Eleven undefeated high school football teams remain in central Ohio, a number that will drop by at least one this weekend.
The clash of 6-0 teams between host Big Walnut and Worthington Kilbourne is one of the state’s top games in Week 7, and the winner will gain valuable computer points in its playoff pursuit with three regular-season games to play after this week.
Here are five things to watch in Week 7
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Big Walnut looks to avoid letdown
Following a 47-40 overtime win at previously undefeated Ironton on Sept. 25, Big Walnut coach Curtis Crager focused his attention on Kilbourne during the two-and-a-half-hour bus trip back to Sunbury.
Crager also said his players quickly turned their attention to Kilbourne, which visits Oct. 2 for an OCC-Capital battle of unbeatens.
“What a dynamic
team Kilbourne has,” Crager said. “Our kids know the expectations and the standards that we have. They know we’re going to have to have our best effort to have a chance Friday night. They’ll put in a good week of work, and they’ll come out [and] hopefully be ready to go.”
Kilbourne is 3-0 in the OCC-Capital. Big Walnut and Westerville North are both 2-0 in the league.
Big Walnut is seeking its third consecutive OCC-Capital title, while Kilbourne is looking for its first league championship since 2013.
“I’m so proud to be 6-0, but it’s hard to be 6-0,” Kilbourne coach Mike Edwards said. “Your expectations continue to rise. You continue to try to motivate 15-, 16-, 17-year-old kids. Complacency is a very easy thing to fall into. They’ve handled it really well. ... This week is going to be pretty easy to get them motivated since we’re playing Big Walnut.”
St. Charles enjoying best start since 1952
Anthony Colucci was eager to lead a turnaround when he took over as St. Charles’ coach in April 2024.
After going 4-7 in 2024 and 3-7 in 2025, the Cardinals are 6-0 and fifth in Division I, Region 3 heading into their Oct. 2 visit to Dublin Scioto (1-5). The top 12 teams in each region qualify for the playoffs.
This is St. Charles’ best start since 1952, when it began 6-0 and went on to finish 9-1. The Cardinals also have secured their first winning season since 2013.
“I don't know if we had any direct timeline on it,” Colucci said. “Football is a sport that takes time to get the foundation laid and develop things the way you want to develop. What’s paying off for us is that we’ve played sophomores in the last two seasons, my first two years. We’ve been playing some younger guys and it’s paying off.
“It’s been cool to see them grow and develop and be able to execute at a high level now and really learning from the experiences they had in the first two seasons that I've been here.”
Sophomore quarterback Nolan Beyer leads an offense that averages 33.5 points. He has completed 76 of 106 passes for 1,154 yards and 17 touchdowns with one interception, and senior wide receiver Trey Davis has 24 receptions for 378 yards and six TDs.
St. Charles opened CCL play by beating Hartley 38-0 on Sept. 25, its first CCL win since 2016 and its first victory against the Hawks since 1985.
The Cardinals have CCL games remaining with DeSales (Oct. 9) and Watterson (Oct. 23). They are seeking their first league title since 2013, when they won the CCL-Silver.
Balance keeps North Union in playoff hunt
On the heels of appearing in their first regional final, the Wildcats (4-2, 1-0 Central Buckeye Conference-Mad River) are riding a similarly balanced approach this fall in terms of personnel.
“We are as 50/50 as we’ve ever been between the wing-T and the spread,” said coach Nick Hajjar, whose team is averaging 34.3 points. “It is a total team effort. On offense, we are spreading the ball around. Different guys kind of have their moments. The opponent and structure of our defense we are playing might lend to different things to feature guys with whatever the advantages could be, but we have been an unselfish group up to this point.”
North Union began league play last week with a 21-7 win at Lewistown Indian Lake, a rematch of last year’s Division V, Region 20 final, which Indian Lake won 35-21. North Union was realigned this season into northwest Ohio-centric Region 18, where they hold the last of 12 playoff spots this week.
The Wildcats visit Bellefontaine Benjamin Logan (3-3, 1-0) on Oct. 2.
Senior quarterback Nickolas Hajjar, the coach’s son, has thrown for 894 yards and six touchdowns and run for 299 yards and 11 scores – all of which lead the team. Classmate Wyatt Arver has added 231 rushing yards and six scores, and junior lineman Dylan Bevins’ eight sacks lead the CBC.
Defense leads Grove City Christian turnaround
Perhaps the biggest reversal of fortune locally this fall belongs to Grove City Christian, which has won three consecutive shutouts by a combined score of 129-0 after an 0-3 start in which it was outscored 143-17.
With “15 or 16” freshmen or sophomores either starting or seeing considerable time, coach Ben Schall said early struggles were not unexpected. But the dominance with which the Eagles have roared back surprised even Schall, with shutouts of Zanesville Rosecrans (49-0), Corning Miller (38-0) and Millersport (42-0) to start MSL-Cardinal play.
Grove City Christian visits Berne Union (3-3, 2-0) on Oct. 2.
“We knew we were going to be extremely young this year and those first three games were going to be very tough, so we used them as a learning experience and to figure out where we were going,” Schall said. “We were getting experience we desperately needed. We didn’t even have a lot of experience among our upperclassmen, but we do have some guys with a ton of experience and we just relied on them to be all-in and lead the charge when it came to trusting the journey.”
Senior linebacker Dylan Garmen, the only returning starter on defense, has 25 tackles with one interception and two fumble recoveries. Classmate Giovanni Cotton has rushed for 656 yards and seven touchdowns on 113 carries.
Linden-McKinley sees difference in unbeaten starts
Linden is off to its second consecutive 6-0 start, but coach Casey Mock said there are noticeable differences from a year ago – starting with a defense that has allowed just 3.5 points per game entering an Oct. 1 visit to winless Whetstone.
The Panthers’ ground game also has shined, led by junior quarterback Davell Brock (62 carries, 563 yards, 6 TDs) and senior back Chris Caldwell (56 carries, 298 yards, 4 TDs; 12 catches, 195 yards, 2 TDs).
Linden, which does not play another team with a winning record until a Week 10 game against East that could decide the City League-North title, returned five starters on offense and six on defense.
“Our defense has been playing outstanding and offensively, our run game has been our go-to whereas last year we were a little more balanced,” Mock said. “It’s definitely taken me by surprise. We have three first-year players up front, two sophomores [Jaysiah Carden-Turner and Tristan McQuate] and a freshman [Nehemiah Gaston] who are getting really good playing time. I am surprised we have run the ball as well as we are, but credit to them. They have come a long way since the spring and summer.”
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 7
