EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published at the Ohio High School Athletic Association website.
CANTON – Grady Kinsey ran for 247 yards and five touchdowns, as well as the game-winning two-point conversion, to lead Gnadenhutten Indian Valley to a superb 37-36 Division IV state championship win over Sandusky Perkins.
The victory, at Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, is more than just the first in Indian Valley history. It’s also the first title in the history of Tuscarawas County high school football.
Kinsey’s heroics were needed on a night where these two teams swapped touchdowns in a thrilling, high-scoring affair to cap Ohio’s high school football state championship weekend.
The Pirates finished runner-up for the first time to go along with a state title in 1999.
The teams combined to score touchdowns on each of the game’s first 10 possessions—minus Indian Valley taking a knee to end the first half—before Indian Valley’s defense forced a turnover on downs deep in its own territory in the game’s closing minutes.
Perkins opened the offensive onslaught when quarterback Sam Schweinfurth hit Blake Parker with a 40-yard TD strike for a 7-0 first-quarter lead.
Kinsey responded with runs of 1 and 12 yards to push the Braves (16-0) in front 14-7. That began a dizzying flurry of second-period points.
Schweinfurth sandwiched touchdown passes of 54 and 70 yards to Braylon Collier around a 2-yard scoring blast by Kinsey. That made it 22-22 at halftime.
Schweinfurth wrapped two more TD strikes of 26 yards to Parker and 53 yards to Collier around yet another 2-yard touchdown plunge by Kinsey. That left the score at 36-29 Perkins (14-2) heading to the fourth quarter.
Kinsey finished it with a 12-yard touchdown bolt, and the ensuing two-point conversion run with 8:15 remaining. That was the game’s final score.
Perkins drove deep into Indian Valley territory on the next possession, but Carsen Hostetler broke up a pass on fourth-and-3 from the 9 to keep Perkins out of the end zone. Indian Valley regained possession with 4:16 left, gained four first downs and ran out the clock.
Kinsey accounted for 34 of Indian Valley’s 37 points, setting a Division IV state title game record for most points by an individual.
He rushed for four touchdowns, recovered his own fumble in the end zone for a fifth touchdown and converted a pair of two-point conversion attempts. Kinsey also completed a 50-yard pass to quarterback Ryker Williams in the third quarter.
Williams ran for 113 yards as the Braves gained 355 yards on the ground. Williams completed his lone pass for four yards.
Schweinfurth was 18-of-24 passing for 370 yards and five touchdowns to spearhead the Pirates’ offense. Collier caught eight passes for 207 yards and three TDs.
