Central Ohio high school football: Columbus East putting together season for the ages
As the members of Columbus East’s program walked off Harley Field and entered their home locker room to celebrate Sept. 29, many in attendance carried on the excitement for several more minutes.
The magnitude of what had taken place may not have been widely known at the time, but the 18-6 victory was, at minimum, an addition to the Tigers’ growing number of successful moments this season.
In addition to snapping a 12-game losing streak against Northland, East improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1967, when it won its first six before losing its final three.
The last time the Tigers opened a season by winning their first seven was in 1964, when they went on to finish 9-0.
“As long as I can remember, East has never been on the winning side, so this is way different for the community,” senior quarterback Wayne Lindsay III said.
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The Tigers are 3-0 in the City League-North Division heading into their game Oct. 7 against Whetstone, which enters at 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the league.
East also is third in computer points in Division IV, Region 15 as the top 16 teams qualify for the playoffs.
After going 6-4 in 2019 in their third and final season under former coach Wes Edwards, East hired Mike Bell as his successor.
The Tigers went 1-5 in 2020, when the City didn’t start its season until mid-September because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and finished 3-4 last fall after having three consecutive midseason games canceled because of COVID-19 protocols.
This year, East opened with a 48-18 victory over Africentric on Aug. 20 and then was off in Week 2 − with the rest of the teams in the City − because of the Columbus City Schools teachers strike.
The Tigers won 22-20 on Sept. 3 over Toledo Scott, which is 5-2 and a likely playoff team in Division III, Region 10, and haven’t slowed down since.
"We’re getting them to believe in themselves, and it’s awesome,” Bell said. “Outside of just the wins, it’s awesome to see the change in the kids.”
Bell was an assistant at Centennial from 2017-19, helping the Stars go 9-2 and make their first playoff appearance in his final season.
A 1991 Centennial graduate who played basketball for Ohio Dominican and is a member of that school’s athletics hall of fame, Bell grew up about 2 miles from Harley Field.
“It’s full circle for me,” he said. “The community is jumping behind us, and it’s big for the community. I’ve had alumni come out and say, ‘We’re just so happy and proud.’ In our neighborhood, small wins, any wins, are good for our kids.”
The Tigers made their first playoff appearance in 1999 under former coach Mike White as quarterback Antwaun Gibbs, running back Antwan Harp and flanker Stevie Simpkins led the way.
That season, East shared the City-Blue title with Independence and made the Division II, Region 7 playoffs as the No. 8 seed but lost to top-seeded Dover 14-12 in its playoff opener. The Tigers’ only other playoff appearance was in 2020, when every team was eligible, and they lost to Vincent Warren 45-0 in their Division III, Region 11 opener.
This year’s team has a defense that has given up just 14 points and a pair of playmakers in Lindsay and sophomore running back Taizaun Burns leading the way.
While Lindsay is a four-year starter who has thrown eight touchdown passes and rushed for seven scores, Burns is a move-in from Independence who saw action mostly on defense last fall.
Both players also start in the secondary.
Burns, who has rushed for 751 yards and 15 touchdowns, had 22 carries for 132 yards and one catch for 35 yards while Lindsay rushed for 99 yards and threw for one touchdown against Northland.
“I played defense (at Independence), but it was mostly seniors over there and I was a young pup,” Burns said. “It’s been great (being at East). I can say that this is what I’ve been waiting for.”
Defensively, senior lineman Junior Breaston and senior linebackers James Copas Jr., James Whatley and Kemua Woods-Law have been among the standouts. Junior Anthony Shields and Breaston have contributed on both sides of the ball as two-way linemen.
If East beats Whetstone and Beechcroft defeats Mifflin on Oct. 7, the Tigers will visit the Cougars on Oct. 13 with first place in the City-North on the line.
Beechcroft, which is 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the league, has beaten East in each of the past 19 seasons.
“We believe in each other, don’t give up and fight until the end,” Burns said. “We’re going to keep moving forward and getting better.”
@UlreyThisWeek
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Columbus East football enjoying season for the ages
