MILLERSBURG — Galion’s season came down to the final minutes at West Holmes. It ended when the Tigers lost in the Division IV Region 14 quarterfinals.

Galion fell 22-19 to the Knights who scored the go-ahead touchdown with 29 seconds left on the clock.

Mason Smith’s second touchdown pass of the night was a very unlucky one for the Tigers. After the pass ricocheted off one Knights player, Graham Martin caught it for a 15-yard touchdown, the ultimate game-winner.

West Holmes (10-2) struck first and last and it was just enough to send the Tigers home to prepare for winter sports. The scoring started on the first drive of the game, as Smith connected with Lynn Kline on a 15-yard pass.

After a half of failed drives, including a turnover, the Tigers finally tied the game up just before intermission. With 38 seconds remaining, Braxton Prosser scored on a five-yard burst.

Both teams’ defenses held stiff in the third quarter until just a minute into the final quarter. Gabe Ivy broke loose for a 44-yard touchdown to give Galion a 13-7 lead. Allen Carver’s extra point went wide left, and it proved to be costly.

The Knights do what good teams do which is to answer. West Holmes drove it down the field and punched it in from four yards out capped by Smith’s four-yard run.

Galion’s offense is built for the final minutes of close games when they are running the ball well. That’s exactly what the Tigers did to chew up over five minutes. Ivy punched in his second touchdown from a yard out and the Tigers led 19-14 after the two-point conversion failed.

The 2:39 remaining on the clock proved to be just enough for the West Holmes offense. Failed conversions were costly with points hard to come by at times for the Tigers.

West Holmes’ top offensive playmaker Kyle Maltarich exited the game in the second quarter after he landed awkwardly on a play in which he fumbled the ball out of the back of the end zone. The senior was hit at the one-yard line and the ball was jarred loose. Losing Maltarich on offense impacted the Knights through the remainder of the game.

Galion ends its season at 8-4, including a playoff win over Oberlin Firelands.

Box score

Score by quarters   

Galion                      0            7           0         12   — 19

West Holmes        7            0           0         15   — 22

Scoring summary

First quarter

WH — Lyn Kline 15 pass from Morgan Smith (Alex Pringle kick), 10:10.

Second quarter

G — Braxton Prosser 5 run (Allen Carver kick), :38.

Fourth quarter

G — Gabe Ivy 44 run (kick failed), 11:11.

WH — Smith 4 run (Pringle kick), 7:57.

G — Ivy 1 run (conversion failed), 2:39.

WH — Graham Martin 16 pass from Smith (Nate Fair run), :29.