 Cincinnati Purcell Marian (4-4) or No. 11 Mariemont (5-3) in the regional semifinals.
Division VI, Region 24
Bainbridge Paint Valley (6-1) at Mechanicsburg (7-0): Mechanicsburg has played one close game all season. It beat West Jefferson 37-29 in Week 2. Since then, it has outscored five opponents 207-21. It beat Deer Park 34-0 last week and has not allowed a point in its last five halves.
Paint Valley is making its 13th playoff appearance. It is 9-12 in the postseason, and that includes a 42-7 victory against Greeneview last week.
The winner plays No. 3 Frankfort Adena (7-0) or No. 11 Minster (3-5).
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