Lake Catholic junior Randy Greenwood finished what he started. The Cougars, however, are far from done.

Sparked by Greenwood’s three touchdowns in the first quarter and a key 50-yard punt in the fourth, Lake Catholic put away feisty Cortland Lakeview, 28-13, in a Division III regional final Friday night at Solon’s Stewart Field.

Lake Catholic (9-4) advanced to its first state semifinal under coach Mike Bell, and the first since 2001, the year it won its third state title. State semifinal brackets will not be official until Sunday, however the Cougars are expected to play Licking Valley (12-1) next Friday.

"Two more games, and we’ll take it one by one," Greenwood said. "This feels great after last year, losing in the regional championship. This is overwhelming."

Greenwood ignited Lake Catholic to a 21-7 lead, but Lakeview fought back with a quick, tenacious defense. The Bulldogs (10-3) bottled up Greenwood, and he eventually left the game with an elbow injury and leg cramps.

Greenwood gave Bell a thumbs-up when asked midway through the fourth quarter if he could still punt with the Cougars clinging to 21-13 lead. The left-footed Greenwood launched a long line drive that skidded to a stop at the 2-yard line.

"Randy is an amazing player," Lake Catholic tackle Chad Hounshell said. "When he goes down, everyone gets a little shaken, even though we have a great backup. He can do it all. We call him ‘Superman,’ and he really does live up to that because you can put him at any position and he will perform."

Thee plays after the punt, Lakeview tailback/quarterback John Bielhl’s pass from the end zone was tipped by a Cougar to linebacker Brian Ross, who made the interception at the 9.

Cougars fullback Mike Sweigert bulled in on a 7-yard touchdown run over left tackle, ending a 32-minute scoring drought for a 28-13 lead with 4:08 to play.

Greenwood played a flawless first quarter, running for 98 of his 112 yards behind an offensive line that gave him plenty of room. He capped an opening 80-yard drive with a 26-yard touchdown catch on a fade pattern from quarterback Matt Lender.

Lender’s interception on defense and 20-yard return to the 14 set up a 9-yard Greenwood TD run. After Lakeview’s Ben Moody scored on a 49-yard run, Greenwood countered two plays later with his own 49-yard touchdown run for a 21-7 lead.

Lake Catholic had a major hiccup in the second quarter, allowing a 60-run by Te Elias on an off-tackle play, but the Cougars were stellar in the second half, holding the Bulldogs to 14 yards on 18 plays.

"That’s the game right there," Hounshell said. "We played straight-up, backyard football, and it worked."

Lineman Pat Sweigert had two of the Cougars’ six sacks. Mike Sweigert had a sack and recovered a fumble, and safety Matt Lender intercepted a pass. Lineman Joe Gaglione and linebackers Bob Reho and Dave Plungas had several key stops.