ZANESVILLE: Junior receiver Titan Grandstaff hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass from classmate Kason Hazlett in the final minute of play Friday night, lifting the Zanesville Blue Devils to a dramatic 38-35 comeback win over visiting Mount Vernon in a Licking County League-Buckeye Division showdown at John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium on Oct. 9.
The Blue Devils trailed on two different occasions in the fourth quarter before seizing control. Workhorse back Quinzy Chason ripped off a 62-yard scoring burst with 4:54 left and tacked on the two-point conversion to give Zanesville a 32-28 lead, only to watch Mount Vernon’s Landon Dawson — who scored three touchdowns on the night — punch in a 6-yard score with 50.5 seconds remaining. That left just enough time for Hazlett and Grandstaff to answer.
Hazlett was nearly perfect under center, completing 8 of 9 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns to Grandstaff, including a 51-yard strike earlier in the game, while adding 54 rushing yards on 11 carries. Chason powered the ground game with 182 yards on 32 carries, and Maddox Mohler chipped in 52 yards on nine attempts as Zanesville piled up a 429-230 edge in total yards.
The victory clinched the Blue Devils’ first non-losing season since 2021, also the last time they reached the postseason. Zanesville sits 11th in Division III, Region 11 in the latest standings, with games at Watkins Memorial and undefeated Licking Valley remaining — and a real shot at snapping a four-year playoff drought.
