CANTON — A program that has been a state power almost as long as there has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame got socked a good one by the new kids on the block in Friday night’s OHSAA Division I state championship fight.
Olentangy Liberty, which opened in 2003, kayoed Cincinnati Moeller 28-14, doing a number on a program that won five state championships before 1981 to get head coach Gerry Faust hired as the top dog at Notre Dame.
The Patriots already proved they weren’t messing around when they whipped three-time defending state champion Lakewood St. Edward 21-7 in the state semis.
Moeller was on the ropes, on the verge of trailing by three touchdowns, before an 80-yard fumble return by Cooper Gearhart with 23 seconds left in the half cut Liberty’s lead to 14-7.
Liberty quarterback Andrew Leonard responded as if to say, “You guys picked the wrong Mr. Football.” Leonard made big plays all night, including three touchdown passes to senior Christian Moulton.
Through three quarters, at which point the Patriotrs led 28-7, Leonard passed for 260 yards and three TDs, all to Moulton. At that same juncture, Moeller QB Matt Ponatoskiu — winner of Ohio’s Mr. Football award — had 80 passing yards.
It was fitting to see Moeller in the neighorhood.
Moeller and Stark County aren’t quite joined at the hip, but they practically have grown into adoptive first cousins.
The Fighting Crusaders faced Canton McKinley in state championship games in 1977, 1981, 1985 and 1997; the ’81 game was the most significant in the history of the Ohio playoffs.
They took on Massillon for all the marbles in 1980 and 1982. They played a famous 1990 regular-season game at Massillon in which a thrilling Tiger victory turned into a terrible loss on a last-second TD by Carlos Collins.
They lost a state championship game in Massillon in 1993, and won title games in Canton in 2012 and 2013.
McKinley made Stark County’s deepest advance in Division I in 2024 but didn’t really come close to a finals pedigree. McKinley lost 31-0 in the third round to Mentor, which then lost 13-7 to St. Edward, which then lost 21-7 to Liberty.
Moeller finished 3-1 against out-of-state foes and 11-1 against Ohio. The Crusaders lost in overtime to a North Carolina power on Sept. 14; their only close game since was 28-23 over Cincinnati Xavier, which, for the record, lost to McKinley in the 1998 state finals, and played in state title games in Canton in 2001, 2005, 2007, 2016 and 2020.
Columbus-area football was strong at the top this year, as reflected by Liberty’s regular-season losses of 22-21 to Olentangy Berlin and 31-28 to Upper Arlington. The Patriots beat Upper Arlington 17-13 in their playoff run.
Liberty’s performance left one wondering how many teams from greater Columbus might have given Moeller a game, and then some.
Here’s a look at some of the key things to know about the game:
Player of the Game: Andrew Leonard, QB, Liberty
Moeller’s 6-foot-1, 195 pound senior quarterback, Matt Ponatoski, had heavier credentials than 5-10 Liberty QB Andrew Leonard. Ponatoski came in fresh off winning Ohio’s Mr. Football Award, but Leonard outplayed him by a lot, and easily was the most influential player in the Division I title game. An early interception didn’t stop Leonard from otherwise orchestrating first downs and touchdowns with poise, resilience and command. Leonard threw for 272 yards and three TDs on 17-of-23 passing.
Play of the Game: Andrew Leonard’s 61-yard TD pass to Christian Moulton erases impact of Cooper Gearhart’s fumble-return touchdown
Whatever would happen in the second half, the game was turned on its ear in the final seconds of the first half. Liberty led 14-0 and had visions of making it 21-0 when Liberty fumbled on a fourth-and-1 from the 16. Moeller senior safety Cooper Gearhart picked up the ball, sprinted out of congestion, and ran 80 yards for a touchdown. Gearhart’s moment, though, only shares “biggest play” honors with Andrew Leonard’s 61-yard touchdown pass to Christian Moulton that restored momentum to Liberty in the third quarter. Moeller didn’t recover from that.
Three stats to an OHSAA football title
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115-36: Liberty’s lead in yards after one quarter. The Patriots proved they meant business right out of the gate, and kept the on pressure on both offense and defense. Liberty’s lead in net offense was 196-94 at halftime and after three quarters. With 1:39 left in the third quarter, Liberty threatened to put the game away on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to Moulton. Moulton came wide open again as Leonard sprinted to the right sideline with room to run, but threw just before getting to the line of scrimmage.
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161: Christian Moulton’s receiving yards through three quarters. Moulton, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior, had a gigantic game, using speed, moves and his quarterback’s savvy get open against a proud defense all night. Moulton had eight catches on 10 targets, along with touchdown catches of 20, 61 and 14 yards, through three quarters. He came in with 1,216 receiving yards and almost made you wonder how it wasn’t 1,500-plus.
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1-for-9 vs. 4-for-7: Difference in third-down conversions through three quarters, in Liberty’s favor. Those numbers speak for themselves. They reflect Andrew Leonard’s excellence at quarterback and the Liberty defense’s ability to subdue Moeller’s offense at assorted key points while the game was being decided.
Check back later for postgame reaction from the teams.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Andrew Leonard-led Liberty football wins OHSAA state championship
