Olentangy secures playoff spot with win
Caden Kaiser caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Riley Bruening with 1:21 remaining, helping host Olentangy edge Westerville Central 35-31 in an Ohio Capital Conference Central Division game Friday night.
Bruening and Kaiser hooked up four times on the game-winning drive, twice on fourth down and once on third down. Kaiser made eight receptions for 126 yards on the night.
Ali Iverson rushed for 172 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns for Olentangy (7-3, 3-2), which advanced to the playoffs with the win. Jaden Konadu also had two TDs.
Allen Smith rushed for 119 yards on 26 carries and caught two passes for 56 yards, including a TD, to pace Westerville Central (4-6, 2-3), which saw its playoff chances dashed in coach John Magistro’s final game. Beeler tossed two scoring passes to help give the Indians a 28-0 lead.
Chris Hampton rushed for 177 yards and four touchdowns and caught a TD pass, helping Franklin Heights (5-5, 3-2) to an OCC Capital victory at Newark (1-9, 1-4). Quarterback Cody Little completed 15 of 21 passes for 187 yards and a pair of Falcons scores, and also ran for 106 yards and a TD. Jake Morgan threw three touchdown passes for Newark.
Michiah Burton rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown and New Albany (6-4, 4-1) downed visiting Groveport (0-10, 0-5) to finish in a first-place tie the OCC Capital. Burton scored on a 26-yard run in the fourth quarter to tie it at 20 and Jalin Jackson gave New Albany the lead on a 5-yard run with 4:43 remaining. Colin Rice tossed two first-half touchdown passes to Jaylin Chaney to lift Groveport to a 20-10 halftime lead. clinched the OCC Cardinal title by beating Delaware (3-7, 1-5). Stewart also ran for a touchdown for the Jaguars, who totaled 434 yards.
Hayden Schell threw for 230 yards, and visiting Dublin Jerome (7-3, 5-1) defeated Worthington Kilbourne (3-7, 0-6) in the OCC Cardinal. Schell ran for a score and passed for one. Ryan Keys had six receptions for 142 yards for Kilbourne.
Thomas Rush rushed for 233 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries to lead host Marysville (4-6, 2-3) over Central Crossing (4-6, 2-3) in the OCC Central. Marysville rushed for 307 yards and rallied from a 7-0 deficit in the first quarter.
Cam Scott scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to break a 7-7 deadlock, and visiting Dublin Coffman (8-2, 5-0) defeated Upper Arlington (4-6, 2-3) to clinch the OCC Central. Scott rushed for 95 yards and Marcus Ernst threw for 163 yards and a score for the Shamrocks, who trailed 7-0 at halftime. Chris Schweisthal had 79 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Golden Bears. Demeatric Crenshaw passed for two touchdowns and ran for a score in the second quarter, and Pickerington Central (9-1, 5-0) clinched the OCC Ohio title with a win over host Grove City (1-9, 0-5).
Justin Henry threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns to lift Reynoldsburg (7-3, 3-2) to an OCC Ohio victory over visiting Lancaster (4-6, 1-4). Henry threw two first-quarter TD passes to Mershawn Rice, who finished with 148 yards on five receptions. Henry hooked up with Shon Strickland for a 53-yard score in the third quarter and ran in a 16-yard TD in the fourth. Shea Goss led Lancaster with 170 yards rushing and a touchdown. Mitchell Okuley tossed three touchdown passes, two to Ben Roderick, and Olentangy Liberty (8-2, 5-0) rolled over visiting Westerville North (2-8, 0-5) to clinch the OCC Buckeye title. Roderick had six catches for 95 yards and Matt Webb rushed for 131 yards for Liberty. Bodi Bien led the Warriors with 148 yards rushing.