With their team already up 17-0 at halftime, Mason Ziegler and quarterback Harrison Brewster took over in the second half as Olentangy Berlin parlayed a convincing lead into a dominant 38-0 OCC-Cardinal Division win against host Olentangy Friday night in Lewis Center.
Ziegler ripped off a 24-yard run on the first play of the second half and, three plays later — all runs by either Brewster or Ziegler — Brewster broke free for a 44-yard touchdown to balloon the lead to 24-0 with 9:53 left in the third.
After the Berlin (4-2, 1-0 OCC) defense got a stop, the offense went back to work with, you guessed it: Ziegler and Brewster. After four straight runs, including a 17-yarder from Brewster to get the ball into the red zone, Ziegler capped the drive with a seven-yard TD run to make it a 31-0 game midway through the third quarter.
Aiden Eviston added a one-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to smooth out the scoring summary.
The Braves (3-3, 0-1 OCC) controlled the ball for much of the first quarter, but couldn’t get anything to show for it as the Bears’ defense turned them over on downs twice, including sniffing out a fake punt at midfield, and ended another drive with an interception as Casen Ward came down with an Ethan Grunkemeyer pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage.
After that, it was all Berlin as Brewster, Ziegler and company took over from there.
Brewster and Ziegler combined for four touchdowns and more than 200 yards rushing. Brewster had 142 yards and two scores while Ziegler ran for 70 yards and a couple touchdowns.
Dublin Coffman 14, Olentangy Liberty 9
The Patriots (2-4, 0-1 OCC) took a 3-0 lead when Bliss Archibald connected on a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but they were the only points the visiting Shamrocks (4-2, 1-0) allowed until the fourth on the way to an OCC-Central Division win Friday night in Powell.
Carson Cox had both the Coffman touchdowns — the first on a 36-yard run midway through the second quarter and the second from two yards out to provide a little insurance late in the third quarter. Cox carried nine times for 62 yards and the two scores.
Liberty’s Andrew Leonard completed 16 of his 29 passes for 158 yards and an interception in the setback. Jake Struck led the Patriots on the ground, finishing with 60 yards on 11 attempts.
Hilliard Davidson 14, Olentangy Orange 7
The Pioneers led through three quarters, taking a 7-0 edge when Bobby Ogles plowed into the end zone from a yard out with 3:32 left in the opening quarter, but the visiting Wildcats kept them off the board the rest of the way to notch an OCC-Central Division win Friday night in Lewis Center.
Mikey Clark returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown to bring Davidson (3-3, 1-0 OCC) within a point, 7-6 midway through the second. It stayed that way until the 2:05 mark of the fourth, when the Wildcats’ Johnny DiBlasio connected with Justin Roberts for a 60-yard scoring strike to all but seal the deal.
The Pioneers (3-3, 0-1) were able to drive to midfield on the ensuing possession, but couldn’t get into position to score as Levi Davis’ fourth-down pass to Jacob Lattig was broken up with 1:18 left.
Big Walnut 62, Franklin Heights 8
Jake Nier completed 21 of 29 passes for 211 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone as the Golden Eagles got back to their winning ways with a lopsided OCC-Capital Division win over the host Falcons Friday night in Columbus.
Nate Severs also had a pair of touchdown runs in the opening half as Big Walnut (5-1, 2-1 OCC) opened up a 56-0 lead over Franklin Heights (0-6, 0-3) by the break.
Also: Buckeye Valley at Columbus Academy, late.
