Pickerington Central takes hard loss
After dominant season, St. Xavier turns tables
Defending champion Pickerington Central had only one competitive game during its brilliant run to the Division I football state championship game, riding a running clock in the second halves of many romps.
So how does one even begin to explain a 44-3 blowout at the hands of Cincinnati St. Xavier on Friday night at Fortress Obetz?
“It felt like we got a taste of our medicine and we didn't know how to react to it,” Tigers senior receiver/defensive back/return specialist Lorenzo Styles Jr. said. “They put us down on our back early and we just couldn't get back up.”
That just about summed up what happened to Central (11-1) on a night when it was dominated from the opening kickoff by a well-prepared, fundamentally sound St. Xavier team.
“All you can do is tip your hat to them,” said Tigers coach Jay Sharrett, whose team was seeking a third championship in four years. “They got the momentum early and just buried us. There's not a whole lot else to say. They controlled the line of scrimmage, their quarterback was on and we made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes.”
Operating a no-huddle, hurry-up offense, St. Xavier quarterback Brogan Mccaughey completed 23 of 35 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns – all to Jalen Patterson – in building a 44-3 halftime lead. The entire second half was played under a running clock.
“I'm kind of at a loss for words, speechless really, at how this played out,” Mccaughey said. “Our coaches came in with a great game plan. We always try to find a weakness in our opponent and attack it. We just played lights out and they were obviously shellshocked.”
It marked the fourth state title for St. Xavier, which weathered a brutal schedule, including a handful of close games, on the road to Obetz.
“On film, we thought Pickerington Central was an incredibly talented group,” St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said. “Defensively, we wanted to come out and put a lot of pressure on them, and maybe put some doubt in their minds. Getting the lead early certainly played to our advantage in a big way. They're not accustomed to playing from behind.”
On the opening series, Pickerington Central punter Dylan Wagner – facing heavy pressure – was unable to secure the snap, and St. Xavier pounced on him at the Tigers' 20-yard line.
The Bombers (10-2) capitalized as Mccaughey hit Patterson over the middle for a 14-yard touchdown.
St. Xavier then pinned Central at its own 2 with an excellent punt before sacking Tigers quarterback Garner Wallace in the end zone for a safety.
The Bombers took the free kick and scored just two plays later as Mccaughey and Patterson connected on a 35yard strike to make it 16-0.
Things continued to snowball from there.
Two more Mccaughey-to-patterson TDS made it 30-0 in the final minute of the first quarter.
Styles Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards to the St. Xavier 29, and Central picked up its initial first down on a Wallace pass to Gavin Edwards to the 6. But the Bombers' defense stiffened and Central settled for a 27-yard field goal by Mitchell Vollmer.
Gabe Dubois also returned a punt 58 yards for a TD, capping the nightmarish first half for the Tigers.
Central, which came in averaging 40 points per game, managed only 76 total yards. The Bombers recorded nine tackles for loss.
“That was just a humbling experience,” Central junior linebacker Tyler Gillison said. “We have to face the facts that we got outplayed and, hopefully, we'll learn from it. I'm just sad that I won't be able to play with these seniors ever again. It was a special group of guys.”
Sharrett emphasized that the senior class was part of two state championships, a runner-up and four final fours.
“They won an awful lot of ballgames,” he said. “We lost a game tonight, but this is just a bruise to us. We'll be back.” sblackledge@dispatch.com @Blackiepreps