Upper Arlington holds off Berlin, 17-14

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The Olentangy Berlin football team looked more like itself in the second half, scoring a pair of touchdowns to tighten things up, but host Upper Arlington made just enough plays down the stretch to escape with a 17-14 non-league win on Friday night.

The Bears (1-1), who trailed 10-0 at halftime, didn’t pick up their first first down until early in the second quarter … and didn’t score until the third.

Once the third hit, though, the ball started to move. A third down throw to Colton Less moved the chains to the UA 22-yard line and, on a third-and-five play from the 17, Berlin quarterback Aiden Eviston found a hole up the middle and powered into the end zone to put his team on the board.

The extra point by Less was good, making it a 10-7 game with 4:25 left in the third.

The teams traded three-and-outs as the defenses took over until the fourth, when UA (1-1) scored what proved to be the game-winning TD. After a 35-yard run by Jayden Chindavong set the Bears up at the Berlin 14, QB Kyle Cox scrambled to buy some time before finding Drew Parker open in the end zone for a touchdown.

Down 17-7 with just under a quarter to play, the Bears didn’t quit.

Once they got the ball back, Eviston picked up a few first downs with his legs and hit Rode for a short gain for another down to the Upper Arlington 41.

Two more first downs from Eviston pushed the ball inside the 16 and, a play later, Eviston scored on a keeper up the middle to make it a one-possession game, 17-14 with 3:39 left.

Unfortunately for Berlin, though, it never got the ball back.

A big catch and run by Parker moved the chains on a third-and-eight play and UA had another answer when it needed it most. Facing a huge fourth-and-two play from the Berlin 36, Chindavong powered up the middle for just enough to move the chains, essentially sealing the deal.

Delaware Hayes 30, Marion-Franklin 0

Another week, another three-touchdown performance from Favour Akih as the Pacers cruised to a non-league win over the visiting Red Devils Friday night in Delaware.

After a scoreless first quarter, Caleb Rowe hit Caleb Christian for a 31-yard scoring strike before Akih padded the point total with a 20-yard TD run. Hayes (2-0) also had a second-quarter safety en route to a 16-0 halftime edge.

The second half featured two more Akih TDs — the first from five yards out and the second a one-yard run — to help seal the deal.

Akih finished with 20 carries for 151 yards and the three scores while Rowe completed six of his 12 passes for 88 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Also: Olentangy Liberty 24, Cleveland Glenville 13; Olentangy Orange 54, Westerville North 41; Buckeye Valley 21, Heath 20.

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