Eighth-seeded Hilliard Darby went into Toledo and stunned top-seeded Whitmer 24-21 on Friday night, Nov. 6, in a Division I, Region 2 quarterfinal, according to the statewide scoreboards published by The Columbus Dispatch and the Mansfield News Journal. The Panthers’ three-point win ended the season for a Whitmer team that had lost only once all year.
Whitmer (9-2) entered the night as the region’s No. 1 seed with one of Ohio’s most productive offenses. The Dispatch reported in its pregame coverage that the Panthers were averaging 38.7 points per game, powered by senior running back Jamon Holmes, who had rushed for 1,239 yards and 21 touchdowns, and junior quarterback Carter Born, who had thrown for 1,645 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Darby (8-4) arrived with momentum of its own. A 44-14 win over Miamisburg in the first round gave the Panthers their first three-game winning streak since September 2022, according to The Dispatch, and Darby’s own backfield balance — senior Kohen Kornegay’s 1,333 rushing yards and nine touchdowns alongside senior Braylon Griffith’s 965 yards and 11 touchdowns — gave the Panthers two proven ways to move the ball…