Buckeye vs. Padua football: Bruins advance on Nick Barker’s game-winning TD pass to Christian Ruggiero

MEDINA, Ohio – Padua senior quarterback Nick Barker has taken a back seat to teammate Roderick Love all season.

On Friday, Barker delivered the game-winning touchdown pass with 22 seconds left to lead the No. 7 seed Bruins to a thrilling 39-34 win over No. 2 Buckeye in the quarterfinals of Division III, Region 10 of the OHSAA play- offs.

The Bruins (7-5) will play No. 3 Benedictine (10-2) – a 28-6 winner over No. 6 Defiance – next Friday in the regional semifinals at a location to be determined. Buckeye finishes 10-2.

Trailing by one with 30 seconds left and facing a second-and-15, Barker scrambled out of the pocket and hit fellow senior Christian Ruggiero in the middle of the field for the decisive 32-yard score.

“It’s all about the offensive line, it starts with them,” Barker said. “I trusted my guys and hit Ruggiero. It is the result of great leadership from everyone on this team.”

Barker, who had just three total TD passes all season, was called all night, completing 14 of 17 passes for a game-high 214 yards and four touchdowns. His third TD – a 15-yarder from junior Brady Devore – put the Bruins up five, 33-28, with four minutes remaining.

“Nick has had a lot of setbacks throughout the season. There were ups and downs,” says Padua coach Kevin Kubit. “It was incredible to see him make the right read on that final TD pass for Christian. My eyes lit up. I am very proud of him.”

In a game that featured more than 800 yards of offense and six lead changes, it was Barker and the Bruins – who totaled 454 yards – who orchestrated a 9-play, 77-yard drive to close out the game.

“The way our 2023 season ended on the goal line was tough. And to see these players play 48 minutes tonight and finish the game, I’m so proud of them,” Kubit said. “The motto of 2024 was: finish. When we are tough, we compete, we are disciplined, and we are loyal. These kinds of things will happen.”

Just as the playoff game between these teams began two years ago, Love, a senior, scored on the first play of a scrimmage on a 53-yard run.

The Bucks responded with a seven-play, 55-yard drive, with junior running back Ryan Wilhelm punching it in from 2 yards out.

The Bruins turned to Barker to regain the lead. The 6-foot-1 senior completed his first eight passes, including a 30-yard touchdown to Riley Cervenka at the end of the first quarter.

Wilhelm, who finished the first half with 52 yards on six carries, capped a 71-yard drive to give the Bucks their first lead, 14-13, midway through the second.

It didn’t last long as the Bruins pulled off some trickery on the next drive. On first and goal from the five, Barker took the snap, rolled to his right and threw it back to senior lineman Brandon Homady, who ran the ball in for the score and a 20-14 lead.

The Bucks, responding all night, rode their ground game to open a 28-20 lead midway through the third quarter. Senior running back Troy McCann, the school’s single-season TDs leader, scored on a 5-yard run. He finished with a team-high 112 yards on 19 carries and provided the go-ahead start with a 47-yard run to the 3-yard line.

The Bruins looked to Love to reduce the deficit. He showed his versatility for the second week in a row, taking a 52-yard screen pass to the house to cut the Bucks’ lead to one. Love totaled 266 yards from scrimmage – a game-high 204 rushing on 26 carries and 62 receiving on four receptions.

“Rod is a great athlete, a Division I talent,” Barker said. “Me and him have great chemistry there, and when he’s going, I cheer him on.”

After an interception by Ruggiero, Barker led an 85-yard drive and hit Devore to put the Bruins up five late in the fourth quarter.

With two minutes left, the Bucks regained the lead on a three-yard run by Wilhelm – his third of the evening. He finished with 98 yards on 13 carries.

At that point, Barker executed the two-minute attack to perfection, leading his team to the winning score.

“I’m all for the team. The defense was struggling a bit and I knew I had to pick them up,” Barker said. “I was looking for my guys and got the ball to them and I knew I had Rugs on that play.”

“It’s the power of faith. We know what we are capable of,” Kubit said. ‘We’ll come back tomorrow and go to the movies. We’ll come on Monday and keep this ship sailing.’

Austin Opfer is a freelancer from Cleveland.