HAMILTON — New Bremen pulled out to a three-touchdown lead by halftime and cruised from there to earn a 45-15 victory in a Division VII regional quarterfinal against Hamilton New Miami on Saturday.
The Cardinals (8-3) advance to face Northwest Central Conference champion Lima Perry (8-3) in a regional semifinal this Saturday at Alexander Stadium in Piqua. Perry opened the playoffs with a 44-0 victory at Cincinnati College Prep on Saturday.
Mitchell Hays ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries to lead New Bremen’s rushing attack against New Miami. He also completed 3-of-4 passes for 41 yards with one interception.
Zach Bertke gained 76 rushing yards and scored two TDs on five carries while Wyatt Dicke gained 66 rushing yards on 13 carries. Colten Muether ran for 54 yards on six carries and scored one TD.
Bertke scored on a 65-yard touchdown run 17 seconds into the game to give New Bremen a 7-0 lead. Hays scored on a 4-yard run with 8:26 left in the first quarter, but New Miami scored on a 58-yard TD pass early in the second quarter to pull within 14-7.
The Cardinals ran away before halftime, though. Hays scored on an 8-yard run with 1:38 left, then scored on a 5-yard run with 11 seconds left to boost the lead to 28-7.
New Bremen had 427 yards of offense while New Miami had 150.
Ben Blickle led the Cardinals with eight tackles, including two for a loss. Owen Gabel made 6-of-9 extra-point attempts for New Bremen and made a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter.
It was the first playoff win for New Bremen since 2004, which is the last time the squad qualified for postseason play.
