The Olentangy Berlin football team didn’t get off to the best start in last week’s season-opening loss to host Hilliard Bradley, falling into a 20-6 hole by halftime.

Friday night against rival Olentangy Orange, though — on the road in Lewis Center — the start couldn’t have been any better as the Bears parlayed an early 14-0 edge into a 31-24 non-league win.

Berlin was aggressive from the start.

Quarterback Harrison Brewster, who threw for 156 yards and ran for 110 more, found Josh Gavin on a third-and-eight play to move the chains, then found Gavin again for a big gain down the sideline all the way to the Orange 26-yard line.

A few plays later, Brewster used his feet to sprint into the end zone from 12 yards out. Spencer Conrad added the point-after attempt to make it a 7-0 game with 9:19 left in the opening quarter.

One play after the offense scored a touchdown, the Bears’ defense did the same as Angelo Johnson picked off a pass from Pioneer QB Levi Davis — the first of three turnovers forced by Berlin — on Orange’s first play from scrimmage.

Johnson returned it 30 yards for a touchdown before another Conrad PAT ballooned the lead to 14-0 less than three minutes into the action.

Orange more than stabilized things after that, getting a touchdown on the ensuing drive and outscoring Berlin over the final three quarters and change, but the damage was done as the hosts were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way.

The Pioneers got going on their second series. Davis picked up a first down with his legs, then moved the chains two more times with completions to Kobe Sharpe and Junior Maalaelu before sneaking it in from a yard out with 2:52 left in the opening quarter.

Carter Musgrove drilled the PAT to make it a 14-7 game, but things didn’t get much closer as Berlin maintained at least a four-point lead the rest of the way.

Orange didn’t make it easy, though.

The Pioneers finished the first half with a 29-yard field from Musgrove and put together their best drive of the night right out of halftime, with Davis capping the crucial scoring drive with a touchdown run from five yards out.

With their lead whittled down to four, 21-17, the Bears made plays when they needed them most.

After Brewster got Berlin back in the red zone with a 35-yard run, Conrad, whose been next to automatic his whole career, calmly cashed in a on 29-yard field goal to make it a seven-point spread, 24-17, with 1:28 left in the third.

Orange picked up a few first downs on the ensuing possession, with Davis finding Terryn Thomas for 29 yards on a third-and-10 before connecting with Cohen Weaver on a screen for another first.

The drive fizzled after that, though, with Nate Grubbs picking off Davis on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Orange got the ball back with a chance to tie after the team’s traded possessions, but the Berlin defense forced a turnover on downs before Alejandro Agiular broke free for a 34-yard touchdown run right up the middle to make it a 31-17 game and all but seal the deal with about two minutes left.

Orange answered in a hurry, again making it a one-score game when Davis found Thomas for a 23-yard TD strike with 1:36 left, but Berlin recovered the ensuing onside kick and essentially ran out the clock from there.

Gavin was Brewster’s top target, finishing with four receptions for 73 yards. Alejandro, meanwhile, had 48 rushing yards to go with his touchdown.

Davis completed 21 of his 39 passes for 251 yards — 155 of those going to Thomas.

Next up, Berlin will take on visiting Dublin Scioto in its home opener Friday night in Delaware. Orange, meanwhile, will look to bounce back against visiting Hilliard Darby. Kickoff for both contests is slated for 7 p.m.

Also: Olentangy 53, Medina 28; Delaware Hayes 38, Marion-Franklin 32; Jonathan Alder 56, Buckeye Valley 35; Upper Arlington 41, Big Walnut 14.