The Warriors converted a fumble into a touchdown to make it a 28-26 game midway through the third quarter, but the host Braves answered with a 50-yard scoring strike from quarterback Connor Haag to Sam Durst to create some breathing room on the way to a 56-26 league win Friday in Lewis Center.
Haag and Durst hooked up for TDs on a couple occasions. Durst also ran for three scores to give him five total touchdowns on the night.
Westerville North (3-6, 0-4 OCC) made things interesting in the third, but Olentangy (6-3, 2-2 OCC) jumped out to a big lead early and piled on late. After controlling the first quarter and a half, Ali Iverson gave the Braves a 28-6 lead with a two-yard TD run at the 4:50 mark of the second quarter.
After Durst’s score ballooned the lead to 35-26, another Durst TD gave Olentangy a comfortable 42-26 lead with 3:15 left in the third.
Hagg found Durst on yet another long TD pass to make it 56-26, force a running clock with 5:35 left and all but end things.
Zachary Slade (one-yard run) and Jayden Konadu (13-yard run) also scored in the win.
Groveport Madison 35, Big Walnut 14
The Golden Eagles hung around early, taking a 7-0 lead when David Hunt broke free for a 12-yard touchdown run 3:30 into the game, but the Cruisers cruised from there, scoring 28 unanswered points they parlayed into a league win Friday in Sunbury.
Hunt scored his second touchdown of the game, this time on a two-yard run to make it 28-14 midway through the third, but Big Walnut (1-8, 0-4 OCC) couldn’t crack the Groveport-Madison (6-3, 3-1 OCC) defense down the stretch.
Marion Harding 32, Buckeye Valley 14