Central Ohio high school football scores and second-round OHSAA playoff recaps

Olentangy Liberty 28, Dublin Jerome 14

Sophomore quarterback Andrew Leonard threw three touchdown passes and Liberty’s defense stood tall in an upset of top-seeded and host Jerome in a Division I, Region 2 quarterfinal Nov. 4.

The eighth-seeded Patriots, who improved to 7-5, play fourth-seeded Perrysburg in a semifinal Nov. 11 at a neutral site. The Celtics finished 9-3.

Who advanced to the third round? Central Ohio high school football playoff scores

Third round: Regional semifinal pairings

Leonard completed 23 of 27 passes for 263 yards, including 14 in a row at one point. He scrambled and found Evan Nelson for a 19-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left in the first quarter to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead, and they never trailed again.

“Our coaches did a great job. … We really had a great game plan for them,” Leonard said. “The ball was coming off right, receivers were getting open and we were just making plays.”

Leonard found Alex Okuley for touchdowns of 72 and 14 yards in the second quarter as the lead grew to 28-7. Okuley ended up with five receptions for 123 yards and sophomore Ryan Schapker, playing for injured sophomore Jake Struck, carried 22 times for 86 yards and a touchdown.

“I've got to give it to Leonard, it was a perfect ball between two guys (on the first touchdown),” Okuley said. “All I did was catch and run – it was all on Leonard. (The second touchdown) was another fantastic ball by Leonard. It’s one of the best games he’s played all year. He was (throwing) amazing passes and making good reads. It was a great game by Leonard.”

Jerome was 0-for-4 on fourth down with the biggest one coming in the second quarter trailing by 14 points. The Celtics drove 37 yards on eight plays to Liberty’s 38, but Luke Fleet stopped Luke McLoughlin for a loss of 2 yards on fourth down, and the Patriots were in the end zone seven plays later.

“We just read our keys and do the right thing,” said Fleet, whose team lost to Jerome 21-7 in the first round of the playoffs last year. “We just wanted to take it to them.”

Quarterback Zakk Tschirhart found Marek Tzagournis for a 75-yard touchdown pass with 9:30 remaining in the third quarter on the Celtics’ first play of the second half.

Michael Arinze Ezirim blocked Bliss Archibald's 32-yard field-goal attempt with 8:25 remaining, but Jerome couldn’t close the gap.

The Celtics finished with 235 yards of total offense, but were held to 31 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Tzagournis caught eight passes for 121 yards and added 5.5 tackles on defense. Tschirhart was 18-for-32 passing for 204 yards. Mike Smith had seven tackles and Kyle White had an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

“They came out on fire on offense and we dug ourselves a hole,” Celtics coach Brett Glass said. “The kids played hard, though, and fought back in the second half. We cut it to two scores. We blocked a field goal to give us another chance. But we just couldn’t get anything going consistently in the second half, other than the big touchdown pass.

Jacob Biros led the Patriots with four tackles and Fleet finished with 2.5.

—Michael Rich

OLENTANGY LIBERTY: 14-14-0-0--28

DUBLIN JEROME: 7-0-7-0--14

OL—Schapker 3 run (Archibald kick)

DJ—McLoughlin 10 run (Holden kick)

OL—Nelson 19 pass from Leonard (Archibald kick)

OL—Okuley 72 pass from Leonard (Archibald kick)

OL—Okuley 14 pass from Leonard (Archibald kick)

DJ—Tzagournis 75 pass from Tschirhart (Holden kick)

Pickerington Central 28, Pickerington North 20

Still feeling the sting of getting burned while playing defense earlier in the game, Central junior Dominic Shaw took advantage of an opportunity to make up for it on special teams a short time later against visiting North.

The fifth-seeded Panthers were trailing by a touchdown when the ball went over North punter Ivan Ermlich’s head, and Shaw beat Ermlich to the loose ball and fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown.

That was the fourth of five touchdowns during a four-minute stretch late in the third quarter and proved to be the deciding score for the fourth-seeded Tigers in their Division I, Region 3 quarterfinal victory.

The win advanced Central into a regional semifinal Nov. 11 against top-seeded Gahanna Lincoln, which won the regular-season matchup between the teams 22-20 on Sept. 16.

Shaw was at defensive back when North quarterback Landon O’Connell found wide receiver A.J. Miller for a 62-yard pass that set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Dawaun Green that tied it at 14-all with 2:49 to go in the third period.

“I gave up that long catch which led to a touchdown and I had to get one back, not just for myself but for the team,” Shaw said. “It went over the (punter’s) head and it was just my opportunity to help the team. It means a lot.”

Central — which improved to 9-3 while North finished 7-5 — had its lead cut to 28-20 when O’Connell connected with Preston Bowman for a 63-yard touchdown with 10 seconds to go in the third.

The Panthers had two possessions in the fourth quarter, but the first ended with a fumble that was recovered by Central’s R.J. Keuchler and the second ended with a punt.

The Tigers' Terrance Alexander ran for 14 yards on fourth-and-1 from the North 37 and for 9 yards on fourth-and-2 from the Panthers’ 20 to seal the victory.

Central went up 21-14 on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Braden Mantooth to Isaiah Crozier, who didn’t play offense last year and scored for the first time this fall.

“It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish,” Crozier said. “We just trust each other and we know what to do. We’re a second-half team.”

The game was tied at 7-all when Central’s Anthony Madison III scored on a 25-yard run with 4:18 to go in the third period, setting up the sequence of big plays.

Alexander and Troy Lane both rushed for 79 yards and Madison had 68 yards rushing to lead the Tigers.

It marked the fourth time in seven seasons that North’s season ended with a playoff loss to the Tigers.

"It’s one of those games where no team is ever going to quit when we play each other, and there’s nothing but respect for both teams,” North coach Nate Hillerich said. “They made a couple more plays than we did.”

—Jarrod Ulrey

PICKERINGTON NORTH: 7-0-13-0–20

PICKERINGTON CENTRAL: 0-7-21-0–28

PN—Ross Jr. 48 pass from O’Connell (Ermlich kick)

PC—Mantooth 1 run (Goulet kick)

PC—Madison 25 run (Goulet kick)

PN—Green 2 run (Ermlich kick)

PC—Crozier 75 pass from Mantooth (Goulet kick)

PC—Shaw fumble recovery in end zone (Goulet kick)

PN—Bowman 63 pass from O’Connell (kick failed)

New Albany 38, Hilliard Davidson 7

Finally turning the corner on sprains to his right foot and ankle that hampered him throughout the second half of the regular season, Eagles running back Christian Manville continued a recent tear with 208 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries as host and third-seeded New Albany routed the 11th-seeded Wildcats in a Division I, Region 3 quarterfinal.

Manville scored from 55 yards on the Eagles’ fifth play from scrimmage and 27 yards early in the second quarter, but the play that seemed to turn momentum for good came on the next drive.

After Davidson cut a 14-0 deficit in half on Johnny DiBlasio’s 52-yard touchdown pass to Justin Roberts, Manville raced 79 yards on the first play of the next possession to make it 21-7.

“Our line is clicking, I’m clicking — we feel right right now,” said Manville, who has rushed for 515 yards the past two weeks and also caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Luka Garver in the third quarter. “(The Wildcats) have such a tough interior defense and I felt like if we hit the edge and controlled the edge, we could break some long runs.”

New Albany improved to 9-3 and will face second-seeded Upper Arlington in a regional semifinal Nov. 11 at a neutral site.

The Eagles dominated from the start, outgaining Davidson 132-12 in the first quarter and 417-151 for the game.

“We had to play a physical brand of football to match Davidson toe-to-toe,” New Albany coach Brian Finn said. “I keep telling people we’re a defensive team. It’s our defense. It’s what they’re doing that gives the offense opportunities, and with our tempo and style, that gives us a chance.”

Keevan Gibson rushed for 82 yards on 21 carries for Davidson, which finished 5-7.

“The massive sequence in the game was us getting to 14-7 and then they get an 80-yard buck sweep for (Manville’s) touchdown,” Wildcats coach Jeremey Scally said. “In this style of play, it’s so hard to recover from that drastic momentum swing.”

—Dave Purpura

HILLIARD DAVIDSON: 0-7-0-0--7

NEW ALBANY: 7-17-14-0--38

NA—Manville 55 run (Schuler kick)

NA—Manville 27 run (Schuler kick)

HD—Roberts 52 pass from Joh. DiBlasio (Lewis kick)

NA—Manville 79 run (Schuler kick)

NA—Schuler 41 FG

NA—Flauto 43 pass from Garver (Schuler kick)

NA—Manville 45 pass from Garver (Schuler kick)

Gahanna Lincoln 29, Hilliard Bradley 7

Diore Hubbard rushed for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, but it was the defense that stole the show for the top-seeded Lions in their Division I, Region 3 quarterfinal victory at Whitehall.

Gahanna held ninth-seeded Bradley to 87 total yards, including minus-14 yards rushing. In the first half, Bradley had 25 total yards and minus-3 on the ground.

The Lions will face fourth-seeded Pickerington Central in a Region 3 semifinal Nov. 11 at a neutral site. The Tigers lost 22-20 to Gahanna on Sept. 16.

Gahanna forced four turnovers and committed just one, but none was bigger than an interception returned 54 yards for a touchdown by defensive back Isaiah Wills-Jackson with 3:12 left in the first half. The score put the Lions up 15-0.

“I saw the receiver’s eyes get big, so I knew it was coming,” Wills-Jackson said. “I caught it and saw I had lead blockers. I was able to cut back and I knew I was scoring.”

Defensive back Romearo Wells added two more interceptions for the Lions, and defensive lineman Isaac Perkins had a fumble recovery.

“We wanted to stop the pass, and we knew we had guys who could cover,” Gahanna defensive coordinator Murad Holliday said. “(The Jaguars) could do things in the passing game to put us in a bind. We were able to conquer those binds.”

Hubbard rushed for a pair of 3-yard touchdowns, and Amir Simmons added a 30-yard scoring run. Quarterback Brennen Ward was 10-for-20 passing for 128 yards and one interception, and wide receiver Ty Staples had five receptions for 93 yards.

“They have a really good defense, and we had our hands full,” said Bradley coach Mike LoParo, whose team finished 5-7. “We knew their defensive line would pressure, and it was tough to deal with.”

The Jaguars had just two first downs before going on a 10-play, 74-yard drive that was capped by a 16-yard scoring pass from quarterback Bradyn Fleharty to Denis Shishlo with 4:58 left in the fourth quarter.

Fleharty was 10-for-29 passing for 100 yards with three interceptions. Shishlo had four catches for 65 yards, and linebacker Nathan Brown had an interception.

—Scott Hennen

HILLIARD BRADLEY: 0-0-0-7--7

GAHANNA LINCOLN: 0-15-7-7--29

GL—Hubbard 3 run (Gerhart kick)

GL—Wills-Jackson 54 interception return (Burns pass from Gerhart)

GL—Hubbard 3 run (Gerhart kick)

HB—Shishlo 16 pass from Fleharty (Walter kick)

GL—Simmons 30 run (Gerhart kick)

Upper Arlington 31, Westerville Central 0

Led by reserve quarterback Tommy Janowicz and a solid defensive effort, UA earned a berth in a Division I, Region 3 semifinal by beating Central for the second time this season.

The second-seeded Golden Bears improved to 10-2 and will play fifth-seeded New Albany on Nov. 11 at a neutral site. The 10th-seeded Warhawks, who committed six turnovers, finished 5-7.

“We played really well defensively,” said UA coach Justin Buttermore, whose team also beat Central 28-10 on Sept. 9. “We forced them into some tough situations and created a lot of turnovers. They have some dynamic players. They’re really good and dangerous, but I thought the defense did a great job of making plays all night.”

Janowicz replaced James Hayek, who was injured on UA’s sixth play from scrimmage during its opening possession. Buttermore said Hayek suffered a lower-leg injury.

Janowicz directed the Bears on two scoring drives in the first half, giving his team a 14-0 lead. Jack Ubert scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and Janowicz connected with Lance Thrush for a 12-yard scoring pass.

Central showed glimpses of promise offensively in the first half, but three interceptions ended scoring threats.

Janowicz completed 19 of 25 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns, and Nick Sawyer had five receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Zach Corna led UA with three interceptions, including a 20-yard return for a score in the third quarter.

“It was a very good defensive effort,” Corna said. “Coach was calling the right defensive coverages and I was in my place at the right time.”

Quarterback Jaystin Gwinn rushed for 80 yards on 18 carries to lead Central, but was intercepted five times.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Central coach Ed Miley said. “The kids were a little nervous tonight. It’s the first time I’ve seen that out of them. At this time of the year when you play good teams, you have to play well to win.”

—Frank DiRenna

WESTERVILLE CENTRAL: 0-0-0-0–0

UPPER ARLINGTON: 7-7-14-3–31

UA—Ubert 8 run (Milliken kick)

UA—Thrush 12 pass from Janowicz (Milliken kick)

UA—Sawyer 23 pass from Janowicz (Milliken kick)

UA—Corna 20 interception return (Milliken kick)

UA—Milliken 37 FG

Watterson 41, London 22

Zack Weber’s four touchdown runs, including a 73-yard score in the fourth quarter, powered the third-seeded Eagles in a Division III, Region 11 quarterfinal victory over the Red Raiders at Ohio Dominican.

Weber rushed for 168 yards on 17 carries, helping Watterson reach a regional semifinal for the first time since 2015.

The Eagles, who improved to 11-1, will face second-seeded Jackson on Nov. 11 at a neutral site.

“Our kids took advantage of some plays, and we played with some energy and enthusiasm and our kids weren’t quite ready to go home yet,” Watterson coach Brian Kennedy said.

Watterson went up 28-14 in the third quarter on Weber’s 8-yard touchdown run after London’s fake punt came up short at its own 29-yard line.

“We knew we were going to have to take some risks,” London coach Kyle Cutler said. “Obviously, you saw that on the fourth downs. That’s a very well-coached football team, and we understood the value system we were going up against and we were going to have to play fundamentally sound and disciplined. We didn’t get it done.”

The Red Raiders, who finished 8-4, were 5-for-8 on fourth-down attempts and held a 365-337 edge in total yards.

London’s Connor Lacey scored on a 1-yard run and then ran in the two-point conversion to cut Watterson’s lead to 28-22 with 1:27 left in the third quarter.

Lacey completed 13 of 19 passes for 98 yards, and Zach Jones led London on the ground with 117 yards on 10 carries.

Watterson quarterback A.J. McAninch was 8-for-12 passing for 112 yards, and his 4-yard touchdown throw to Dominic Purcell gave the Eagles a 21-7 lead in the second quarter.

—Scott Gerfen

LONDON: 7-7-8-0–22

WATTERSON: 7-14-7-13–41

W—Weber 1 run (Kessinger kick)

L—Sollars 1 run (Fullmer kick)

W—Weber 44 run (Kessinger kick)

W—Purcell 4 pass from McAninch (Kessinger kick)

L—Gravely 3 pass from Lacey (Fullmer kick)

W—Weber 8 run (Kessinger kick)

L—Lacey 1 run (Lacey run)

W—Weber 73 run (Kessinger kick)

W—Kessinger 34 FG

W—Kessinger 33 FG

Harvest Prep 47, Zanesville West Muskingum 16

West Muskingum had an opportunity to make second-seeded and host Harvest Prep sweat in a Division V, Region 19 quarterfinal.

Rashid Sesay's 21-yard touchdown burst cut the Warriors' lead to 26-16 midway through the third quarter, then the 10th-seeded Tornadoes recovered the ensuing onside kick.

However, West Muskingum failed to capitalize as Jake Anton's fourth-down pass to Slater Sampsel in the end zone sailed out of bounds.

Harvest Prep made sure it was the Tornadoes' last hurrah, scoring the final 21 points to secure the victory and improve to 12-0. The Warriors will face sixth-seeded Wheelersburg in a regional semifinal, while West Muskingum finished 9-3.

"They're a special team over there. They're very physical, and they play very fast, but our group plays through it all," Tornadoes coach Nate Brownrigg said. "Our guys believed in our mission coming in, but we weren't able to execute our plan like we wanted. We had some things go our way, and some things didn't. But, I can't fault their effort. They never quit."

Quarterback Aidan Rogers led Harvest Prep, completing 14 of 18 passes for 291 yards and rushing for 57 yards on 12 carries. Justin Batista caught seven passes for 99 yards.

—Brandon Hannahs, Zanesville Times Recorder

Big Walnut 35, Watkins Memorial 21

Fifth-seeded Big Walnut scored twice in the fourth quarter to defeat fourth-seeded and host Watkins Memorial in a Division II, Region 7 quarterfinal.

The Golden Eagles improved to 10-2 and advanced to face top-seeded Massillon Washington in a regional semifinal Nov. 11 at a neutral site. The teams met in that round a year ago, with Massillon winning 38-0.

Big Walnut forced four turnovers against Watkins Memorial, scoring touchdowns after three of them. Tyon Fountain’s strip sack of Warriors quarterback Patrick Carney and Garrett Stover’s return of the fumble for a touchdown was the final blow.

"Our defensive end, Tyon Fountain, made a great strip sack on the quarterback, who had been making plays all game. Kudos to (Carney) for them," Big Walnut coach Rob Page said. "I love how our guys finished. They competed, they fought and they hung together. In Week 12, the toughest team wins."

Nate Severs rushed for 151 yards on 33 carries and added 54 yards on three catches for Big Walnut. He scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth on a 5-yard run.

Watkins Memorial finished 9-3.

"Right now, it hurts a lot for them because they care so much," Warriors coach Darren Waters said. "Over the course of the next few days, hopefully they can reflect how much they did that was positive this season and the things they accomplished and some of the history they wrote and continuing to make a statement on what football is going to be like out here."

—Kurt Snyder, Newark Advocate

Columbus East 40, Cambridge 39 (2OT)

Taizaun Burns scored in each overtime and caught the winning two-point conversion pass from quarterback Wayne Lindsay III as the third-seeded and host Tigers outlasted 11th-seeded Cambridge.

East improved to 10-1 and advanced to face second-seeded Steubenville (10-2) in a regional semifinal Nov. 12 at a neutral site. Cambridge finished 8-4.

The Tigers took a 32-26 lead in the first overtime with Burns scoring on a 1-yard run, but Cambridge’s Reed Johnson intercepted the two-point conversion pass in the end zone.

Cambridge answered with Trey Stottsberry’s 10-yard scoring run, but East blocked the extra-point attempt to force a second overtime.

Bobcats quarterback Caden Moore gave his team a 39-32 lead on a 20-yard touchdown run — Cambridge made the extra point — but East responded with Burns running it in from 2 yards and catching the winning conversion pass from Lindsay.

"Not the way we wanted our season to end," Cambridge coach Ray Leek said. "Our kids battled for four quarters and two overtimes, but give credit to Columbus East. They made the last play and they are now moving on to next week. We make a play here or there maybe it's a different outcome."

—Kevin Sutton, Daily Jeffersonian

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Central Ohio high school football scores, playoff recaps