WEST CHESTER — CJ Hester ran for 372 yards and five touchdowns Saturday as unbeaten Wyoming ended Clinton-Massie’s storybook season in a Div. IV Region 16 semifinal game at Firebird Field on the Lakota West High School campus.

For Clinton-Massie, the season ends at 7-6. That’s a marked improvement from an 0-4 start when the thought of even making the playoffs was a longshot.

“It just wasn’t our night,” Massie head coach Dan McSurley said. “We knocked off the 4 (Unioto) and 5 (Urbana) seed. We’ll evaluate next year, see where we’re at and just try to get better and come back and get these guys.”

For Wyoming head coach Aaron Hancock and his Cowboys, the win gains a measure of revenge from a 42-14 loss exactly one year ago to the day to the Falcons in the second round of the playoffs last season.

“42-14, we had that score in our heads all offseason,” Hancock said after the game. “We knew we were going to have to overcome that loss to win a regional championship, Beating a very good Clinton-Massie team that’s overcome a lot of adversity themselves puts us in a position to earn a regional championship next week.”

The Cowboys (13-0) will meet Cincinnati Taft for the regional championship next Saturday night.

On this night, Hester was simply too much for the Falcons. Last year, Massie held Hester to 66 yards on 17 rushes. Hester had 53 yards on the first Wyoming drive Saturday. He followed with touchdown runs of 80 and 86 yards en route to a scintillating performance that keeps his team’s dominant season alive.

“They kinda switched the script on us this year,” McSurley said. “They had the skill kids, the senior group and we had young players. We just weren’t ready for this.”

Massie started well, though. A 5-play, 73-yard drive with Keegan Lamb going the final 46 yards put the Falcons on top 7-0 with Ean McGuinness’ extra point.

Hester and the Cowboys answered to tie the game before the teams traded punts. The Falcons next drive was an 11-play, 44-yard series that peeled nearly 6:00 off the clock but ended in a missed 34 yard field goal.

Two plays later, Hester busted one from 80 and it was 13-7 Wyoming. Unfazed, the Falcons put together a 13-play drive that went 48 yards and wiped 6:25 off the clock. The result was another missed field goal.

“Our special teams fell apart a little bit,” McSurley said. “If we make a couple plays there, we can go in (to halftime) 13-13. Then the way the second half started, the first play, that kinda set the tone, gave them motivation.”

Hester took the first play from scrimmage in the second half 86 yards to the end zone then three plays later Lamb threw a pick-six and suddenly it was 27-7.

“That broke our back,” said McSurley.

Said Hancock, “We took advantage of their mistakes. Then we did what we do. We ran the football, executed through adversity. They’re a very good football team. Clinton-Massie has always been a successful program.”

And McSurley doesn’t expect things to change any time soon.

“They had the dudes and we didn’t,” said the CM coach. “We have some kids coming back. We’ll have to develop some kids. Like I told them (the players) I expect us to be right back in here, the same situation whether it’s the second or third round of the playoffs, we’ll have to go through these guys *(Wyoming) to win the regional title.”

SUMMARY

Nov 12, 2022

@Firebird Field

Wyoming 40 Clinton-Massie 7

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CM^7^0^0^0^^0

SCORING

First Quarter

CM-Keegan Lamb 46 yard run (Ean McGuinness PAT) 8:51

W-CJ Hester 5 yard run (Carter Rummer PAT) 5:55

Second Quarter

W-CJ Hester 80 yard run (PAT Failed) 6:33

Third Quarter

W-CJ Hester 86 yard run (Carter Rummer PAT) 11:39

W-Joel Hancock 24 yard interception return (Carter Rummer PAT)

W-CJ Hester 19 yard run (PAT Failed) 1:44

Fourth Quarter

W-CJ Hester 1 yard run (Carter Rummer PAT) 8:50

STATISTICS

Passing: CM (0-2-1) Keegan Lamb 0-2-1; W (2-5-0) Hauer 1-4, 8 yards; Randman 1-1, 5 yards

Rushing: CM (49-295) Brody Clutter 18-93, Keegan Lamb 6-60-1, Gavan Hunter 11-52, Logan Chesser 11-42, Gabe McDowell 2-20, Eli Muterspaw 1-20; W (30-378) Hester 27-372-5, A. Mitchell 1-6

Receiving: CM (0-0); W (2-13) A. Mitchell 1-8, M. Mitchell 1-5

Tackles: CM Gavan Hunter 12, Brighton Rodman 6, Gabe McDowell 4, Brady Russell 3, Brandon Updike 3, Nolan Phipps 3, Miles Theetge 2, Owen Trick 2, Brodie Green 2, Eli Muterspaw 1, Ean McGuinness 1