ADA TOWNSHIP – While some people may not believe in momentum, the Mona Shores Sailors can tell you it’s real.

After playing to a halftime tie, the Sailors struggled in the third quarter of Friday’s Division 2 district championship game against Forest Hills Central, allowing the home team to outscore them 19-7.

That turned out to be the difference as Mona Shores fell 31-21, ending another great season for the Sailors.

“I don’t think they punted in the second half,” said Mona Shores head coach Matt Koziak. “It was halftime adjustments. We made some and they made some. They made more than we did, and it comes down to making plays. They made plays when they had to.”

The Sailors finished the season with an 8-3 record and a share of the O-K Green conference championship.

“I love this team,” said Koziak about his squad, which will lose 12 seniors to graduation. “I’m so proud of them. I told them at the beginning of the game, I’m the luckiest guy in the world, and when we came back in the locker room, I told them I have the best job in the world.

“I’m very thankful for the seniors and I’m glad they got to play for another district championship.”

Things started out well for the Sailors, who took an early 7-0 lead after a 60-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joh0nthan Pittman to Ke’Waun Farnum with 3:46 left in the first quarter.

That lead held up until late in the second quarter, when FH Central’s Justin Osterhouse threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Roman Brummel to tie the game 7-7 with 3:19 left.

Mona Shores had first-and-goal at the FH Central 5-yard line with under a minute left in the half and seemed poised to take the lead.

But three straight Sailor runs were stuffed, including two from inside the 2-yard line, and they never found the end zone.

The Sailors got off to another fast start in the third quarter.

On the first possession of the half, Pittman found Ke’Waun Farnum for yet another long TD pass, this one from 55 yards out, and the PAT gave Mona Shores a 14-7 lead.

“I think it was huge,” Koziak said about the missed opportunity at the end of the first half. “But I was proud of how our kids came out of halftime. We scored on the first possession.”

Unfortunately for the Sailors, FH Central took control from there.

Osterhouse wasted no time responding to the Mona Shores score, finding the end zone on a 17-yard run to make the score 14-13 with 8:25 left in the third.

Forest Hills Central then forced a Mona Shores punt on the ensuing possession.

Just one play after the punt, Osterhouse connected with JT Hartman for a 57-yard touchdown pass, giving Forest Hills Central a 19-13 lead with 5:01 left in the third quarter.

After another Sailor punt, Osterhouse completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mason McDonald to extend the lead to 26-14 with 38 seconds left on the clock.

Mona Shores opened the fourth quarter with a five-yard touchdown run by Dahmir Farnum to cut its deficit to 26-21 with 8:48 left in the game.

But the Sailor defense was unable to stop Osterhouse, who scored on a nine-yard touchdown run, making the score 33-21 with 3:36 left.

A Forest Hills Central interception with 2:23 remaining settled the matter and sent the Sailors home with a district final loss.

Osterhouse led the Rangers with 225 passing yards and three touchdowns with 86 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s a big rig,” Koziak said about Osterhouse. “He threw tremendously well tonight. What a gamer. I think they can really make a run with him and their other players.”

Mona Shores was led by Dahmir Farnum, who totaled 116 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries while Pittman completed 10 of 17 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

Ke’Waun Farnum totaled 132 yards and two touchdowns on four catches for the Sailors.