OHIO — Quarterbacks took center stage during the OHSAA Division I football state championship game on Friday as both starters were named Ohio Mr. Football finalists in Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller junior Matt Ponatoski and Powell Olentangy Liberty senior Andrew Leonard.
While Ponatoski received the honor on Thursday, it was Leonard who outdueled Mr. Football in the state championship game and led the Patriots (14-2) to their first state title in school history behind a 260-yard, three-touchdown performance after a 28-14 win at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Leonard connected with four different Olentangy Liberty receivers, but perhaps his favorite target was senior wide receiver Christian Moulton who hauled in three touchdowns and 161 yards on eight catches.
“We knew we had some good receivers,” Leonard said. “They had good athletes everywhere. We knew it would be tough to run the ball, but we just leaned on our O-line.”
Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (14-2) allowed Olentangy Liberty senior running back Jake Struck to open the scoring with a 1-yard run as part of a six-play, 49-yard drive with 3:54 left in the first quarter. It gave the Patriots a lead they would not relinquish. Olentangy Liberty head coach John Sansbury, an alum of the school, guided the Patriots to their first state championship appearance in his second season at the helm.
“It's special either way, but yeah, especially being from here and coaching here so long, it's special for sure,” Sansbury said. “But I'm just so proud of these guys. These guys have earned it. They've worked so hard all year, last year, really all four years in their high school career, and I'm just proud to be a Liberty Patriot right now.”
Moeller scratched the scoreboard when senior defensive back Cooper Gearhart scooped a loose fumble and returned it 80 yards to the end zone making the game 14-7 with 23 seconds left in the first half.
The Patriots stretched their lead as large as 28-7 in the third quarter after Moulton caught his third touchdown of the game, this one a 14-yard catch. Ponatoski finished with 112 passing yards and a touchdown on 53% completion. He found junior wide receiver Landen Adams for a 3-yard score with 7:36 left to play in the fourth quarter.
“Every time we felt like we had a little bit of momentum, we kind of shot ourselves in the foot, and huge momentum shift,” Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany said. “And that felt like they had it the whole game and we were just grasping at it and just couldn't quite get a hold of it.”