Talk about a turnaround.

After going from a four-win team two years ago to an 11-win regional semifinalist last fall, the Olentangy football team is looking to continue its upward trend when it hits the field this time around.

“Last year’s success allowed our culture to take a giant leap,” Olentangy coach Wade Bartholomew said. “We now understand what it takes to be successful on the field. This offseason we’ve been able to challenge our players to have more accountability toward the weight room and training sessions.”

Last fall helped develop leaders, too … something the coach said will continue to pay dividends for the program.

“Last year gave our young leaders a great group of mentors to watch and now follow,” Bartholomew said. “Our focus this summer was becoming more connected as a team … nine through 12. We wanted all our kids to feel they have a true brotherhood to count on all year long.”

Those leaders include a handful of returning standouts on both sides of the ball. Senior linemen Kyle Davis and Micah Krenek are both back to solidify things up front; senior wide receivers Jackson Wiley and Sam Uhlenhake are also back; and junior running back Andrew Wilber will give the Braves plenty of punch out of the backfield.

On the defensive side, senior end Andy Urda, junior nose guard Daniel Stephens, senior linebacker Lucas Jackson and safeties JJ Jah and Kaden Gebhardt, a senior and junior, respectively, are back and ready to roll.

“All of these gentlemen help our culture progress forward with their dedication to the off-season training and by being great role models for the other players,” Bartholomew said. “When your best players are your hardest workers you know you have a chance to be good … and that is exactly what these guys do for us.

“I expect each of them to lead our team by holding their teammates to the standard and holding themselves to a higher standard. On the field, they have to be guys we can count on when situations are not in our favor. They all have experience and need to be the calm and collected ones in adverse situations.”

New starters who will contribute include junior left tackle Luke Grover, junior middle linebacker CJ Sanna and junior quarterback Luke Chilicki, who will be running the show for the first time.

Bartholomew said the Braves will be more run-heavy than they’ve been in previous seasons, leaning on the offensive line. That doesn’t mean they won’t switch things up from time to time.

“We’ve been working on unique ways to get our playmakers the ball,” he said. “We will attack defenses with our run game and then work outward.”

Defensively, the plan will be to get to the ball as fast as possible.

“All 11 starters are athletic and can run, so we run to the ball well,” Bartholomew said. “We’re physical, which is a good thing … we’re not overly big, but we play hard. We’ll use our speed to slow down offenses by allowing our athletes to be in space and play fast.”

They’ll have to play fast and with physicality to compete in the OCC-Cardinal Division — a league rival Olentangy Berlin won after handing Olentangy its lone regular-season loss last year.

“Our league is a physical one so we need to make sure we can handle that all season,” the coach said. “With our opener being against Olentangy Liberty, we also need to be ready to handle intense adverse situations.”

2024 Schedule

Aug. 23 — vs. Olentangy Liberty, 7 p.m.

Aug. 30 — vs. Medina, 7 p.m.

Sept. 6 — vs. Westerville South, 7 p.m.

Sept. 13 — vs. Central Crossing, 7 p.m.

Sept. 20 — @ Westerville Central, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 — @ Thomas Worthington, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 — vs. Marysville, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 — @ Hilliard Darby, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 — vs. Dublin Jerome, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25 — @ Olentangy Berlin, 7 p.m.

2023 Results

(11-2, 4-1 OCC-Cardinal Division)

Aug. 18 — vs. Whitmer, W, 46-35

Aug. 25 — @ Medina, W, 53-28

Sept. 1 — @ Westerville South, W, 31-14

Sept. 8 — vs. Olentangy Orange, W, 17-10

Sept. 15 — @ Central Crossing, W, 35-0

Sept. 22 — @ Olentangy Berlin, L, 27-20

Sept. 29 — vs. Thomas Worthington, W, 52-7

Oct. 6 — vs. Hilliard Darby, W, 36-10

Oct. 13 — @ Dublin Jerome, W, 35-20

Oct. 20 — vs. Marysville, W, 39-29

Oct. 27 — vs. Dublin Jerome, W, 44-13 (OHSAA state playoffs)

Nov. 3 — vs. Miamisburg, W, 38-21 (OHSAA state playoffs)

Nov. 10 — vs. Springfield, L, 37-24 (OHSAA state playoffs)