Revamped Orange defense dominates
A sign of a mature team is when individual egos are set aside for team success.
On Friday, Olentangy Orange running back Graham Starn demonstrated how important that is.
Starn, the Pioneers’ leading rusher, filled in for injured middle linebacker Bryce Houston after he suffered a season-ending knee injury last week and helped limit Westerville South’s potent offense in Olentangy Orange’s 35-7 win in an Ohio Capital Conference Buckeye Division game.
Pioneers coach Zebb Schroeder said Starn came to the coaching staff during the week and said he wanted to help on defense with Houston, an Ohio University commit, sidelined. Starn said he hasn’t played defense since his sophomore year when he was a 160-pound safety and admitted he’s never really liked playing defense until Friday night.
“I just want to win,” Starn said. “That transition, it was hard. It’s a whole new side of the ball; I haven’t played it all year. I haven’t played it in years. But I felt like I had to do it and I said, ‘You know what, I’ll do it if need be.’ So they gave me the job and I went out there
and played as hard as I can.”
Starn’s first night at the center of Orange’s defense went smoothly, with the Pioneers (9-1, 4-1) limiting the Wildcats (4-6, 1-4), who entered the game averaging 27.3 points, to seven points and Ohio State commit Jaelen Gill to 90 yards on 21 carries.
“We executed so well tonight, especially our defense,” Schroeder said. “To hold that offense to seven points is a tall task, because they’re just electric. They have playmakers everywhere.”
The Pioneers defense also forced two turnovers. Senior linebacker Zane Fisher recovered Michael McLemore’s fumble on the game’s first play from scrimmage, then did it again after Gill had the ball poked out of his grip while cutting back toward midfield on a screen pass. Fisher scooped the ball up and returned it to the 50.
Both of those turnovers set up Pioneers touchdowns.
Orange running back Jack Applegate shouldered the bulk of the carries with Starn’s absence in the backfield, rushing for a seasonhigh 140 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns. Junior running back Mark Roberts also ripped off a 72-yard run in the third quarter.
Starn eventually made his way into the backfield mix after the
Pioneers established a commanding lead, rushing for 29 yards on four carries and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
South quarterback Max Barber and McLemore connected for 37 yards in the second quarter for the Wildcats’ only touchdown.
Orange bounced back after a 25-24 loss to Olentangy Liberty last week. The Pioneers feel they’re in a good place going into the Division I playoffs — even with their starting running back playing middle linebacker.
“We are very excited for what’s to come,” Applegate said. “We’ll enjoy this one for what it is, but we’ll get in the film room tomorrow and start looking at that for the next task ahead.”
Grant Hill kicked a 34-yard field goal with 49 seconds remaining and Circleville (4-6, 2-4) edged host Hamilton Township (4-6, 2-4) in the MSL Buckeye. With Circleville trailing 28-21 in the fourth quarter, Garret Grey hit Cory Taylor for a 6-yard touchdown pass, his second of the game, with 3:18 left. The Tigers missed the extra point attempt, leaving them behind 28-27 before the Tigers took over again on Hamilton’s 36-yard line with 2:12 remaining. Grey completed 23 of 33 passes for 223 yards and added 72 rushing yards, including a 36-yard TD run in the first quarter. Kaleb Spangler led Circleville with 101 yards and a score. Hamilton Township’s Eric Bonte ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third.
Herman Moultrie rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns and caught a TD pass as host Columbus Academy (8-2, 4-1) cruised to an MSL Ohio win over Grandview (5-5, 2-3).
Otto Kuhns passed for two TDs and ran for another, helping visiting Bloom-Carroll (8-2, 4-2) Bryce Barasch rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns, Luke Myers also ran for three TDs and Johnstown (8-2, 4-0) routed host Heath (4-6, 2-2) to win the LCL Cardinal title.
Dylon Parman scored two fourthquarter touchdowns to lift host Northridge (6-4, 2-2) to an LCL Cardinal win over Newark Catholic (3-7, 2-2). Parman finished with 178 yards on 33 carries. Cameron Lewis ran for 100 yards and a touchdown for the Green Wave.
Quarterback Demetrius Johnson ran for 172 yard with two touchdowns and passed for a touchdown, and host Northmor (8-2, 5-2) clinched a playoff spot with a win over Highland (8-2, 6-1) in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference. Brody Matthews had 101 yards rushing for Highland, which dropped into a first-place tie with Danville. Northmor finished 1-9 last season.