Sara C. Tobias | Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum

Valley punter Bryan Rolfe punts on fourth down of Saturday’s playoff win.

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Cody Leist

PDT Sports Writer

For the second-straight season, Valley is 12-0 and is looking to earn its first state semifinal berth in school history.

The only thing standing in the No. 1 Indians way is a matchup with No. 6 Baltimore Liberty Union in Saturday’s Division V, Region 19 Championship. The two teams will clash at Nelsonville-York High School’s Boston Field.

Valley advanced this far after Saturday’s 21-9 win over No. 4 Bucyrus Wynford (9-3) at Reynoldsburg High School. The win erased the pain of a 54-48 overtime loss the Indians suffered by the hands of the Royals in last year’s Region 19 title game.

The Lions (10-2) are seeking their second regional crown in program history after they survived a 22-21 contest against SOC I champion Oak Hill (9-3) in last Saturday’s semifinal contest. The game was also played at Boston Field.

According to Google Maps, Valley will have an estimated 90-mile trip from the school to Nelsonville. The same service indicates Liberty Union’s driving distance will be around 45 miles.

Also during Saturday’s action involving teams from the Southeast District, No. 3 Athens will look to upset No. 1 Dayton Thurgood Marshall in the Division III, Region 12 championship at Reynoldsburg. The Bulldogs (11-2) defeated No. 7 Springfield Shawnee (8-4) 36-35 at Columbus Hamilton Township High School while the Cougars (11-1) eliminated No. 4 and SEOAL champion Gallia Academy (9-3) 68-9 at Mt. Orab Western Brown High School.

Against the Blue Devils and No. 8 Logan Elm (6-5), Thurgood Marshall has outscored its two playoff opponents by a 135-31 margin.

Saturday’s action statewide will start at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise. State semifinal matchups and sites will be announced next Sunday.

Cody Leist can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 294, or cleist@heartlandpublications.com.