FOSTORIA — The Mohawk Warriors had one goal entering the Division VII, Region 26 semifinal: Stop Columbus Grove tailback Trenton Barraza.

It was easier said than done.

After all, the Bulldogs’ senior entered the game with 2,136 yards on the season and 30 touchdowns.

It was more of the same Friday night. Barraza rushed for 185 yards in the first half as the Bulldogs grabbed a 21-0 lead, before finishing with 291 yards on 27 carries, scoring five touchdowns, as Columbus Grove stopped Mohawk, 35-13.

With the win, the top-seeded Bulldogs improved to 13-0 on the season and will face 15th-seeded Delphos St. John (6-7) for the regional title and a berth in the Final Four. St. John moved to the final with a 21-13 win over Leipsic (8-5).

Mohawk finished an exceptional season with a 10-3 record and a Northern 10 Conference championship.

Barraza was as good as advertised. There were times when the Bulldogs were facing third-and-10 or more situations and gave the ball to their star tailback, who would get the first down.

Barraza gave all the credit for his game to the offensive line.

“Those guys up front, I mean, pass and run,” Barraza said. “They’re getting their blocks up front and giving us time. I can’t thank those guys enough. Those are my boys up front.”

Mohawk coach Eric Daniel thought that Grove deserved its top seed.

That Barraza kid is excellent,” Daniel said. “You got him and then he’s gone for 20. He’s hard to square up. He’s special. I was talking about two through 11; they’re incredible. They don’t have a weakness on their team. They got kids flying around all over the field, making plays. They’re an exceptional football team.”

Both teams moved the ball well in the first half. Mohawk, in fact, moved the ball deep into Grove territory twice in the first two quarters, but came up empty both times. The Warriors lost the ball on downs on both possessions.

“We did a great job moving the ball,” Daniel said. “When we got down there, drives stalled out there in the first half. If one or two plays change, it’s 21-14. And we get the ball coming out of the half.”

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, had fewer problems getting the ball into the end zone, thanks to their star tailback.

CG took a 7-0 lead on a Barraza two-yard run then scored on a one-yard run early in the second quarter. Barraza added another two-yard run late in the second quarter to take a 21-0 lead at the break.

Mohawk cut the lead to 21-7 midway through the third frame on a two-yard run by quarterback Ben Bogner, but Barraza increased the lead to 28-7 when he broke two tackles and raced 48 yards for a score.

Barraza called the score his favorite play of the game.

“I stiff-armed the kid, and they thought I had hands to the face or something like that,” Barraza said of the Mohawk sideline. “I scored, and that’s probably my favorite one because I scored on a breakaway.”

Grove increased the lead to 35-7 on a Barraza 15-yard run with 10:13 left in the game before the Warriors got on the board with 4:44 left on an eight-yard run by Kaden Bish.

Bogner did a nice job throwing the ball, hitting 21 of 32 passes for 183 yards. He hit Kahne Hayman and Kaleb Bish eight times each for 79 yards.

“That first half, where we drive on them, move the sticks, which I was tickled pink,” Daniel said. “We could not have been happier with our offensive execution. Our kids did incredible, but when you get inside the 20, or your drives stall out — if we just had one of them, or two of them, it’s 21-14 and a different ball game coming into the half.

“We were moving the ball, and we felt really good about it. But that’s all credit to them,” Daniel added.

Box score

Columbus Grove 35, Mohawk 13   

Score by quarters   

Mohawk                       0            0            7           6   — 13

Columbus Grove        7           14            7           7   — 35

Scoring summary

First quarter

CG — Trenton Barraza 2 run (Evan Verhoff kick), 7:35.

Second quarter

CG — Barraza 1 run (Verhoff kick), 11:57.

CG — Barraza 2 run (Verhoff kick), 3:47.

Third quarter

M — Ben Bogner 2 run (Aden Patrizi kick), 4:32.

CG — Brraza 48 run (Verhoff kick), 2:42.

Fourth quarter

CG — Barraza 15 run (Verhoff kick), 10:13.

M — Kaden Bish 8 run (kick blocked), 4:44.

Individual statistics

Passing

Mohawk: Ben Bogner 21-32-1 183; Columbus Grove: Kyle Hopkins 4-10-1 32.

Rushing

Mohawk: Ben Bogner 26-66, Kaden Bish 2-24, Kaleb Bish 1-1; Columbus Grove: Trenton Barraza 27-291, Alex Meyer 4-16, Trenton Wynkoop 3-10, Trevon Baxter 3-6, Grant Eversole 2-0, Kyle Hopkins 4-(-13).

Receiving

Mohawk: Kahne Hayman 8-79, Kaleb Bish 8-79, Andrew Woodland 1-21, Kaden Bish 4-6: Columbus Grove: Brady Basinger 2-29, Grant Eversole 1-3, Trevon Baxter 1-0.

Team statistics 

M              CG

First downs                      16               16

Rushing                         31-91         42-307

Passes                           12-32-1        4-10-1

Yards passing                 183              32

Total yards                      274             339

Fumbles-lost                   1-1              1-0

Punts                              1-26.0          0-0

Penalties                         4-27            1-5