Week 1 of the high school football season is finally here.
There will be 62 games involving Central Ohio on Friday and another four on Saturday.
Two of last year’s state champions are coming to the Columbus area: Division I king Lakewood St. Edward begins its quest for a fourth straight title at Pickerington North, and Upper Arlington hosts Division IV champion Cleveland Glenville.
Watterson, last year’s Division III runner-up, takes the field in Big Walnut.
Of course, the storylines don’t end here.
Here are five things to look for in Week 1:
1. Pickerington North prepares for the big opening game
Although St. Edward is a three-time defending Division I champion, many experts have labeled North a team to beat in Central Ohio, if not nationally. The Panthers, who were Region 3 semifinalists a year ago, now face an immediate litmus test against a team they have competed against for several years but have never faced at the crucial moment.
“It’s just crazy where their program is,” North coach Nate Hillerich said. “I don’t think they’re letting up. I think they’ve got 170 kids (in grades 10-12) and then 90 freshmen. It’s about being able to handle the beginning of the game, the hype of the game. I don’t want to say they intimidate people, but they don’t give up a lot of points.”
Live stream: Watch St. Edward vs. Pickerington North on NFHS Network
Junior running back Brandon White (1,913 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2023) leads a potent St. Edward’s ground attack. Three-year starters Bradley Eaton (DB) and Nate Gregory (LB) are the highlights of a deep defense that combines three- and four-man fronts with some zone looks, a challenge for North’s experienced line and a running game led by Ohio University-committed Michael Taylor.
This is the first game of a two-year deal between the teams. North will visit St. Edward next year, and Hillerich said Cleveland Browns Stadium is a possible host site.
2. Africentric measures growth towards West Jefferson
The memory of last year’s close game against West Jefferson, including a late drive that ended in an interception instead of a touchdown to tie the game and led to a 29-22 loss in the season opener, is still fresh in Africentric coach Jamell Davis’ mind.
The same goes for the Nubians’ subsequent five-game winning streak in a season in which they won a program-record seven games.
Davis hopes that Friday’s visit to the Roughriders will give his team renewed momentum.
“We want to rise to the challenge,” Davis said. “They’re a great small school program in central Ohio. That’s who we want to be. That loss is what drove us last year. … We’re going to go far to play the best teams. They’re one of the best-coached teams out there. From a talent standpoint, their attention to detail and the complexity of the offense, it’s top-notch.”
Watch Ohio High School Football on the NFHS Network
Quarterback Austin Buescher (3,747 yards, 38 TDs in 2023) is one of several key returnees for a West Jefferson team that had a 12-2 record last fall and reached the Division VI, Region 23 final.
Africentric boasts a slew of homegrown college talent, including four-year starters Chase Johnson (DT/OL), Sean Smith (OL) and Talil Spikes (DL), as well as standout junior defensive back Caleb Anthony, all of whom have been named All-State at least once.
3. Harvest Prep and Pickerington Central meet for the first time
Meetings between Division I and V teams are rare, even between teams with such successful histories as Central and Harvest Prep.
Still, Central will open its new stadium on Friday against the Warriors, who have reached the state championship semifinals four times since 2016. The two schools are about five miles apart but have several similarities.
Harvest Prep’s stadium is named after Jack Johnson, who won 196 games at Pickerington High School from 1973 to 2002. Rod Parsley, founder of World Harvest Church, graduated from Pickerington High School in 1975.
Who will win titles this season? Predicting the Central Ohio League and Regional Champions
The difficulty of finding an opening opponent led to this pairing, which was decided over the course of the winter.
“I’m sure they’ll have 100 kids,” said Harvest Prep coach Milan Smith, whose program has 38 players. “That’s not one of the things I’m going to focus on because they’re going to put 11 on the field (at one time), just like we did. My goal is to put a better 11 on the field than they did.”
“We’re going in with our eyes open. We know who we’re playing against. We know it’s a big mountain to climb, but our guys are taking it on.”
4. Olentangy and Olentangy Liberty renew their rivalry
Olentangy hosts Liberty on Friday for their first meeting since 2019. The teams first faced each other in 2008, and Liberty holds a 7-5 lead in the series after winning the last five meetings.
The rivalry has been marked by several close games, including Olentangy’s last two victories – 35-34 in overtime in 2014 and 26-23 in double overtime in 2013.
Liberty won in 2019 and 2015 by scores of 24-21.
“We have to replace some really good seniors from last year, but it’s been a lot easier to motivate our kids to get in the weight room in the winter and show up in the summer when I can just say, ‘Liberty is Week 1,'” Olentangy coach Wade Bartholomew said.
The Braves must replace quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who is now at Penn State. Grunkemeyer threw for 3,517 yards and 39 touchdowns last season and led the Braves to the Division I, Region 2 semifinals.
Junior Luke Chilicki and senior Max Rhoads were vying to replace Grunkemeyer. Chilicki is expected to start Friday, Bartholomew said, adding that Rhoads is also expected to play this season.
At Liberty, senior quarterback Andrew Leonard is coming off a season in which he passed for 2,414 yards, rushed for 554 yards and was responsible for 18 touchdowns.
Other key players are seniors Christian Moulton (WR), Austin Stamp (LB) and Jake Struck (WR/RB).
5. Hilliard Bradley visits Groveport for a duel of talented teams
Friday’s game between Bradley and host Groveport will feature teams expecting great things this season.
Bradley reached the Division I semifinals last season, losing to St. Edward 26-3 and finished the season 13-2.
Sophomore Declan O’Neil started at quarterback in place of the injured Bradyn Fleharty, who is now at Yale. O’Neil has earned the starting spot this season.
“All high school football coaches are optimistic about their season going into the first week,” Bradley coach Mike LoParo said. “It’s important to get off to a good start that will help build confidence as we move through our gauntlet of a schedule.”
Groveport is looking to improve its 6-5 record with the help of seniors Keishaun Calhoun (DE/HB), Lavon Edwards (OL), Jalen Joyce (DT/RB) and Raishad King (RB) as well as sophomore Baker Bowden (QB).
The teams met once, with Bradley winning 28-7 in the first round of the 2020 Region 3 playoffs.
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