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PIQUA, OHIO -- It was an uphill climb, but Urbana lived up to its nickname, shaking off the underdog Roughriders 15-8 Saturday night in the Division III, Region 12 Semifinals at Piqua.
The Hillclimbers overcame a 7-0 deficit, scoring late in the first half and again in the fourth quarter to move on in the tournament with a perfect 12-0 record..
St. Marys saw its five-game winning streak come to an end, and finished the season with an 8-4 record.
No one was giving the Riders much of a chance in this one, especially after starting quarterback Corey Vossler dislocated his knee earlier this week.
Senior quarterback Zach Menker, was called on to start the game for the first time since the Riders suffered a pre-season loss to Urbana in the Chicken Bowl.
Menker filled in well, but the Riders just couldn't take advantage of some key scoring opportunities.
St. Marys was turned away in the Red Zone twice and had a pass dropped at the four-yard line.
The Roughriders dominated in the first half, driving inside the Urbana 25 on their first possession before turning the ball over on downs.
St. Marys second possession was a short one. Sophomore Justin Nagel scored on a 59-yard run on the second play of the drive. Nick Pfeffenberger added the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 6:11 left in the first quarter.
The first pass attempt by Urbana quarterback Geron Stokes, who had thrown for nearly 1,700 yard during the regular season, was intercepted by Jeremy Cable at the Hillclimber 46.
The Riders picked up two first downs and drove inside the Urbana 15. On fourth-and-eight from the 13, St. Marys shunned the field goal, and Menker's pass was incomplete.
The rest of the first half was a battle for field possession, which was won by Urbana.
The Hillclimbers pinned St. Marys inside its own 20 with less than five minutes left in the half. After a three-and-out by the Rider offense, Matt Helmstetter hit a 16-yard punt into a very stiff wind.
Starting at the St. Marys 31, Stokes went to work, completing a 15-yard pass to the 16. One play later he tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Scott Peterson with 2:25 left in the half.
The 'Climbers lined up for the PAT kick, but faked the kick and scored the two-point conversion for the 8-7 halftime lead.
The St. Marys defense held the Hillclimbers on their first possession of the first half, and it was their turn to punt into the wind. A 21-yard punt gave St. Marys great field possession at the Urbana 41.
The Roughriders drove inside the Urbana 10, but again came up short. This time on third-and-goal from the five, Nagel fumbled and the 'Climbers recovered.
St. Marys forced another Urbana punt into the wind, and started its next possession on the Hillclimber 35, but again could not take advantage of the opportunity.
On third-and-seven, from the 30, Menker tossed a pass to Nick Yahl, who was wide open on the four yard line, but couldn't hang on. Then on fourth down, Shawn Craft fumbled and Urbana took over.
The two team traded possessions into the fourth quarter when it was the Riders turn to punt into the wind. A 15-yard punt by Helmstetter set the Hillclimbers up at the St. Marys 38.
Three straight completions on three straight plays put Urbana into the end zone. The final pass was a 14-yard strike to Barry Quinn, and the PAT kick was good giving Urbana a 15-7 lead with just under seven minutes to play.
The Riders would threaten one more time, as Menker came out throwing. He threw twice to Huttis for a total of 29 yards, and later completed a 14-yard pass to Matt Schlater at the Urbana 25.
Two running plays netted two yards, then a pass to Huttis was good for two more yards, setting up a fourth-and-six. Menker's pass to Yahl was incomplete, turning the ball over on downs with 3:09 left to play.
On the very next play from scrimmage, Urbana fullback Joe Kramer busted up the middle for a gain of 55 yards and some serious breathing room.
St. Marys had a chance to get the ball back using its final time-out to force a fourth-and-six with a minute to play. However, one of the defensive linemen jumped off sides, and Stokes ran the sneak for a yard, the first down and the game.
The Riders won the statistics game, with 264 yards of total offense compared to 220 for Urbana, however, the Hillclimbers were able to take advantage of their field position and scored when they were close.
Nagel led the way for St. Marys, which had just two running back carry the ball all night. Nagel picked up 137 yards on 289 carries. Craft finished with 72 yards on 19 carries.
Stokes was the big gun for Urbana, as he completed 14 of 24 passes for 128 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Urban moves on in the Region 12 finals to face Valley View, which advanced with a 24-10 win over Tipp City.
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