The dream of an undefeated season is still alive for six central Ohio high school football teams entering the final week of the regular season.
Big Walnut, Danville, Gahanna Lincoln, Licking Valley, Watterson and West look to remain unbeaten, and with that comes lofty seeds, if not first-round byes, in the postseason. Outright league championships also are on the table for those teams.
Nine area teams are trying to avoid winless seasons.
As another regular season wraps up, here are five things to watch in Week 10:
East, Linden-McKinley face off for City League-North title
To say East’s visit to Linden is simply about the outright City-North championship ignores arguably larger ramifications.
Linden (9-0, 5-0) is going for its first undefeated season, fourth consecutive shutout and a first-round bye in Division
III, Region 11. The Panthers are sixth in the region this week, two spots out of a bye.
East (8-1, 5-0) is third in the same region as it pursues a third straight league title. The Tigers’ run of five consecutive shutouts was snapped last week in a 49-6 win over Dayton Ponitz.
“This is exactly where we want to be,” East coach Mike Bell said. “It’s good to see the rivalry back and see two historic schools in the City League playing in a game like this.”
East averages 42.8 points and gives up 6.1 on average. Linden is even more stingy, outscoring its opponents 40.4-2.3.
The Tigers have passed for 1,943 yards behind junior quarterback Dior Hansard, who has accounted for 2,266 total yards and 39 touchdowns (32 passing, 7 rushing). Linden’s junior quarterback, Davell Brock, has thrown for 1,042 yards and 18 touchdowns, run for 875 yards and 11 scores and made six interceptions on defense.
“A lot of the offense and defense feed through [Brock], but they have a lot of other guys who can play well too,” Bell said. “They are strong in some areas and we are strong in some areas. That’s why I think it will be a game of inches.”
Gahanna Lincoln, Pickerington North prepare for latest showdown
This is the fourth consecutive season that this matchup will decide the OCC-Ohio championship, and on top of that Gahanna (9-0, 4-0) is going for its first undefeated regular season since 2023.
North (7-2, 3-1) has lost two games by a combined five points, including a 5-3 setback at New Albany last week, and now faces a Lions defense giving up an average of 7.0 points.
“I think they’re the most complete team, maybe in all of Ohio, in Division I,” North coach Nate Hillerich said. “Their defense is outstanding. Offensive line is huge, the quarterback is a veteran senior who has played in a lot of games and they have some explosive receivers. They have had two close games … so our hands will be full with everyone they have.”
The teams bear several similarities.
Led by senior quarterback Grey Kegley (1,389 yards, 11 TDs, 4 interceptions), Gahanna averages 28.3 points. Senior linebacker Howard Bates’ 70 tackles lead a defense featuring four players with more than 40 tackles.
North averages 31.4 points and leans slightly to the pass with sophomore quarterback Demetrius Neal-Nesbitt (1,007 yards, 11 TDs) leading the way. Ohio University commit Andyriq Thomas (88 carries, 456 yards, 7 TDs) and freshman Jayden Preece (67 carries, 374 yards, 4 TDs) pace the ground game, and junior linebacker Demetrius Curtis has a single-season program-record 25 tackles for loss among his 75 total stops.
Olentangy, Olentangy Berlin matchup features high stakes
The OCC-Cardinal title is on the line when Berlin hosts Olentangy, which also needs a win to boost its playoff chances.
Berlin (7-2, 4-0) is seeking its fifth consecutive league title, while Olentangy (5-4, 4-0) is looking for its first since 2018 and first outright title since 2015.
“[Winning a league title] would be tremendous,” Olentangy coach Wade Bartholomew said. “It would be great for this group of young men to start 0-3 and be able to say at the end of the season they did something that even Ethan Grunkemeyer’s group couldn’t do, Jackson Wiley’s group couldn’t do, Kaden Gebhardt’s group couldn’t do. All these guys have heard all their lives is they’re the stepbrother to all that talent.
“For them to pull off something that none of those guys could [accomplish] would be tremendous, not only for our program, but for just this senior class to go out on a high note.”
The game also has Division I, Region 3 postseason implications. Berlin is sixth and Olentangy is 14th, two spots from the final playoff berth.
For Berlin, quarterback Austin Knapke has passed for 1,331 yards and 11 TDs, Owen Miller has rushed for 815 yards and six scores and Tony Johnson Jr. has 511 yards receiving and four TDs.
Olentangy has been led by senior quarterback Tommy Hartings. Key running backs are Brody Maslouski and Will Gray, while Mike Alexander and Cooper Shaw are top receivers.
Olentangy Liberty, Olentangy Orange play for league title
The past two Division I state champions meet at Orange, with the winner securing at least a share of the OCC-Central title.
Liberty and Orange are both 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the league. Upper Arlington (7-2) also takes a 3-1 league record into its game at Hilliard Davidson (3-6, 1-3).
Defending state champion Orange is seeking its third consecutive OCC-Central title after winning it outright last season and sharing it with Liberty and UA in 2024.
“If we win, we [potentially] get a [first-round] home game [in the Region 3 playoffs],” Orange coach Wes Schroeder said. “If we share, it’d be the third straight year we win a league title in the toughest [OCC] division.”
Liberty is fifth and Orange is ninth in Region 3 entering the game.
For Orange, Colby Luling has passed for 607 yards and six TDs and rushed for 473 yards and eight scores. James Schuh has rushed for 667 yards and six TDs, and Jake Luling has 259 yards receiving and four scores.
For Liberty, Alex Leonard has passed for 861 yards and seven TDs, Grayson Davis has rushed for 767 yards and nine scores and Carter Nelson has 444 yards receiving and six TDs.
Columbus Academy, Whitehall meet for Central Buckeye League title
The outright CBL title will be decided when Academy visits Whitehall.
Academy is seeking back-to-back league championships, while Whitehall is looking for its first since 2018. Both teams are 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the CBL.
“When you consider what this moment means to our players, coaches and the community, it's a big deal,” said Whitehall coach Cameron Barker, a 2015 graduate and former player in the program. “To see these young men compete at such a high level is something special, and it is a testament to what we have always believed this program was capable of achieving.”
Academy is second in Division V, Region 19 and Whitehall is ninth in Division II, Region 7, one spot from hosting a first-round playoff game.
Whitehall has been led by senior quarterback Malachi Jackson, who has passed for 1,108 yards and 12 TDs and rushed for 610 yards and 13 scores.
Academy features senior quarterback Michael Tishkoff, who has passed for 1,493 yards and 16 TDs and rushed for 179 yards and six scores.
“They have [19] seniors [and] we have eight,” Academy coach Robin Miller said. “They have size and speed everywhere. They’re just dangerous. Cameron Barker has done a really good job. ... They’re really using their athletes well.”
High school sports reporters Frank DiRenna and Dave Purpura can be reached at sports@dispatch.com and at @DispatchPreps on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 things to watch in central Ohio high school football Week 10
