WESTERVILLE, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—The journey isn’t over yet, and the records keep piling up.

Relying once more on its heralded passing attack and complemented so well by its defense and special teams, Northmor punched its ticket to the Division VI Final Four with a 37-6 Region 23 victory over Grandview Heights on a rainy, windy night at Westerville Central High School.

“It’s a blast. These guys are just so much fun to be around. For us to extend this another week is reason enough for us to keep doing it,” Northmor coach Scott Armrose said Friday night.

“They play so hard and are so coachable and so respectful. They play together and play physical, and we’re having a blast. We just want to keep it going for as long as we can.”

It will continue for another week and next up for the Golden Knights (14-0) is powerhouse Kirtland on Friday at Minerva High School. The Hornets were a 41-6 winner over Dalton.

Kirtland also carries a 14-0 mark and a history of playoff success. The Hornets have won seven state crowns, including three consecutive titles.

Grandview Heights (12-1) had trouble getting anything going against the Black and Gold defense. Part of that was star running back Henry Ohlinger (11 carries, 56 yards) got knocked out of the game on a solid hit by defensive back Conner Stockdale shortly before halftime.

“That was my call. I made that decision. I wasn’t going to put him out there in harm’s way,” Bobcats head coach Jason Peters said as Ohlinger didn’t play the rest of the night.

Northmor struggled in its first possession after six straight pass completions by quarterback A.J. Bower. A fumble and Owen Nugent recovery at the GH 25 killed the drive.

The Bobcats drove to the Northmor two, but quarterback Jack Clifford was chased all the way back to the 30, where he fumbled. Junior Thomas Detwiler picked it up and rambled 66 yards for the score with 2:42 left in the first quarter.

“I just saw the ball on the ground, and I was like, ‘Holy cow!’ It felt like I was running in slow motion. I felt like it was an all-day play,” Detwiler said.

“I got a calf cramp, and I thought I was going to get tackled. I can’t believe I made it. It was my first-ever touchdown in high school. It’s different being a lineman. You’re used to being in front. It’s like a whole different atmosphere.”

Another big play helped give the Golden Knights a two-score lead.

“Players make plays and when you have dudes up front like we do, they’re going to make plays. I think I had time for three heart attacks during that play,” Armrose said. “We need a big play, and we got it. Then we had that great move inside to block that punt.”

The blocked punt took place on fourth and two from the Granville Heights 35. Cowin Becker fell on the ball and Northmor went right back to work on offense.

“We’ve got players on both sides of the ball, and we made more plays than they did tonight. Just like the stop we made on the goal line last week. We needed a big play and got it. Tonight, we needed a big play, and it happened in the form of a turnover. It turned into our defense scoring. It was huge.”

A 27-yard touchdown pass from Bower to Bo Landin put Northmor ahead 14-0 just seven seconds into the second quarter.

The Bobcats then had a 7-play drive stall out at their 31-yard-line and punted.

A 36-yard pass to Wenger and three runs by Carson Campbell produced 10 yards to set up a third score. Bower found Wenger open from 15 yards midway through the period and the Knights took a 21-6 lead into halftime.

Bower connected on 13-of-19 passing attempts for 223 yards and three touchdowns in less-than-ideal conditions.

“Honestly, it’s easier to play in cold, rainy weather than hot, rainy weather and I don’t know why,” Bower said. “We had the mentality that you have to deal with it.”

Northmor had prepared for the inclement weather.

“We get the ball wet a few times in practice,” Bower said. “We practice in it and the running game did amazing tonight. And we practiced in the snow and made snow angels (Thursday).”

Bower said gripping the ball wasn’t an issue.

“I keep my grip the same until it gets like soaking wet, and I can’t even throw it at all. Then I’ll change it,” he said.

Bower and Wenger hooked up on a short route to the tight side, but Wenger cut across the field and went 59 yards to the end zone, putting Northmor ahead 28-6 in the third quarter.

The senior wideout had 5 catches for 134 yards.

“It wasn’t ideal weather for our offense, that’s for sure. But A.J. did a nice job of gripping that wet ball. We needed to practice in the elements to play in the elements,” Armrose said.

“A.J. made throws when he needed to. We couldn’t do that in Week 6 against Fredericktown. We just had a hard time making throws, but we did that tonight.”

Northmor outgained Grandview Heights 342 to 241 in total yards. The running game also proved solid with Becker and Carson Campbell combining for 121 yards on 28 carries.

“When you get to this part of the season, falling behind two scores (early on) is a tough call,” Peters said. “The kids did everything we asked them to do. But tip your hat.

“They made plays. We didn’t make enough plays. We made a lot of mistakes tonight, starting with me. At this point, you’ve got to play well. They played well.”

Northmor had a couple more defensive plays in its arsenal.

A Brady Carr interception ended the third quarter. The final Northmor play was a safety tackling a Grandview Heights ball carrier in the end zone to force a running clock with 7:25 remaining.

Setting school records each week might sound like a broken record, but Northmor did that again advancing to its first Final Four.

“We’ve been breaking records. It’s been that way since Week 10 and we knew it was going to be that way,” Armose said.

“What a fantastic season. They’ve earned every bit of this.”

Earlier this season Northmor set the program record for wins in a season by going undefeated in the regular season, also winning their first Knox Morrow Athletic Conference championship and first league crown since 1982.

“It means a lot to the community as you can see how many people showed up for our game tonight,” Bower said. “It’s great to win a regional championship game, something that’s never been done before. Making history is what it’s all about.”

Detwiler said making the state semifinals is an amazing feeling.

“I can’t even believe it. It’s like, wow. Wow.”

Box score

Score by quarters

Northmor                        7         14        14         2   — 37

Grandview Heights       0          6          0         0   — 6

Scoring summary

First quarter

N — Thomas Detwiler 66 fumble return (A.J. Bower kick), 2:42.

Second quarter

N — Bo Landin 27 pass from Bower (Bower kick), 11:53.

N — Jax Wenger 15 pass from Bower (Bower kick), 6:30.

GH — Jack Clifford 2 run (run failed), 2:03.

Third quarter

N — Wenger 59 pass from Bower (Bower kick), 7:38.

N — Cowin Becker 5 run (Bower kick), 3:06.

Fourth quarter

N — Safety, 7:25.

Individual statistics

Passing

Northmor: A.J. Bower 13-19-0 223; Grandview Heights: Jack Clifford 5-13-1 92.

Rushing

Northmor: Cowin Becker 11-64, Carson Campbell 11-57, A.J. Bower 4-(-2). Grandview Heights: Owen Nugent 10-75, Henry Ohlinger 11-56, Jack Clifford 7-20, Mario Ionno 2-6, Braddock Lusher 1-(-2), Aiden Dowdy 5-(-6).

Receiving

Northmor: Jaxson Wenger 5-134, Bo Landin 2-33, Carson Campbell 2-27, Cowin Becker 3-22, Cameron Goldbach 1-7; Grandview Heights: Owen Nugent 1-38, Mario Ionno 1-32, Cooper Bauer 1-11, Aiden Dowdy 1-0.

Team statistics

N               GH

First downs                  19                16

Rushing                     32-119         36-149

Passes                        13-19-0       5-13-1

Yards passing             223                92

Total yards                  342              241

Fumbles-lost               1-1               1-0

Penalties                     7-52            7-20