LEWIS CENTER — Led by a balanced offense and an opportunistic defense, the Olentangy Braves cruised to a 38-14 win over the Medina Battling Bees on a sweltering evening at Braves Field on Friday.

Olentangy quarterback Luke Chilicki, making just the second start of his career, tossed three touchdown passes including a pair of scores to star receiver Jackson Wiley.

Wiley proved unguardable on the evening, finishing with eight catches for 130 yards to go along with the first two touchdowns of his senior season.

“He’s awesome,” Olentangy head coach Wade Bartholomew said of Wiley after the game. “But he’s not just a tremendous football player, he’s a tremendous teammate. And we challenged him this week to be a better teammate because we need him. We needed him to trust the guys around him.

“Last year, we were high flying and throwing the ball all over the place, he’s scoring 16 touchdowns. Last week, he barely got the ball, and I told him he has to trust us, that we’re going to find ways to get him the ball and involved. And he did that … He was just a great teammate on the sideline, and that’s what I want people to know about him. People already know about the accolades.”

Medina running back Cooper Josefczyk rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in the first half but was limited to just two carries for 14 yards in the second half as the Bees were shut out over the final two quarters.

After kickoff was pushed back 30 minutes to account for the heat, the game got off to an inauspicious start for Olentangy, which was set to receive the opening kickoff.

The kick was pooched by Medina, however, and the Olentangy receiver camped under the ball was unable to secure it after losing his footing. Medina pounced on the loose ball, giving its sideline the first big momentum swing of the evening as its offense trotted out onto the field already in plus territory.

Any momentum seized was shortlived, though, as a fumbled snap on the first play of the drive was recovered by Olentangy. The turnover would prove to be a sign of things to come as Medina went on to give the ball away three times on the night.

Olentangy cashed in on the early break seven players later to take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter and start the scoring.

Medina (1-1) responded late in the first quarter to level the score on a 3-yard touchdown run from Josefczyk, and the Bees took their first lead two minutes into the second quarter when quarterback Cason Diiulio found Kellen Hathaway for a 15-yard scoring strike and a 14-7 lead.

Olentangy would not be denied, however, and the Braves delivered a quick answer on the ensuing drive. Chilicki’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Mangham pulled Olentangy even with Medina midway through the second quarter, and the Braves never looked back.

Disaster struck for Medina on its next possession as Diiulio lost control of the ball while scrambling to avoid pressure. Olentangy’s CJ Sanna came up with the fumble recovery at the Medina 30, giving the ball right back to his offense.

Chilicki and Wiley needed just one play to make the turnover hurt. On first down, Chilicki delivered a strike to Wiley in tight coverage, and Wiley made the contested catch before pulling away from his defender and racing to the end zone to send Olentangy into the halftime locker room with a 21-14 lead.

Still clinging to a 21-14 lead late in the third quarter, it was once again the Chilicki-to-Wiley connection that delivered some breathing room for Olentangy.

After a beautiful punt by Olentangy’s Cooper Tracy pinned Medina inside its own 5-yard line, the Braves defense forced a quick three-and-out to set up great field position for their offense.

Chilicki’s 16-yard completion to Wiley moved the ball to the red zone, and two plays later, it was Wiley again beating his defender and pulling away with ease on a slant that went 17 yards to the end zone. The touchdown gave Chilicki the hat trick on the night, his first three-touchdown performance of his career.

“I think he trusted the process much, much more (this week),” Bartholomew said of Chilicki. “Game two, those jitters are gone, it’s not (district rival) Liberty anymore. The mistakes aren’t as big. I felt like he did a really good job of just managing the game until we asked him to make a play.”

Up 28-14 with less than a minute remaining in the quarter, the Olentangy defense delivered another big play to punctuate the win and erase any doubt about the final outcome.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Olentangy defensive back Omar “JJ” Jah jumped a route and picked off Diiulio’s throw at the Medina 31. Jah reversed field and returned the interception to the end zone for a pick-six, increasing the lead to 35-14 and sealing the first win of the season for the Braves.

Asked about the difference in the two games, Bartholomew credited his team’s focus and preparation on a week when the heat forced them to change schedules and practice in the morning. He was also proud of his team for not panicking despite an odd start to the game.

“It says that they are the awesome kids we always said they were, and that they trust us because we told them something crazy was going to happen,” he said of his team’s resiliency. “… We just looked at our kids before they walked onto the field and said ‘We told you this was going to happen, so just go play the game.’ And that’s what they did for us … We didn’t handle adversity well in week one, but we did tonight really well.”

Olentangy will look to build on the win next week when it hosts Westerville South (2-0).

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on X @DillonDavis56.