Division III-Division VI: Watterson wants fast start in OHSAA quarterfinal against London
Regardless of the final score of its Division III, Region 11 playoff opener, Watterson left its 45-14 victory over 14th-seeded Hamilton Township on Oct. 28 with a fresh set of areas in which it must improve.
One of those is how the Eagles started the game: A punt, a lost fumble and then settling for a field goal after reaching the Rangers’ 5-yard line.
Watterson’s next opponent, sixth-seeded London, likely won’t let it escape such a slow start in a regional quarterfinal Nov. 4 at Ohio Dominican.
Central Ohio high school football: 5 things we learned in first round of playoffs
The Red Raiders didn’t make the playoffs during coach Kyle Cutler’s first three seasons but have since become postseason veterans with a strong track record. They qualified in 2017 for the first time since 1999 and have competed in the playoffs each year since.
They were Division IV, Region 16 runners-up in 2018 and reached a Region 11 semifinal last fall, losing 15-14 to eventual state semifinalist Granville.
London is 8-3 and coming off a 42-12 win over 11th-seeded Chillicothe.
This will be the first meeting between the programs, with the winner to play second-seeded Jackson or seventh-seeded Granville on Nov. 11 in a regional semifinal.
“We have to start fast,” said Eagles coach Brian Kennedy, whose team is 10-1. “I told (Hamilton Township coach Tennyson) Varney after the game that I was impressed with how hard their guys played. They had a game plan, and they executed it. I thought we did a better job in the second half of executing what we practiced all week.”
First round: Central Ohio high school football scores and recaps
London attempted just two passes against Chillicothe as sophomore running back Noah Sollars rushed for 172 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries and senior running back Elijah Mitchell had 177 yards and three scores on 11 rushes.
On the season, Sollars has rushed for 1,269 yards and 15 touchdowns and Mitchell has 966 yards and eight scores.
London shared the CBC-Kenton Trail Division title at 4-1 with Bellefontaine and has won eight of nine after a 0-2 start, which included a 27-24 loss to Chillicothe in Week 2.
“My teammates and I have been playing hard,” Sollars said. “We always battle and will never back down to any opponent. Our guys up front open up the running game for us. They block hard and block to the whistle.”
The Eagles’ victory over Hamilton Township was just their third in the postseason since they won the 2010 Division III state title.
Sophomore running back Zack Weber rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries after coming in with just 148 yards for the season.
Junior quarterback A.J. McAninch completed 11 of 16 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, with one going to senior Ryan Rudzinski and the other to junior Mark Biagi.
Rudzinski also intercepted his 10th pass of the season.
Watterson limited Hamilton Township to 75 yards on 29 carries.
“(London is a) well-coached, physical team with a run-heavy offense and they’re very good at what they do,” Kennedy said. “Defensively, they’re active and do a great job taking away opportunities for their opponent. They’re going to attack us on both sides of the ball. They’ll be coming with the mindset that they’re going to line up and take it to us.”
Division IV, Region 15
No. 9 Ready at No. 1 St. Clairsville
Since losing three of its first five, Ready has outscored its last five opponents 235-28 with two shutouts.
In the first round, the Silver Knights blew past eighth-seeded Marion-Franklin 50-12 to improve to 7-3.
Running back Brian Fitzsimmons rushed for 125 yards and four touchdowns to give him 1,134 yards and 19 scores for the season. Running back Kentrell Rinehart had 114 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to give him 710 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season.
St. Clairsville is 9-2 after beating 16th-seeded McConnellsville Morgan 40-20.
The Red Devils lost to Bloom-Carroll in regional finals the past two seasons, but the Bulldogs moved up to Division III.
The St. Clairsville-Ready winner faces fourth-seeded Gnadenhutten Indian Valley or No. 5 Gallipolis Gallia Academy on Nov. 12 in a regional semifinal.
“(St. Clairsville is) a storied program that’s had a lot of success,” coach Michael Schaefer said. “It’s about two hours from Bishop Ready, but on a bus it’s probably going to be a little longer.”
Against Morgan, running back Jacob Walker had 117 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries and quarterback Andrew Vera threw a 73-yard touchdown to Tyson Pastor and ran for a 37-yard score.
–Jarrod Ulrey
No. 11 Cambridge at No. 3 Columbus East
Coming off the first postseason win in program history, the Tigers take a 9-1 record into their regional quarterfinal against the 8-3 Bobcats.
Cambridge upset sixth-seeded Logan Elm 31-13 in a first-round game.
Quarterback Caden Moore completed 23 of 37 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns against Logan Elm and has thrown for 3,113 yards and 35 touchdowns on the season with just four interceptions. He also has rushed for eight touchdowns.
Davion Bahr had six catches for 155 yards and one touchdown in the playoff opener and has 53 receptions for 1,121 yards and 17 touchdowns. Devin Ogle has 57 catches for 659 yards and nine touchdowns.
“Cambridge is well-coached, very disciplined and executes wat they do very well,” East coach Mike Bell said.
The Cambridge-East winner faces second-seeded Steubenville or No. 10 Hartley on Nov. 12 in a regional semifinal.
East opened the postseason with a 34-14 win over 14th-seeded McArthur Vinton County as Taizaun Burns had 16 rushes for 125 yards and three touchdowns, Kemua Woods-Law had nine carries for 100 yards and one touchdown and quarterback Trey Lindsay III threw for 120 yards and one score.
–Jarrod Ulrey
No. 10 Hartley at No. 2 Steubenville
With a 48-13 victory at seventh-seeded New Lexington, Hartley won a postseason game for the 13th consecutive season.
The Hawks, who are 5-6, got 173 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries from Robert Lathon and finished with 411 yards on the ground. Lathon has 12 touchdowns for the season.
DeAunte’ Hubbard rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown to give him 1,011 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season.
Hartley beat Steubenville for Division IV state titles in 2015 (31-28) and 2016 (24-21) before spending the last five seasons in Division III.
The Big Red is 9-2 and coming off a 33-13 win over 15th-seeded Carrollton. Quarterback Phaeton Hill completed 11 of 19 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns.
Steubenville is coached by Reno Saccoccia, who has 410 career wins in 40 seasons to rank first all-time in state history.
The Hartley-Steubenville winner plays third-seeded East or 11th-seeded Cambridge on Nov. 12 in a regional semifinal.
–Jarrod Ulrey
Division V, Region 19
Columbus Academy (5-5) at Portsmouth West (10-1)
Academy coach Robin Miller isn’t concerned with his team opening the playoffs with two long road trips. At this stage of the season, Miller is just glad his team still is playing.
Coming off a 38-14 win at fourth-seeded Centerburg on Oct. 28, the 13th-seeded Vikings will face fifth-seeded Portsmouth West.
“We’re happy to be playing,” Miller said. “This is free football. This is a bonus, so we’ll go anywhere.”
The winner plays top-seeded Ironton or ninth-seeded Portsmouth in a semifinal Nov. 11.
Since beginning the season 1-5, Academy has won four consecutive games.
Jake Calodney has rushed for 979 yards and 10 touchdowns on 184 carries to lead Academy. Quarterback Cole Spalding has completed 39 of 65 passes for 442 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions and wide receiver E.J. Jenkins has 13 catches for 268 yards and four touchdowns.
Linebacker Harold Hacker has a team-high 55 tackles.
Portsmouth West is led by quarterback Mitchell Irwin, who has completed 85 of 144 passes for 1,901 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and Ryan Sissel, who has rushed for 1,565 yards and 21 touchdowns on 224 carries. Wide receiver Jeffery Bishop has 29 catches for 843 yards and 13 touchdowns.
“They’re big and physical,” Miller said. “They’ll be a lot bigger than us everywhere, which isn’t rare. Their tailback and middle linebacker (Sissel) is huge (6-foot-2, 220 pounds). He’s the centerpiece of everything. They have a super athletic quarterback. He keeps plays alive. They have fast receivers. They have huge linemen. It will be a challenge.”
–Frank DiRenna
No. 10 Zanesville West Muskingum at No. 2 Harvest Prep
Harvest Prep made quick work of 15th-seeded Pomeroy Meigs, winning 47-0 to improve to 11-0. West Muskingum is 9-2 after beating seventh-seeded Proctorville Fairland 22-21 in overtime.
The winner plays third-seeded Barnesville or sixth-seeded Wheelersburg on Nov. 11 in a regional semifinal.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Anton passed for 80 yards and one touchdown and junior running back Rashid Sesay had 20 carries for 165 yards and three scores as the Tornadoes won their first playoff game.
West Muskingum had made four previous playoff appearances and is in the postseason for the first time since 2009. The Tornadoes had gone just 9-101 from 2010-20 with five winless seasons before finishing 6-4 but missing the Region 19 playoffs by one spot last season.
Against Meigs, Warriors quarterback Aidan Rogers threw for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard score to Justin Batista, Elijah Brown ran for a 72-yard touchdown and Marchello Cox rushed for 46 yards and two scores.
–Jarrod Ulrey
Division VI, Region 23
No. 13 West Jefferson at No. 5 Coal Grove Dawson-Bryant
West Jefferson is getting healthy at the right time, entering its regional quarterfinal matchup against Dawson-Bryant.
The winner plays top-seeded Beverly Fort Frye or eighth-seeded Sarahsville Shenandoah in a semifinal Nov. 12.
Five players have led the Roughriders in rushing in games this season, three quarterbacks in passing, four players in receiving and five players in tackles.
“It’s been an up-and-down year,” West Jefferson coach Shawn Buescher said. “We knew we were going to be an inexperienced team coming into the year. On top of the inexperience, (we’ve dealt) with a ton of injuries, which is a rarity here. We haven’t really dealt with this many injuries in my 20 years here.
“Last week, we actually dressed all of our varsity players for the first time since our second scrimmage. We’ve never really had what we projected to be our starting lineup in a game until last week.”
Quarterback Austin Buescher threw for three touchdowns and ran for another and Mason Book added an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as the 13th-eeded Roughriders built a 35-8 lead at fourth-seeded Newcomerstown at halftime on their way to a 49-14 win.
Austin Buescher finished 21-for-33 passing for 276 yards and four touchdowns and Book had five catches for 98 yards and a score.
“I’m sure I’ll miss a couple, but we’ve had three broken hands and some of those kids are playing in casts still,” coach Buescher said. “We’ve had three MCL tears, we’ve had an LCL tear, we’ve had two or three concussions, we’ve had a wrist injury that kept the kid out a couple of weeks (and) we’ve had a rib injury that kept a kid out a couple of weeks.”
West Jefferson, which is in the playoffs for the 25th time, is trying to make another playoff run after advancing to a state semifinal last season before losing to Coldwater 35-13. The Roughriders have won at least two playoff games each season since 2018.
“(This season has) been a challenge, but I’m very proud of our kids,” coach Buescher said. “They’ve had great attitudes, and they’re very coachable. We’re starting to realize a little bit what we can be. So, we’re excited to be in the tournament and keep spending time together and keep growing.”
Ethan Hostetler has 143 carries for 908 yards and eight touchdowns for West Jefferson, and Spencer George has 67 carries for 550 yards and four scores.
Austin Buescher is 130-for-198 passing for 1,823 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions, and Hostetler is 60-for-102 for 597 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Book has 53 catches for 904 yards and 11 scores.
Defensively, Wyatt Keyt leads the Roughriders with 107 tackles and three fumble recoveries, and Jake Fitzpatrick has 7.5 tackles for loss.
The Hornets, making their 14th playoff appearance, overcame deficits of 21-8 after one quarter and 35-20 in the third quarter to defeat 12th-seeded Malvern 67-43 last week.
Running back Chase Hall ran for 318 yards and six touchdowns on 29 carries, with Steven Simpson adding 150 yards and a score on 12 carries as Dawson-Bryant finished with 487 total yards.
Gavin Gipson had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and Wesley Runyon and Devin Bloomfield each had an interception for the Hornets.
“They’re a disciplined team,” coach Buescher said. “They’re a great offensive team, and they have a tremendous running back (in Hall). But they have a lot of different kids that complement him as well. They’re great in the play-action game. The same kids on offense are very physical on defense, so they do a lot of good things. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us.”
–Michael Rich
No. 6 Worthington Christian at No. 3 Bellaire
Worthington Christian heads into its Nov. 5 game against Bellaire after winning an opening-round playoff game for the second year in a row.
The Worthington Christian-Bellaire winner will play second-seeded Nelsonville-York or No. 7 Loudonville on Nov. 12.
During a 55-20 win over 11th-seeded Mount Gilead to open the playoffs, quarterback Hobie Raikes completed 14 of 20 passes for 291 yards and six touchdowns as the Warriors improved to 8-3. Cam Robinson had four catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns, and Correll Amsbaugh added five receptions for 95 yards.
Gibby Wilson returned his third punt of the season for a touchdown, from 37 yards, and Ethan Albert had his fourth kickoff return for a touchdown, from 80 yards.
Bellaire is 7-4 after beating 14th-seeded Galion Northmor 54-27 in its playoff opener Oct. 29.
The Big Reds haven’t won a regional title since 2006 but are in the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons.
Against Northmor, quarterback Jake Heatherington threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns to give him 1,590 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season.
Running back Brayden Roth has rushed for 904 yards and 10 touchdowns on 168 carries, and running back Drew White has 74 carries for 453 yards and seven scores.
–Jarrod Ulrey
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Division III, IV, V, VI matchups for Columbus-area teams
