The Delaware Hayes football team made big play after big play to get back into things in the second half, but visiting Canal Winchester made the biggest one of the night as a Jay Jay Jones sack on fourth down with less than two minutes to go all but sealed the deal in the Indians’ 24-21 win Friday night in Delaware.

“The kid’s been coming up big all year,” Canal coach Jake Kuhner said of Jones. “He’s one of our best defensive linemen and he makes big plays in big situations … that’s his second game-ending sack he’s had this year.”

The win helped the Indians (9-0, 6-0) secure an outright OCC-Capital Division title — a crown the Pacers (7-2, 4-2) would have been in position to potentially share with a win of their own.

Despite the 14-point halftime deficit, Hayes coach Ryan Montgomery knew his guys would make things interesting at the end.

“These seniors have bought in ever since I took over at the end of their sophomore year,” he said. “They work hard and I knew when I talked to them in the locker room (down 21-7 at the half) it didn’t matter that we were down, I knew they were gonna battle … I knew they were gonna fight.”

Which is exactly what they did.

The Pacers, after an up and down first half that saw Canal’s Harlee Hanna return a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown to make it a 14-point game at the break, showed just how dangerous their quick-strike offense can be down the stretch.

After the defense got a stop — Justin Matthews intercepted a pass on the Indians’ first possession of the third — the offense went to work at its own 36-yard line with eight minutes and change left in the quarter.

Quarterback Jake Lowman moved the chains with a short connection to Austin Koslow and, after a personal foul penalty moved the ball into Canal territory, Lowman hit Gavin Shears for a 43-yard TD to make it a one-score game, 21-14, with 5:43 left in the quarter.

The Indians answered with a 35-yard field goal a minute into the fourth before the Pacers got a little closer on the ensuing possession thanks to a quick pass from Lowman to Gavin Brinkmoeller. Lowman, with a free blitzer bearing down, flipped a throw to Brinkmoeller, who outran the entire Canal defense to the end zone to pull his team within three, 24-21, with 9:32 left.

After the teams traded a handful of empty possessions, the Hayes defense forced a three-and-out with just under four minutes left.

The offense took over at its own 25 and, a few plays later, Lowman scrambled for what felt like an eternity before finding Garrett Brown open for a big gain down the sideline.

A few plays after that, though, Lowman’s third-and-five pass to Austin Koslow was knocked away before Jones got a great jump off the line and sacked Lowman off the edge on fourth to end what proved to be Hayes’ final possession.

“We settled in, but we had way too many self-inflicted wounds,” Montgomery said. “When you’re playing one of the top teams in the state (Division II), you can’t have mistakes, you can’t turn the ball over … and that kinda plagued us tonight.”

Canal played from in front from the start, going up 7-0 when QB Maxton Brunner hooked up with A.J. Young for a 78-yard touchdown at the 4:46 mark of the first quarter.

Hayes’ Josh Russell evened things at seven with a 15-yard TD run with 1:52 left in the first before the Indians closed the half with a 14-0 surge including Hanna’s fumble return for a touchdown.

Despite the loss, and just one game left in the regular season, the Pacers still have plenty to play for.

“These guys still have a lot ahead of them,” Montgomery said. “This school has only had one eight-win football team … we have an opportunity to go to Franklin Heights next week and try and do that. We’ve never had a playoff victory … and this team has an opportunity to do that, too. I think we’ll be dangerous in the playoffs. I really like our chances.”

Also: Big Walnut 37, Dublin Scioto 0; Columbus Academy 41, Buckeye Valley 8; Hilliard Davidson 10, Liberty 6; Olentangy 35, Dublin Jerome 20; Berlin 34, Marysville 14; Hilliard Bradley 28, Orange 7.