COLUMBUS –The East Liverpool Potters are coming home.

Gavin Wright totaled 373 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns as East Liverpool outlasted Columbus East, 41-40, in a Division IV playoff opener Friday night.

The 12th-seeded Potters are returning to Patterson Field for a second-round playoff game. They will host 13th-seeded Millersburg West Holmes at 7 p.m. Friday. West Holmes (6-5) surprised Chillicothe Unioto, 28-21, to advance.

East Liverpool improves to 7-4 — including a 3-3 mark in games decided by seven points or less.

The Potters went ahead 41-34 in the fourth quarter as Wright scored on a 2-yard run and Kamdin Miller kicked the extra point.

Columbus East quarterback Aaron Britford responded with an 11-yard touchdown pass to pull within a point. But the Tigers missed the two-point conversion and the Potters won by one point.

The Potters had 452 total yards and the Tigers 413 in a quarterback duel.

Wright completed 18 of 28 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.

Britford ran for 222 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries and passed for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

Wright had plenty of help as Blake Adkins had eight catches for 119 yards, D’Shawn Kirby three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, Quintin Conrad four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown and Julius Jones three catches for 36 yards. Jaymin Haney added 79 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

Columbus East’s lead got as high as 10 points at 16-6 and 22-12 by halftime.

The Potters rallied in the third quarter as Haney and Wright had touchdown runs and Kirby hauled in a 21-yard pass for a Potter lead of 34-28.

Britford followed with a 53-yard scoring run to tie the game at 34-34.

EL: 0-12-22-7–41

CE: 8-14-12-6–40

SCORING

CE–Aaron Britford 1 run (Ta’John Royster run)

EL–Gavin Wright 3 run (kick failed)

CE–Aaron Britford 5 run (two-point good)

EL–Quintin Conrad 23 pass from Gavin Wright (two-point failed)

CE–Ta’John Royster 29 pass from Aaron Britford (two-point failed)

EL–Jaymin Haney run (Jaymin Haney run)

EL–Gavin Wright 20 run (D’Shawn Kirby run)

CE–Aaron Britford 1 run (two-point failed)

EL–D’Shawn Kirby 21 pass from Gavin Wright (two-point failed)

CE–Aaron Britford 53 run (two-point failed)

EL–Gavin Wright 2 run (Kamdin Miller kick)

CE–11 pass from Aaron Britford (two-point failed)

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EL CE

First downs 24 18

Total Yards 452 413

Rushes-yards 40-188 39-318

Passing 264 95

Comp-Att-Int 18-28-1 7-14-1

Punts 3-42 1-30

Fumbles lost 1 1

Penalties-Yards 13-109 11-68

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INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING–East Liverpool, Gavin Wright 23-109, Jaymin Haney 17-79; Columbus East, Aaron Britford 19-222, T. Royster 18-82.

PASSING–East Liverpool, Gavin Wright 18-28-1-264; Columbus East, Aaron Britford 7-14-1-95.

RECEIVING–East Liverpool, Blake Adkins 8-119, D’Shawn Kirby 3-64, Quintin Conrad 4-45, Julius Jones 3-36; Columbus East, T. Royster 4-66.

INTERCEPTIONS–East Liverpool, D’Shawn Kirby; Columbus East, Aaron Britford.