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Ohio high school football: Columbus area OHSAA live scores, updates from Week 5
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- Ohio high school football: Columbus area OHSAA live scores, updates from Week 5
(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
The first half of the 2024 high school football regular season wraps up this weekend, and we marked the occasion Friday by covering the only battle of 4-0 teams in central Ohio: Columbus Academy at St. Charles .
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We also covered DeSales-Ready at Fortress Obetz and Gahanna Lincoln at Dublin Coffman.
Academy remained unbeaten with a 27-20 win, DeSales avenged a loss to Ready last year with a 35-21 victory and Gahanna cruised 41-21. Read details of those games below.
In addition to Academy, Grandview Heights, Granville, Grove City, London, Walnut Ridge and Watterson also remained unbeaten.
DeSales takes the field for its game Friday against Ready at Fortress Obetz.
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OHSAA scores, updates from Week 5 of Ohio high school football season
DeSales overcomes Ready rally to earn fourth straight win
In a rematch of one of central Ohio's best games of 2023, when Ready won 43-42 in overtime in the first meeting between the programs since 1986 , DeSales came out determined to not repeat that result against its old CCL rival.
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The Stallions needed one play to crack the scoreboard. Jonathan Brown took a handoff on DeSales' first play from scrimmage and raced 60 yards through a giant hole on the right side of the offensive line, giving the Stallions a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into the game.
The Stallions' second drive was much longer than the first, but the result was the same. DeSales drove 73 yards in 10 plays, and quarterback R.J. Day squeezed into the front left corner of the end zone on a keeper from 13 yards to make it 14-0 with 3:05 left in the first.
DeSales then forced a three-and-out and started its next possession on the Ready 27. The Stallions needed two plays to score again, a 17-yard keeper from Day and then a 10-yard touchdown run from Brown to make it 21-0.
The Silver Knights responded with their best drive of the night. A 26-yard pass on a fake punt from their own 30 kept the drive alive, and four plays later Jacob Cheatham found Henry Larger on a slant route from 17 yards to make it 21-7 with 9:31 left in the first half.
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Ready forced a punt and took over at its own 36, then drove in for another touchdown. Anthony Campbell carried on all six plays of the drive, scoring from a yard out to trim the Knights' deficit to 21-14 with 4:29 left in the half. Campbell had 19 carries for 126 yards to that point.
The Knights ended the half with a big defensive stand. DeSales drove to Ready's 12 but went backward from there, and Elvis Castro Alvarado missed a 39-yard field goal as the half ended.
Ready got the ball first in the second half and tied it at 21, as a 12-play, 62-yard drive culminated in another Campbell score from a yard out.
DeSales responded with its first scoring drive since the first quarter, marching 50 yards in 11 plays. Brown scored his third touchdown, this from a yard out, to make it 28-21 Stallions with 2:11 left in the third. That was the score after three.
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The Stallions added insurance in the fourth, when John Hockaday scored from 34 yards to increase the lead to 35-21 with 5:51 left.
DeSales won its fourth in a row and Ready lost its fourth straight.
Gahanna Lincoln overwhelms Dublin Coffman
Gahanna started its opening drive at midfield and quickly scored as Taizaun Burns took a short pass from Brennen Ward 49 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 8:54 left in the first quarter.
Coffman took advantage of a short field to tie the game, taking over at the Gahanna 42-yard line after the snap went over Ward's head on fourth down. A 13-yard touchdown pass from Amari Valerio-Hudson to Cameron Hairston tied it up with 11:55 left second quarter.
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Gahanna took a 14-7 lead into halftime and gets the ball to start the second half. Ward's 9-yard TD pass to Zavier Lindsay gave the Lions the lead with 32 seconds left in the second quarter. Ward was 12 of 15 for 149 yards in the first half. But penalties have been a problem for Gahanna. It had six in the first half for 61 yards.
Gahanna's Jake Bushelman returned the second-half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, putting the Lions ahead 20-7.
Avion Brown delivered the next big scoring play for Gahanna, running 73 yards for a touchdown and a 27-7 lead with 7:44 left in the third quarter. Brown has 13 rushes for 130 yards.
Coffman answered quickly with Christian Werling catching a 53-yard TD pass from Valerio-Hudson to pull the Shamrocks within 27-14 with 6:44 left in the third.
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Gahanna restored its lead to 20 at 34-14 a couple minutes later on Ward's 44-yard TD pass to Burns.
Coffman wasn't going quietly, however. Valerio-Hudson's 28-yard TD pass to Cameron Hairston made it 34-21 with 10:13 left. At that point, Valerio-Hudson was 11 of 16 for 170 yards and three TDs.
Gahanna scored again on Kellen Rachal's 1-yard run with 24 seconds to play.
The Lions finished with 491 total yards. Brown rushed 25 times for 209 yards, and Ward was 18 of 23 for 230 yards.
Gahanna improved to 3-2 with its second consecutive win. Coffman dropped to 1-4.
Columbus Academy beats St. Charles in battle of unbeatens
Looking to move to 5-0 and hand host St. Charles its first loss, Academy had the upper hand early.
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After forcing a punt, the Vikings efficiently drove downfield for the first score of the game as Joey Gurwin ran it in from 2 yards for a 7-0 lead with 6:09 left in the first quarter.
Academy's Parker Stoner opened the second quarter with an interception, setting up a Cole Spalding 23-yard touchdown pass to Harmon Gouhin and a 14-0 Vikings lead with 11:50 left in second quarter.
But an Academy turnover helped St. Charles get on the scoreboard. After the Cardinals' Liam Nordstrom recovered a muffed punt by Gabe Davis-Ray, Ryan Mooney connected with Liam Schmidt for a 25-yard touchdown. St. Charles missed the extra point to trail Academy 14-6 with 9:04 left in the first half.
Academy received the game's next break when it recovered a loose ball after a punt deflected off a St. Charles player. Abe Ulbrich capped a 16-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run, making it 20-6 with 2:17 left in the half. Academy failed on the extra-point try. That also was the score at halftime.
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Academy widened the lead to 27-6 midway through the third quarter on Gouhin's one-handed catch in the back corner of the end zone. The Vikings' drive was aided by a personal foul against St. Charles on third-and-7 at the Cardinals' 38. That was the score after three.
In just its second possession of the second half, St. Charles made it 27-13 as Ryan Mooney hit Trey Davis for an 85-yard touchdown with 4:41 remaining. St. Charles then recovered the ensuing onside kick, but lost the ball on downs with 2:16 remaining.
St. Charles scored late, making the margin the same as last year with the same result. Academy won 23-16 last season at home .
Kirk Herbstreit's son enjoys big performance
If you're a fan of the former Ohio State quarterback turned broadcaster, you may want to check out Cincinnati St. Xavier's X account. Herbstreit's son, Chase, has made a couple big plays against Cincinnati Moeller.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio high school football scores, OHSAA Week 5 updates
