New Albany rolls Gahanna with strong finish
Editor's note: Each week, we will highlight some of the top games from Friday night's high school football matchups. For recaps of all the games, go to Dispatch.com.
Even after his 27-yard fumble return for a touchdown effectively sealed a 31-3 rivalry win over Gahanna on Friday, New Albany defensive back Chidi Mabatah didn’t want to hear about the Eagles’ first 7-0 start in eight years.
“It’s not 7-0. It’s 1-0 this week," Mabatah said. "We don’t think about the 7-0. We really went 1-0. We forget about this week and go on to the next.”
Mabatah’s score came in a surge that saw New Albany score 24 unanswered points after largely being held in check during the first half.
The Eagles — who improved to 2-0 in the OCC-OHIO Division — gained 156 of their 238 yards after halftime, when they led just 7-3, and the defense limited Gahanna to minus-6 rushing yards.
Jaydn Garnes ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, and quarterback Brock Kidwell added two 1yard scoring runs in the second half. Kidwell’s first run capped a 14-play, 65yard drive that consumed more than six minutes of the third quarter.
“We came out rusty, got behind and things got a little out of control,” said Gahanna coach Bruce Ward.
“We got tired. We hadn’t played once in three weeks . ... They came out with no mercy. You have to be sharp playing this team.”
— Dave Purpura
Upper Arlington 41, Olentangy Liberty 24
Upper Arlington quarterback Simon Monnin hooked up with receiver Sam Cannon twice for long touchdowns in the second quarter to lead the Golden Bears to their first victory over the Patriots.
“I’ve been playing with Simon ever since seventh grade and he got hurt last year,” Cannon said. “I was out the first two games, so we didn’t get to play a lot (since) last year. It’s working out well. We have eight TDS in five games. We just have a natural connection.”
The Bears, who improved to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the Occ-central, had not won seven consecutive games since 2011. Their last 7-0 start came in 2000 — the year they defeated Solon to win their only state championship.
“We knew (Liberty is) excellent against the run. They always are,” UA coach Justin Buttermore said. “They’re very difficult to run against, so we knew we’d have to be good in the passing game. That was part of the plan, to be good in the passing game early so we could run late.”
Monnin finished 14 of 23 passing for 193 yards and Cannon caught eight passes for 133 yards. Carson Gresock ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries.
— Michael Rich