NEW PHILADELPHIA — With its undefeated Ohio Cardinal Conference record hanging in the balance and just seconds remaining, Dover needed one final play to complete a comeback against its biggest rival.
Quarterback Dieter Weber delivered.
Weber connected with Dante Clark for the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds remaining, lifting Dover to a 32-28 victory over New Philadelphia on Friday, Oct. 23, in the 123rd meeting between the longtime rivals.
Week 10 | Ohio high school football scores, Tuscarawas-area results from Week 10
The victory capped an undefeated 8-0 run through the OCC for the Crimson Tornadoes, who claimed the conference championship in their first season back in the league.
For Dover coach Matt Rees, the dramatic finish was another example of the resilience his team has shown throughout the season.
“They never gave up. They never took a step back. They fought, and they fought,” Rees said. “And that’s something that has always stuck out to me with these guys.”
The Crimson Tornadoes faced an uphill battle late in the fourth quarter after a fumble with 6:29 remaining gave New Philadelphia an opportunity to strengthen its lead.
The Quakers capitalized, scoring a touchdown with 4:18 left to extend their advantage to 28-18.
But Dover wasn’t finished.
The Crimson Tornadoes answered with a touchdown of their own before recovering an onside kick with 2:01 remaining, giving Weber and the offense one final opportunity.
With time running out and Dover trailing by four, Weber found Clark in the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with just 10 seconds on the clock.
Weber said the winning play didn’t unfold exactly as designed.
“I was like, what are my reads? What defense are they in? What am I looking for here?” Weber said. “And the play ended up breaking up. I scrambled out and found Dante in the end zone to win the game.”
For Weber and Clark, the connection was the product of years of preparation.
“It’s really been since middle school,” Weber said. “Every summer, we’ve been going to my quarterback trainer. We’ve been training, and I’m just really blessed and fortunate to have the teammates that I have to make the plays in situations like that.”
Clark credited the team’s confidence and preparation for making the final play possible.
“We all believed we were gonna score,” Clark said. “Everyone executed their job and it worked out.”
Dover’s second-half comeback fuels rivalry victory
After trailing 21-10 at halftime, Dover outscored New Philadelphia 22-7 in the second half to complete the comeback.
The Crimson Tornadoes’ ability to overcome adversity was especially important after the late turnover threatened to derail their championship hopes.
Rees said the team’s response was the result of a mentality developed over months of preparation rather than something that emerged during rivalry week.
“We keep saying, take things play by play, and that’s what we’ve preached, play by play and day by day,” Rees said. “They’ve learned that and they’ve embraced that, and we saw it tonight.”
Clark said the team discussed handling adversity before the game, a message that became particularly important during the second half.
“Our pregame talk talked a lot about adversity,” Clark said. “We got in at halftime and said we’re gonna hit adversity. That’s exactly what happened. We know how to overcome.”
Dover completes undefeated OCC championship run
Beyond the rivalry victory, Friday’s result marked a significant accomplishment for a Dover program that finished 4-6 last season and missed the playoffs.
The Crimson Tornadoes completed their first season back in the Ohio Cardinal Conference with a perfect 8-0 record, securing the league championship and a potential bye in the first round of the playoffs.
Rees said he never approached the season by focusing on conference titles or potential playoff positioning. Instead, his attention remained on the team’s development.
“I wasn’t looking at conference champions. I wasn’t looking at playoff contenders,” Rees said. “I was looking at are we growing? Are we moving forward?”
That growth ultimately helped Dover capture the conference championship, with the Crimson Tornadoes now awaiting their postseason assignment.
“When you look at that, not just our players but our community, and being able to have that conference title in the first year back in the Ohio Cardinal Conference is just exciting,” Rees said.
For Clark, the championship was a reward for the work the team put in throughout the offseason and regular season.
“We worked hard all offseason, all season,” Clark said. “First year in the conference, and we worked so hard to try to achieve this, and we did it, so it feels great.”
Weber echoed that sentiment, reflecting on how far the Crimson Tornadoes have come since last year’s disappointing finish.
“It means everything,” Weber said. “Last year, coming off a four and six season, we weren’t satisfied at all coming into this season.”
Jshondel@usatodayco.com; X: @JacoBShondeL
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Dover football stuns New Philadelphia on last-second TD to win OCC title