Columbus-area high school football: 6 burning questions for second half of regular season
Before the high school football season began, The Dispatch’s Frank DiRenna and Dave Purpura wrote two installments of five burning questions for 2023.
Now that central Ohio teams are preparing for Week 6 games, it's time to answer six burning questions for the second half of the regular season.
1. Can Pickerington Central turn it around?
A 2-3 record is uncharted territory for the Tigers. Central’s 49-14 loss to Gahanna Lincoln on Friday was its third in a row, the first time that has happened in the same season since 2005 — the last time the Tigers missed the playoffs — and the first time at any point since the end of the 2010 season and first two games of 2011. Central will not miss the postseason this year — 16 teams now qualify from each region — but moreover, other factors favor a rebound.
First, the teams to which the Tigers have lost — Centerville, Pickerington North and Gahanna — are a combined 14-1, and Central gave the first two teams everything they could handle but ultimately allowed too many big plays on defense.
Second, the OCC-Buckeye traditionally is not the toughest division of the conference. Five of the six teams are 2-3 and the sixth, Reynoldsburg, is 0-5. Central is 15-0 in league play since 2020.
Lastly, the Tigers simply have too much talent to struggle the rest of the way. A loaded defense led by, among others, linebackers Myles Harrison and Aaron Heller and defensive back Dominic Shaw has played well at times, and sophomore quarterback Rocco Williams is improving with a stable of versatile backs and receivers that includes Division I recruit Tayvion Galloway at tight end.
2. Is it too early to think Gahanna Lincoln-Pickerington North is a Game of the Year candidate?
Well … no. Five weeks out, no, it’s not too early to think that of the regular-season finale.
Both teams have bolted to 5-0 starts thanks to high-powered offenses — Gahanna averages 37.6 points and 44.5 the past four weeks, and North isn’t far behind at 36.6 points per game. Gahanna’s defense is a difference maker; the unit already has surrendered six points or fewer three times, including a 10-5 season-opening win at Mason.
North is second in the Division I state poll, and Gahanna is fifth.
There’s reason to think this will be for the OCC-Ohio championship and possibly the top seed in Region 3. There’s every reason to think it will be a better game than last year’s 42-2 Gahanna win.
3. Can Canal Winchester win Division II, Region 7?
The Indians are the top central Ohio team in Region 7, at No. 2 in the state computer ratings behind Massillon Washington. Both teams are 5-0 and the only remaining unbeatens in the region.
Massillon has 14.65 computer points to 9.95 for Canal Winchester. The Tigers also are coming off a 15-13 win over two-time defending Division I state champion Lakewood St. Edward.
“We set out goals last winter, and our players are striving for those goals,” Indians coach Jake Kuhner said. “Our guys worked their butts off in the weight room and during the summer leading up to the season. This is a pretty close-knit team, and when players start playing for each other, their program and their city, something special can come from that.”
The Indians are off to their best start since 2019, when they won their first six on the way to a 9-2 finish.
Corey Howard and Kaseem Wade lead a balanced ground attack for Canal Winchester, rushing for 341 and 303 yards, respectively.
The Indians also are 2-0 in the OCC-Capital entering Friday's visit to Dublin Scioto.
“We definitely aren’t where we want to be yet, but we have put ourselves in a positive situation for the back half of our regular-season schedule,” Kuhner said. “We need to finish strong, grow and get better each week.”
4. Can Columbus Academy complete a perfect regular season?
Academy coach Robin Miller is more focused on his team continuing to improve than it being 5-0.
According to the state computer ratings, the Vikings are the top central Ohio team in Division V, Region 19. They are third, one spot ahead of former MSL-Ohio rival Harvest Prep and two spots ahead of Africentric.
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“We don’t talk about it,” Miller said of his team being unbeaten. “It’s hard to keep the kids’ attention off that. It’s fun to try to win every week and go 6-0 to 7-0, but if you’re going to focus on that, you’re going to lose. You just need to focus on preparing each week and try to go 1-0 each week.”
Academy is off to its best start since 2001, when it won its first six and went on to finish 9-2.
The Vikings open play in the first-year Central Buckeye League on Friday against visiting Whitehall-Yearling.
5. Can Westerville North build on its best start in 30 years?
Led by first-year coach Stanley Jackson Sr., North is enjoying its best start since it was 6-0 in 1993.
The Warriors (5-0, 2-0 OCC-Capital) visit Westerville South on Friday, looking to snap a 16-game losing streak in the series. North's last win was in 2005 (14-10).
With a win, North would earn its first season sweep of its Westerville rivals. The Warriors defeated Central 21-12 on Aug. 18.
North is among five unbeaten central Ohio teams in Division I, joining Gahanna, Hilliard Bradley, Olentangy and Pickerington North.
The state computer ratings for Region 3 have Bradley first, followed by Pickerington North, Hilliard Davidson, Gahanna and Westerville North. Olentangy is first in Region 2.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said quarterback Ronald Jackson, the coach’s son. “Our potential is high and we can take it as far as we want. We just have stuff to clean up — discipline and some mistakes. But I don’t think anybody can stop us when we’re doing what we need to do.”
6. Who are central Ohio’s top state title contenders?
Before the season, we suggested Gahanna, Bloom-Carroll and Newark Catholic. The first two remain distinct possibilities, and the Green Wave would need an impressive turnaround after a 0-4 start. Considering they play only two teams with a winning record the rest of the way, and all of their remaining opponents are in higher divisions, some run cannot be ruled out.
Ranked fourth in the state this week, Watterson (5-0) is the class of the area in Division III. As was noted in question No. 3, Canal Winchester can stake a claim as the top central Ohio team in Division II, but the Indians likely will have to muscle past Massillon to get out of Region 7.
Olentangy, whose steadily improving defense includes a mix of veteran and younger contributors, appears to have its best team since the state semifinal season of 2014 and currently sits atop Region 2. Region 3 is so deep that the current No. 9 and No. 10 seeds in the state computer ratings, Upper Arlington and Pickerington Central, have legitimate title chances.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 6 second-half questions for central Ohio high school football
