Worthington Christian football program continues growth process

This fall marked the third time in four years that the Worthington Christian football team tied the program record for wins in a season with eight.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Warriors, based on their own standards, weren’t a much-improved team compared to those in the past.

“I’m very satisfied with the growth that I saw from the team this year,” said coach Jeff Hartings, who is 42-21 in six seasons. “We just stay focused on getting better each day in practice and let the results take care of themselves. We improved more this year than ever because of the additional coaches on the staff and a great attitude from the team.”

All-Ohio high school football: Divisions VI-VII honors

Worthington Christian went 6-0 to capture its second MSL-Cardinal Division championship, beating its opponents by an average of 43.5 points, and earned the sixth seed for the Division VI, Region 23 playoffs.

With a 42-15 loss at third-seeded Bellaire in a regional quarterfinal Nov. 5, the Warriors finished 8-4 overall. Each of the four opponents they lost to won at least nine games.

The MSL-Ohio is being reorganized into the Central Buckeye League for the 2023-24 school year, and although Worthington Christian currently competes in the MSL-Ohio in all sports except football, it will compete as an independent in football next season rather than moving from the OCC-Cardinal to the CBL.

“We no longer (will) play in the MSL-Cardinal, so of course we had to find some games and are still looking for games (for next season),” Hartings said. “We still play Grove City Christian. We add Grandview, Columbus Academy and Bexley (which currently compete in the MSL-Ohio), so that will be good to play other schools in the (area).”

The Warriors lose a nine-member senior class that was led by Ethan Albert (RB/LB), Correll Amsbaugh (WR/DB), Josh Carrel (OL/LB), Gibby Wilson (WR/DB) and Luke Zody (OL/DL).

Albert was first-team all-league and all-district, finishing with 613 yards and nine touchdowns rushing and 18 catches for 208 yards with four touchdowns on offense, 24 tackles and one interception on defense, 16 punt returns for 116 yards and one touchdown and 20 kickoff returns for a 23.3 average that included four scores.

Zody was first-team all-district and named the MSL-Cardinal Lineman of the Year.

Wilson was first-team all-league and all-district, finishing with 45 catches for 769 yards and 12 touchdowns, 31 tackles and two interceptions on defense and 12 punt returns for a 26.9 average that included three touchdowns.

Amsbaugh was first-team all-league and special/honorable mention all-district after finishing with 38 catches for 702 yards and 10 touchdowns and 26.5 tackles and one interception on defense.

Carrell was second-team all-league and special/honorable mention all-district, finishing with 23.5 tackles and four tackles for loss.

“We had a lot of people step up and you could tell there was just a different feeling this offseason than the past three years that I’ve been with the program,” said Carrel, a Galena resident who started at middle linebacker and offensive guard. “Everyone was a lot more focused. We had a couple new coaches that really elevated some of our games. Every week we were focused. I’m really proud of our guys and how the season turned out and I’m pretty sure they’ll be getting better these next few years.”

Junior Hobie Raikes is eligible to return for his fourth season at quarterback. He was first-team all-league and all-district, completing 152 of 240 passes for 2,455 yards with 37 touchdowns and nine interceptions and rushing for 186 yards and three scores. He also was the team’s punter.

Juniors Joshua Heredia-Aguirre (OL/DL) and Dax Zartman (RB/BL) were second-team all-league and special/honorable mention all-district, junior Jonathan Bauman (OL/DL) and sophomore Luke Hermiz (WR/LB) were second-team all-league and juniors Tife Adesioye (OL/DL) and Andre Priest (OL/DL) were honorable mention all-league.

Sophomore Cameron Robinson (WR/DB), who also was honorable mention all-league, finished with 27 catches for 558 yards and eight touchdowns.

Freshman Gabe Long (RB) rushed for 261 yards and four touchdowns, and freshman Hezekiah Musagala (RB) added 111 yards and one touchdown rushing.

“Excellent performance on the field isn’t going to happen unless you have great leadership and very competent coaches, and we have that coming back,” Hartings said. “I’m looking for a better team in 2023 than we had in 2022, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a better record. … We need to get physically, mentally and emotionally tougher. Some of that lack of toughness led to the playoff loss.

“Our senior class turned out to be nine strong, and every one of them contributed by either starting or playing a key role as a backup or on special teams. We’ve never had that many seniors play significant roles for the team, so that was very pleasing and fun to watch as a coach.

“Their leadership over the last few years has helped our program lay a foundation and work ethic to give ourselves a chance to win playoff games.”

julrey@thisweeknews.com

@UlreyThisWeek 

WORTHINGTON CHRISTIAN FOOTBALL 

•Record: 8-4 overall

•MSL-Cardinal standings: Worthington Christian (6-0), Berne Union (5-1), Fairfield Christian (4-2), Corning Miller (2-4), Grove City Christian (2-4), Zanesville Rosecrans (2-4), Fisher Catholic (0-6)

•Seniors lost: Ethan Albert, Elijah Alt, Correll Amsbaugh, Josh Carrel, Jordan Gray, Anthony Hendrix, Blake Kessler, Gibby Wilson and Luke Zody

•Key returnees: Tife Adesioye, Jonathan Bauman, Joshua Heredia-Aguirre, Luke Hermiz, Gabe Long, Andre Priest, Hobie Raikes, Cameron Robinson and Dax Zartman

•Postseason: Def. Mount Gilead 55-20; lost to Bellaire 42-15 in Division VI, Region 23 quarterfinal

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Worthington Christian football program continues growth process