Gahanna Lincoln, Dublin Jerome, Upper Arlington earn close wins in Week 5

Gahanna Lincoln 22, Pickerington Central 20 

As the Lions prepared for their first meeting against Central in three years, they didn’t focus solely on their previous struggles in the series or on the Tigers’ near-dominance against central Ohio programs for much of the last two decades. 

According to junior wide receiver Jalen Scott, Gahanna talked mostly about “being prepared” for an opponent that it hadn’t beaten since 2001 and was 2-20 against all-time.

It wasn't always clear whether that would be enough, but Gahanna held on for the victory Sept. 16 at Thomas Worthington in what represented a home game because of renovations to its home stadium.

Columbus high school football scores:Central Ohio high school football scores for Week 5; Columbus area Week 6 schedule

OHSAA football calendar:OHSAA football calendar set as 2022 season gets set to begin; two divisional changes

Gahanna heads into OCC-Ohio Division action next week at 4-1 while the Tigers enter their OCC-Buckeye schedule at 2-3. 

“Our kids prepared all week and the more we watched film, we knew there were some things we could take advantage of,” Lions coach Bruce Ward said. “Our kids came out and played hard. That’s all we asked.” 

Gahanna, which snapped a 15-game skid against Central, took a 7-0 lead on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Brennen Ward to Scott midway through the first quarter. 

The Tigers drove to the Gahanna 12 early in the second quarter, but then had a touchdown called back because of holding and fumbled on the next play, with Griffin Flusche recovering for the Lions. 

Gahanna ended up deep inside Central territory on two other first-half drives but settled for field goals both times and led 13-0 at halftime.

After a 23-yard touchdown pass from Central quarterback Braden Mantooth to Dominic Shaw late in the third quarter cut it to 16-14, the Lions benefited from a personal foul and moved deep into Central territory again. 

With 11:22 to go in the game, Ward connected with Dylan Scott for a 23-yard touchdown, but the extra point was blocked keeping the score at 22-14. 

Gahanna lost three fumbles during the game, with the final one picked up by Isaiah Crozier with 10:22 remaining at the Lions’ 31. 

Central’s Rasheem Biles then ran for 24 yards on first down and scored from 7 yards out on the next play.

With Biles about to receive a direct snap on the two-point conversion attempt, the Tigers were whistled for a false start. On the second attempt, Mantooth scrambled but came up 4 yards short of the end zone as Gahanna preserved the lead. 

Biles went down with a leg injury on a punt return with 8:13 to go and did not return for the Tigers’ final two offensive series. 

“We struggled a little bit against those little runs and intermediate passes, but we’ve got that brotherhood and we count on each other,” said Gahanna senior defensive back Makai Shahid, who had an interception midway through the third quarter. “That chemistry started to kick in and we got the job done.” 

Diore Hubbard rushed 38 times for 211 yards to lead the Lions’ offense. 

Central hasn’t started a season by losing three of its first five games since 1998. 

“To their credit, they played us toe-to-toe and they’re a great football team,” Tigers coach Jay Sharrett said. “We had our opportunities but we came up a couple points short. We’ve got to heal up and start league play next week.” 

—Jarrod Ulrey

PICKERINGTON CENTRAL: 0-0-14-6–20 

GAHANNA LINCOLN: 7-6-3-6–22 

GL—J. Scott 43 pass from Ward (Huliba kick) 

GL—Huliba 23 FG 

GL—Huliba 31 FG 

PC—G. Williams 1 run (Goulet kick) 

GL—Huliba 21 FG 

PC—Shaw 23 pass from Mantooth (Goulet kick) 

GL—D. Scott 23 pass from Ward (kick blocked) 

PC—Biles 7 run (run failed)

Dublin Jerome 27, Hilliard Bradley 24

The Celtics lost running back Luke McLoughlin to an ankle injury in the first quarter but backup Cael Abdul Haqq carried the load in a win over host Bradley.

Haqq ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries, and he also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass to help the Celtics remain unbeaten through five games. The 5-8, 150-pounder also suffered an ankle injury and was carted off the field with 1:49 remaining in the fourth.

“He’s a beast for us,” Jerome coach Brett Glass said. “He plays both ways and had a great game. I hated to see that (injury).”

Bradley drove downfield late to set up a 53-yard field goal attempt by Jake Walter, who made a 42-yarder in the second quarter. The kick was on line but fell about 5 yards short as time expired.

“The kid came in and picked them up, and they went at us where we’re green,” said Bradley coach Mike LoParo, whose team dropped to 3-2. “We only have one player back from last year in our front six, and we’re still a work in progress.”

Jerome quarterback Zakk Tschirhart was 21-for-28 passing for 202 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Zach Thomas had eight receptions for 110 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.

“We knew we had to step up (when McLoughlin went out) but we knew we had a dog in Cael,” Tschirhart said. “There were holes in the defense, and we just had to find them.”

Bradley quarterback Bradyn Fleharty was 23-for-32 passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns, and he rushed for 77 yards on 12 carries with a 42-yard touchdown. Wide receiver Preston Wolfe had five catches for 80 yards and one score, and running back Trevor Schuler added five receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown.

—Scott Hennen

DUBLIN JEROME: 0-14-6-7--27

HILLIARD BRADLEY: 7-3-7-7--24

HB—Fleharty 42 run (Walter kick)

DJ—Haqq 2 run (Holden kick)

HB—Walter 42 FG

DJ—Haqq 6 run (Holden kick)

DJ—Thomas 13 pass from Tschirhart (kick failed)

HB—Wolfe 17 pass from Fleharty (Walter kick)

DJ—Haqq 7 pass from Tschirhart (Holden kick)

HB—Schuler 6 pass from Fleharty (Walter kick)

Upper Arlington 14, Groveport Madison 13

Wally Swiney made his first two varsity touchdowns memorable, catching the tying score in the first quarter and the game-winner from 30 yards on the first play of the fourth as the host Golden Bears held off the Cruisers.

Swiney, a sophomore listed at 5-foot-6, 148 pounds, missed the first game with a right hip flexor and steadily worked his way up the depth chart to give UA a dependable option on a night that saw the teams combine for 14 penalties and the Bears win despite committing both of the game’s turnovers.

“We ran that play in the huddle and I told (quarterback James Hayek) that if the original route wasn’t open, I had him. I’d be open deep,” said Swiney, whose winning catch capped a seven-play, 99-yard drive that took less than three minutes. “I was honestly shocked. I’d never been in that position in this big of a game.”

Tyler Sawmiller sacked Groveport quarterback Aaron Britford on consecutive plays on the Cruisers’ final drive, Cole Compton added a third sack and UA ran out the final 2 minutes, 8 seconds to improve to 4-1.

Hayek completed eight of 14 passes for 113 yards, both touchdowns and two interceptions.

“We snuck it out, and I’m proud of our kids for gutting it out and finding a way to win late, but Groveport deserved to win. They outplayed us and out-efforted us,” Bears coach Justin Buttermore said. “They wore us down more than we wore them down. We’ve had a tough time getting teams off the field and we need to get our offense more plays.”

Groveport began the game with an 18-play, 92-yard drive that took 7:30 and resulted in quarterback Aaron Britford’s 11-yard touchdown run. Michael Robinson III’s 25-yard touchdown run 1:16 before halftime made it 13-7, but the Cruisers’ second-half possessions resulted in three punts and a failed fourth-down conversion.

“That adversity in the second half, getting some penalties against us … but we fought. That was as physical a game as we’ve played in my years here,” said Groveport coach Mitch Westcamp, whose team had its two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 2-3. “(UA) has experience. Their guys have been there and we’re still getting there.”

—Dave Purpura

GROVEPORT MADISON: 7-6-0-0–13

UPPER ARLINGTON: 7-0-0-7–14

GM—Britford 11 run (Morgan Jr. kick)

UA—Swiney 34 pass from Hayek (Milliken kick)

GM—Robinson III 25 run (kick blocked)

UA—Swiney 30 pass from Hayek (Milliken kick)

Grove City 48, Marysville 35 

As Grove City coach Greg Waits continues to rejuvenate his program, the Dawgs turned in a statement win, holding off visiting Marysville.

Grove City improved to 4-1 with its third consecutive victory, while the Monarchs dropped to 3-2.

“They’re all big wins,” said Waits, who earned his first home victory as a head coach. “Marysville is a very good, physical team. We knew we had to play our best tonight, and offensively we were pretty good. Our kids have bought into this and they love this system. They believe in it. Our tempo wears people down.”

The Dawgs will open OCC-Ohio play Sept. 23 at defending champion New Albany, and Marysville begins defense of its OCC-Cardinal title Sept. 23 at Hilliard Darby

Quarterback Matthew Papas led the Dawgs, completing 25 of 43 passes for 448 yards and four touchdowns. He added 104 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 10 carries. 

J.J. King had eight catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns, and Ryan Reber had seven receptions for 103 yards and two scores.

Leading 17-7 at halftime, Grove City opened a 27-7 advantage before holding off a Marysville rally.

The Monarchs made it 27-21 on touchdown runs of 64 and 18 yards by Griffin Johnson before the Dawgs regained control. Papas connected with Reber (8 yards) and King (75) for scores and added a 14-yard touchdown run as Grove City pulled away.

Papas’ 23-yard touchdown pass to King opened the scoring late in the first quarter, and his 1-yard touchdown run snapped a 7-all tie with 7:13 left in the first half.

Kaedon Kline’s 38-yard field goal pushed the advantage to 17-7 at halftime.

Nascere Smith scored on a 9-yard touchdown run with 9:15 left in the second quarter for the Monarchs’ lone touchdown in the first half.

Johnson led Marysville, rushing for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. 

“We’ve been good all year not giving up the big play and they took advantage of that tonight,” Marysville coach Brent Johnson said. “They made some big plays over the top. They answered every time we answered. That was a good heavyweight fight. Two 3-1 teams and someone has to win and someone has to lose.”

—Frank DiRenna

MARYSVILLE: 0-7-14-14–35

GROVE CITY: 7-10-10-21–48

GC—King 23 pass from Papas (Kline kick)

M— Smith 9 run (Heller kick)

GC—Papas 1 run (Kline kick)

GC—Kline 38 FG

GC—Kline 29 FG

GC—Reber 28 pass from Papas (Kline kick)

M—Johnson 64 run (Heller kick)

M—Johnson 18 run (Heller kick)

GC—Reber 8 pass from Papas (Kline kick)

GC—Papas 14 run (Kline kick)

M—Powers 7 run (Heller kick)

GC—King 75 pass from Papas (Kline kick)

M—Powers 24 pass from Seger (Heller kick)

Delaware Hayes 55, Westerville North 34 

Hayes flipped the script on its recent history with North. 

Returning home with three wins in their first four games, the Warriors were a hurdle coach Ryan Montgomery’s Pacers had to jump over, having lost both previous contests with North by a combined score of 66-14. 

It was a message Montgomery preached all week, coming off a 34-14 loss at Big Walnut. It was a message that came to fruition. 

“I think it’s huge when you are building a program,” said Montgomery, who is in his first season. “We challenged our kids all week. They responded well to adversity to the loss last week. And they just believe in the process.” 

Delaware improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the OCC-Capital, while North fell to 3-2 and 1-1.

Junior quarterback Jake Lowman set the tone for the Pacers, leading an eight-play, 78-yard drive to begin the game that ended with a 21-yard touchdown to senior H-back Kaden Gannon. Lowman waited for his receiver despite pressure from the Warriors’ defense on a rollout. 

It was the start of what turned into a five-touchdown performance. Lowman completed 16 of 23 passes for 336 yards. 

“Jake does a great job reading a defense, knowing if there’s zone, man, what the safeties are doing,” Montgomery said. “So, he executed those extremely well.” 

Delaware’s momentum didn’t stop in the passing game. 

After forcing a field goal try on North’s first drive, which the Pacers tipped at the line, the defense drew up a blitz attacking Warriors sophomore quarterback Ronald Jackson, forcing him to the ground and the ball into the air. It landed in the hands of linebacker Lucas Dotson, who took the interception 81 yards for a touchdown. 

“I couldn't be happier for him to score his first high school touchdown in a moment like that,” Montgomery said. 

Dotson and defensive back Justin Matthews each finished with two interceptions for a defense that allowed 261 passing yards and three touchdowns, but forced Jackson to complete only 16 of his 35 passes for an offense that had five turnovers. 

“One game doesn't define who we are,” North coach Bryan Johnson said. “We have to get back in our foxhole and stop listening to everyone else on the outside and kind of regroup. Start playing for each other and playing for the guys in the locker room.” 

—Colin Gay

DELAWARE HAYES: 21-14-20-0--55

WESTERVILLE NORTH: 0-14-8-12--34

DH—Gannon 21 pass from Lowman (Goble kick)

DH—Dotson 81 INT return (Goble kick)

DH—Koslow 55 pass from Lowman (Goble kick)

DH—Russell 16 run (Goble kick)

DH—Kirtland 43 pass from Lowman (Goble kick)

WN—Stevens 3 run (Howlett kick)

WN—R. Jackson 1 run (Howlett kick)

DH—Goble 39 FG

WN—Young 18 pass from R. Jackson (R. Jackson run)

DH—Kirtland 32 pass from Lowman (Goble kick)

DH—Goble 23 FG

DH—Koslow 5 pass from Lowman (Goble kick)

WN—R. Jackson 11 run (pass failed)

WN—S. Jackson 1 run (pass failed)

Watterson 52, Whitehall-Yearling 6

Watterson’s two-quarterback system has been trouble for opposing defenses, and the Rams didn’t have an answer for one of them in a key Division III, Region 11 contest.

A.J. McAninch threw for four touchdowns and rushed for another in helping the Eagles improve to 4-1. The senior completed 13 of 18 passes for 205 yards.

Ryan Rudzinski, who started at quarterback, led Watterson’s scoring drive on its opening series and completed two of three passes for 66 yards with a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 94 yards, including a 50-yard TD from McAninch in the second quarter.

“We go in each week with a plan,” Watterson coach Brian Kennedy said. “Ryan gets the first couple of series and then A.J. I think what you saw tonight was that A.J. played really well and Ryan is a top-level receiver. If Ryan is playing quarterback, he’s all in. If he’s playing receiver, he’s all in.”

McAninch’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Treyton Mercer put the Eagles up 21-0 with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.

Whitehall, which dropped to 3-2 and was held to 79 yards of total offense, got a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Andre Jackson to make it 21-6 at the end of the first quarter.

McAninch added a 6-yard touchdown pass to Mark Biagi and scored on a 1-yard run as Watterson stretched its lead to 45-6 at halftime.

“We’re going to get to a week where one of our (quarterbacks) might be off, and the other one has to be ready to go,” Kennedy said. “I don’t see us changing this right now.”

—Scott Gerfen

WATTERSON: 21-24-0-7–52

WHITEHALL-YEARLING: 6-0-0-0–6 

W—Trout 13 pass from Rudzinski (Kessinger kick)

W—Trout 21 pass from McAninch (Kessinger kick)

W—Mercer 20 pass from McAninch (Kessinger kick)

WY—Jackson 97 kick return (kick failed)

W—Kessinger 36 FG

W—Biagi 6 pass from McAninch (Kessinger kick)

W—McAninch 1 run (Kessinger kick)

W—Rudzinski 50 pass from McAninch (Kessinger kick)

W—Boyle 19 run (Kessinger kick)

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