Area teams turn attention to playoffs

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High school football’s regular season came to close Friday night … and what a season it was.

Olentangy Berlin, Olentangy Liberty and Big Walnut all secured OCC crowns in the final week, with Delaware Hayes and Buckeye Valley taking care of business in postseason tune-up games.

The Bears (8-2, 5-0) put their stamp on an outright OCC-Cardinal Division championship, their third straight, with a thrilling 14-11 win over visiting Olentangy.

Aiden Eviston led the charge, completing nine of his 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score while Alejandro Aguilar had nearly 100 yards of total offense as he caught three passes for 71 yards and a highlight-reel touchdown while collecting another 26 on the ground.

Olentangy (8-2, 4-1) made things tight at the end, outscoring Berlin 8-0 in the fourth quarter thanks to a 20-yard TD pass from Luke Chilicki to Mike Alexander with 6:03 left. Chilicki then found Jackson Wiley in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion, but the Braves couldn’t climb all the way back as Eviston blocked a field goal to preserve the win.

The defense was lights out for Berlin, which held Olentangy’s high-powered offense to just 170 yards. Hudson Aultman led the charge with 11 tackles while Chase Cone intercepted a pass on a nice break-up by Braylon Lopez in the first half on what proved to be the Braves’ longest pass attempt of the game.

The Golden Eagles and Patriots wrapped up league titles, too.

Big Walnut (9-1, 7-0) outlasted visiting Westland 34-33 for the Capital Division crown, getting a two-yard touchdown pass from Eli Stumpf to Brody Hatfield down the stretch to seal the deal.

Stumpf was steady throughout, finishing 15-for-27 passing for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Nolan Buirley, who had 104 yards through the air and another 53 on the ground, had two touchdowns, Payton Abrams ran for another and Aidan West was on the receiving end of the other.

Liberty (8-2, 4-1) staked its claim to a share of the OCC-Central Division championship, rolling to a 50-22 win over Olentangy Orange (8-2, 4-1) in Lewis Center.

QB Andrew Leonard and running back Jake Struck were the stars of the show. Leonard completed 19 of his 22 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns — two of those to Struck, who had seven grabs for 113 yards.

Leonard and Struck also ran for a touchdown apiece as the Patriots pulled away from the Pioneers with a 15-0 third quarter they parlayed into the lopsided win.

Orange quarterback Levi Davis tossed a pair of TDs, but also threw an interception and fumbled three times as the Pioneers, who clinched a share of the league title a week ago, struggled to find much rhythm on offense.

In Delaware, Hayes (7-3, 4-3) got a 38-8 win over visiting Franklin Heights while Buckeye Valley (6-4, 2-2) cruised to a 41-6 win over Whitehall-Yearling.

QB Caleb Rowe was efficient for the Pacers, completing nine of his 10 passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns — one each to Jack Welcome, Garrett Brown and Mason Kaczmarek. Brown, who had a team-best 87 receiving yards, also led the way on the ground, finishing with 61 yards and another touchdown.

The Barons, meanwhile, were dominant on both sides of the ball in their finale.

Now, the seven Delaware County teams turn their attention to the playoffs.

In Division I, Liberty, the top seed in Region 3, will host Lancaster (3-7) in Friday’s first round. Fourth-seeded Orange will host Olentangy, sixth-seeded Berlin will host Grove City (7-3) and ninth-seeded Hayes will travel to Groveport Madison (6-4).

Big Walnut, the top seed in Region 7, will open the D-II playoffs with a home game against Logan (1-9) Friday night while 15th-seeded Buckeye Valley will travel to undefeated Steubenville (9-0) to kick off the part in Division III.

OHSAA Football First-Round Playoff Pairings

Pairings shown with regional seed. All games on Friday, November 1, at 7 p.m., unless indicated otherwise.

Division I

Region 3

16. Lancaster (3-7) at 1. Powell Olentangy Liberty (8-2)

15. Pataskala Watkins Memorial (3-7) at 2. Pickerington Central (8-2)

14. Reynoldsburg (4-6) at 3. Gahanna Lincoln (8-2)

13. Lewis Center Olentangy (8-2) at 4. Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (8-2)

12. Newark (7-3) at 5. Upper Arlington (8-2)

11. Grove City (7-3) at 6. Delaware Olentangy Berlin (8-2)

10. Westerville North (6-4) at 7. Pickerington North (8-2)

9. Delaware Hayes (7-3) at 8. Groveport Madison (6-4)

Division II

Region 7

16. Logan (1-9) at 1. Sunbury Big Walnut (9-1)

15. Worthington Kilbourne (4-6) at 2. Columbus Walnut Ridge (10-0)

14. Pataskala Licking Heights (4-6) at 3. Massillon Washington (7-2)

13. Columbus St. Charles (4-6) at 4. Ashland (10-0)

12. New Albany (4-6) at 5. Columbus St. Francis DeSales (8-2)

11. Westerville South (5-5) at 6. Canal Winchester (7-3)

10. Columbus Briggs (6-4) at 7. Ashville Teays Valley (6-4)

9. Massillon Perry (5-5) at 8. Columbus Northland (7-3)

Division III

Region 11

16. Vincent Warren (7-3) at 1. Columbus Bishop Watterson (10-0)

15. Delaware Buckeye Valley (6-4) at 2. Steubenville (9-0)

14. Carrollton (7-3) at Dresden Tri-Valley (10-0)

13. Wintersville Indian Creek (8-2) at 4. Newark Licking Valley (9-1)

12. Columbus Bishop Hartley (6-4) at 5. Carroll Bloom-Carroll (8-2)

11. Dover (7-3) at 6. Granville (9-1)

10. Columbus Linden McKinley (7-3) at 7. The Plains Athens (9-1)

9. New Philadelphia (7-3) at 8. Jackson (8-2)

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