Despite 2-0 start, Gahanna sees room for improvement against Centerville
Gahanna Lincoln is viewing its 2-0 start with an honest assessment.
Sure, the Lions’ defense has at times been spectacular, including giving up just 81 yards during a 20-13 victory over Groveport on Aug. 26.
In a 9-7 victory over Mason on Aug. 19, Gahanna limited the Comets to eight first downs while avenging a loss from a year ago.
Even though the defense has given up just one touchdown, the Lions allowed Groveport to score on an interception return and on a blocked punt and haven’t clicked as well as expected on offense.
The schedule now toughens, as Gahanna faces what coach Bruce Ward expects to be his team’s toughest challenge to date when it travels Sept. 2 to Centerville.
Last season, the Elks lost to the Lions 26-24 in the first meeting between the programs but went 8-4 overall while Gahanna finished 7-3.
“We’ve given up some big plays,” Ward said. “We’re 2-0 so you can’t be too upset. You can’t be any better than 2-0. Centerville is really good. Centerville’s defense is touted to be as good as our defense. We’ll put that to the test.”
Centerville, which opened with a 9-6 win over Liberty Township Lakota East before beating Dublin Coffman 48-14, has gone 30-24 since Brent Ullery took over as coach in 2017.
Gahanna has gone 28-25 since the beginning of 2017 and 47-38 overall under Ward. The Lions haven't started a season 3-0 since 2016.
Another similarity the programs have this fall is that each has a group of college prospects leading their respective defenses.
Gahanna features senior inside linebacker Jaden Yates and senior defensive end Kamari Burns, who have committed to Marshall and Cincinnati, respectively, and the Elks are led defensively by Central Michigan-commit Joseph Jean-Louis, a senior linebacker, and Pennsylvania-commit Emmanuel Dent, a senior defensive back.
In addition, Centerville senior running back Emable Wakilongo has committed to Bowling Green.
After passing for nearly 2,500 yards last season, junior Drake Wells has thrown for 283 yards and one touchdown through two weeks. Wakilongo has rushed for 236 yards and four touchdowns.
“After watching film, we plan on getting the job done, especially defensively but also our team as a whole,” Yates said. “They like to throw the ball a lot. The defense will have to be a punch-in-the-face defense and get into the backfield.”
Offensively for the Lions, sophomore quarterback Brennen Ward has thrown for 282 yards and two touchdowns and junior running back Diore Hubbard has 244 yards and two touchdowns on 55 carries while also adding four catches for 88 yards.
“We’re just not playing very well as a whole,” coach Ward said. “(Centerville) is athletic, and they’re good. They won the state title in (boys) basketball (in 2021) and were runner-up (in 2022), so they’re used to winning down there. If we can get a win there, it would be big for us.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Despite 2-0 start, Gahanna sees room for improvement against Centerville
