It’s the fourth round of the Ohio high school football playoffs, and The Dispatch covered three regional finals: Olentangy Orange 39, Pickerington Central 7; Watterson 43, Steubenville 0 and Tipp City Tippecanoe 33, London 16.
We also got coverage help from the Canton Repository for Big Walnut’s 27-21 win over Massillon Washington.
Scroll down to read live updates from all four games. There’s also a separate live blog for Big Walnut-Massillon.
Watch OHSAA football playoffs on NFHS Network
OHSAA scores, updates from fourth round of Ohio high school football playoffs
Big Walnut hangs on to beat Massillon
The Golden Eagles (12-1) have won their second straight Division II, Region 7 title, defeating Massillon for the second year in a row. The final in this one is 27-21.
Tipp City Tippecanoe rallies to stun London
After trailing 16-7 with 11:16 remaining, Tippecanoe comes back to defeat London 33-16 for the Division III, Region 12 title. Tippecanoe (13-0) will play Watterson in a state semifinal. London finishes 12-1.
Olentangy Orange wins first regional title
Orange (13-0) has won its first regional championship, defeating Pickerington Central (11-2) 39-7 in Division I, Region 3.
Fickel’s 74-yard burst keeps Orange firmly in control
Lucas Fickel broke free for a 74-yard touchdown run, stretching Olentangy Orange’s lead over Pickerington Central to 39-7 with a running clock at 8:03 left. Fickel has 175 yards on 23 carries and two TDs.
Pickerington Central turns it over on downs in red zone
Central tried to keep a drive alive on fourth-and-2 from the Orange 24, but Rocco Williams’ pass into the end zone fell incomplete. The Tigers come up empty again, and Orange takes over leading 33-7 with 10:02 left.
Big Walnut adds to lead against Massillon
Owen Pyles’ 25-yard field goal gives Big Walnut a 27-21 lead over Massillon with 11:52 left.
Tippecanoe strikes again
Once trailing London 16-7, Tippecanoe now leads 33-16 after Max Deckard’s 45-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:17 remaining.
Tippecanoe opens two-score lead against London
Tippecanoe adds to its lead as Xavier Melton scores on a 6-yard run to make it 26-16 with 5:14 left. The two-point conversion failed.
Olentangy Orange capitalizes on turnover for TD
Pickerington Central got a much-needed defensive stop, but the momentum vanished quickly when Treyton Schroeder intercepted Rocco Williams and returned it to the Tigers’ 14. Lucas Fickel eventually punched in a 5-yard touchdown on third-and-1. Orange is cruising 33-7 with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
FINAL: Watterson 43, Steubenville 0
Thomas Rowlands tacked on a 5-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes left to provide the final score, and Watterson wins its third straight Region 11 title, 43-0 over Steubenville.
The defending state champion Eagles (12-0) will play London or Tipp City Tippecanoe in a Division III state semifinal Nov. 29 at a neutral site. That should be announced over the weekend.
Big turnaround in Tippecanoe-London at Fairborn
The turnaround continues at Fairborn as Max Deckard scores on an 18-yard fumble return with 9:45 remaining. Tippecanoe leads London 20-16 after the two-point conversion pass fails.
Owens scores again for Massillon
Savior Owens gets loose for a third long touchdown run, this one covering 56 yards. Big Walnut’s lead is cut to 24-21 with 7:09 left in the third quarter.
Tippecanoe answers London touchdown
Tippecanoe quickly responds as Larkin Thomas caps a 72-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown run with 10:33 left. The Red Devils trail London 16-14.
Big Walnut increases lead on Massillon
The Golden Eagles take the second-half kickoff and drive 66 yards for a touchdown to increase their lead to 24-14 with 8:01 left in the third quarter. Eli Stumpf scored on a 1-yard run.
Olentangy Orange extends lead on Pickerington Central
The Pioneers flipped the field immediately after taking over at their own 17, as Levi Davis hit Treyton Schroeder for a 53-yard strike to the Central 29. A series of Davis keepers and Lucas Fickel runs moved the ball to the 12, where Davis found Luke Reidelbach for a touchdown. The two-point try failed, but Orange now leads 26-7 with 5:59 left in the third quarter.
London takes two-possession lead
Bryston Toronto finds a big hole and scores on a 12-yard run. London opens a 16-7 lead on Tippecanoe with 11:16 remaining.
End 3rd: Watterson 36, Steubenville 0
Watterson forces a Steubenville punt to end the third quarter, and the Eagles will have the ball to start the fourth with a 36-0 lead on the Big Red.
Olentangy Orange opens second half with long TD run
Orange wasted no time extending its lead. Quarterback Levi Davis burst up the middle untouched for a 54-yard touchdown. The extra point was no good. The Pioneers lead 20-7 with 11:02 left in the third quarter.
Henderson TD catch invokes running clock for Watterson
Nate Henderson’s 15-yard touchdown catch in the back left corner of the end zone increases Watterson’s lead to 36-0 over Steubenville with 3:03 left in the third quarter. The play was close enough that Steubenville defensive backs argued that Henderson was out of bounds, but two referees conferred and confirmed the touchdown.
Jack McCoy ran in the two-point conversion, and we’ve gone to a running clock in the Division III, Region 11 final.
Field goal gives London its first lead
London takes advantage of a short punt, grabbing its first lead over Tippecanoe at 9-7 on Eli Noble’s 38-yard field goal with 6:24 left in the third quarter.
Halftime statistics for Watterson-Steubenville
Total yards: Watterson 352 (176 rush/176 pass), Steubenville 34 (-2 rush, 36 pass)
Top Watterson stats: Drew Bellisari 5-9 passing, 176 yards, 2 TD; Caden Mangini 9 carries-106 yards, TD; Carter Bellisari 3 catches-53 yards; Jack McCoy 6 rushes-45 yards and 1 catch-77 yards, TD; Joe Hayes 1 catch-46 yards, TD
Big Walnut takes lead into halftime
Owen Pyles’ 28-yard field goal gives the Golden Eagles a 17-14 lead against Massillon. Big Walnut will begin the second half with the ball.
Pickerington Central’s late first-half drive ends with interception
Central moved to the Orange 28 after a third-down conversion and a pass-interference call, but two false starts stalled the drive. On fourth-and-12 from the 30, Rocco Williams’ pass was intercepted by Colby Luling at the Orange 10 and returned to the Central 20 as the first half ended. Orange leads 14-7 at the break.
Big Walnut ties Massillon after blocked punt
Golden Eagles quarterback Eli Stumpf scores on a 6-yard run with 1:50 left in the first half, and the game is tied at 14. His TD run came two plays after Big Walnut blocked a punt. Big Walnut’s first touchdown came after Massillon had snap issues on a punt.
Olentangy Orange responds after pick-6
Orange started at its own 35 after the kickoff went out of bounds and quickly moved to midfield before a pass-interference call advanced the ball to the Pickerington Central 34. On the next play, MC Walker slipped free on a screen pass from Levi Davis and went for a touchdown to give the Pioneers a 14-7 lead with 2:43 left in the second quarter.
London trails Tippecanoe at halftime
London will receive the second-half kickoff, trailing 7-6.
Halftime: Watterson 28, Steubenville 0
Some stats in a bit as Watterson has dominated the first half. The Eagles started three drives inside their own 10 and scored on two of them.
Pickerington Central ties Orange on interception return
On third-and-12, Olentangy Orange quarterback Levi Davis tried to throw the ball away to avoid a sack. Instead, the pass went straight to Central’s Chris Smith, who was 5 yards in front of him and returned it 20 yards for the tying touchdown. The game is tied 7-all with 5:35 left in the second quarter.
Hayes TD catch increases Watterson’s lead
A 46-yard touchdown pass from Drew Bellisari to Joe Hayes down the visiting sideline makes it 28-0 Watterson over Steubenville with 1:20 left in the first half. The beat goes on for Watterson, which is sitting pretty for its third straight Region 11 championship.
Trick play helps London break through
London takes advantage of a successful fake punt for its opening first down of the game as quarterback and punter Blake Reay connects with Ladainan McNeal for a 31-yard gain on fourth-and-5, leading to Bryston Toronto’s 2-yard touchdown run with 7:36 left in the second quarter. Tippecanoe blocked the extra-point attempt and leads 7-6.
Pickerington Central stalls after reaching Orange territory
Central moved quickly to the Orange 25 behind receptions from Nick Bousquet and Cameron Green, but a holding call helped stop the drive. On fourth-and-19, Rocco Williams’ deep throw to KD Smith was ruled out of bounds, and Orange takes over still up 7-0 with 7:03 left in the second quarter.
Owens scores second TD for Massillon
Savior Owens scores his second touchdown of the night, this one coming on a 44-yard run with 8:11 left in the first half. The Tigers lead Big Walnut 14-7.
Break for Watterson leads to another TD
On an incomplete pass for Watterson’s Drew Bellisari on third-and-6 at his own 8, Steubenville was called for pass interference, and on the next play Jack McCoy caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Bellisari to increase Watterson’s lead to 21-0 with 7:30 left in the first half.
McCoy caught the pass at about his own 45 and rumbled up the Eagles sideline from there.
Olentangy Orange strikes first on Davis touchdown run
Orange capitalized on strong early running from back Lucas Fickel and a fourth-down conversion by quarterback Levi Davis, capping an 80-yard drive with Davis’ 6-yard touchdown run. The Pioneers go up 7-0 on Pickerington Central with 10:32 left in the second quarter.
Massillon ties Big Walnut at 7
Massillon’s Savior Owens scores on a 29-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. The game is tied 7-all with 11:53 left in the first half.
London trails after one quarter
Tippecanoe leads London 7-0. London was held without a first down in the opening quarter.
Massillon on the move as first quarter ends
The Tigers have moved into Big Walnut territory as the first quarter ends. Big Walnut leads 7-0.
Mangini TD increases Watterson lead
On the first play of the second quarter, Caden Mangini bursts 23 yards for a touchdown and the Eagles increase their lead over Steubenville to 14-0 with 11:53 left in the first half. Mangini has 77 yards on six carries.
End 1st: Watterson 7, Steubenville 0
… and the Eagles are driving again. A defensive line led by Michael Boyle, Ryan Alvis and Jack Schuler flexed its muscles for a three-and-out, and Watterson will start the second quarter with a second-and-5 at Steubenville’s 23 after a long punt return.
Pickerington Central comes up empty on opening drive
Central put together a drive from its own 35 to the Olentangy Orange 4, with running back Edmund McAllister III consistently moving the chains. But a high direct snap on third-and-goal sent the Tigers back 16 yards, and Mason Peirano missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt. Orange takes over with the game still scoreless with 4:31 left in the first quarter.
Tippecanoe strikes first against London
Tippecanoe takes a 7-0 lead on Larkin Thomas’ 45-yard touchdown pass to Grant Titley with 1:59 left in the first quarter. The Red Raiders will look to get their offense untracked.
Watterson takes early lead on Steubenville
A 10-play drive for Watterson that started at the 8-yard line results in the first score of the game, a 7-yard touchdown run for Ben Uhlenhake, and the Eagles lead Steubenville 7-0 with 2:20 left in the first quarter.
The big play was a 44-yard run for Caden Mangini that flipped the field.
Big Walnut jumps ahead of Massillon
Following a Massillon turnover, Big Walnut quarterback Eli Stumpf throws a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brody Hatfield. Big Walnut leads Massillon 7-0 with 5:44 left in the first quarter.
London fights off early turnover
In a battle of unbeatens at Fairborn, top-seeded London is taking on second-seeded Tippecanoe in the Division III, Region 12 final. London and Tippecanoe remain scoreless with 5:29 left in the first quarter. Tippecanoe couldn’t take advantage of a London fumble on the opening kickoff as the Red Raiders blocked Owen Baileys’ 24-yard field-goal attempt.
Ohio high school football schedule fourth-round playoffs
Eight central Ohio football teams enter action Nov. 21 one win from a berth in the state semifinals.
The Division I, Region 3 final features two of them: undefeated Orange and Pickerington Central. This is the furthest Orange has ever advanced, while Central is seeking its 10th regional title.
The quarterbacks figure to take center stage in this matchup, with Orange senior Levi Davis and Central senior Rocco Williams each facing a strong defense. Davis has committed to Ohio University, and Williams will play at Middle Tennessee State.
Speaking of quarterbacks, it would be difficult to find one who has performed better than Watterson senior Drew Bellisari. He leads the unbeaten Eagles into the Division III, Region 11 final against Steubenville.
Watterson handed Steubenville its only loss a season ago on the way to winning the state championship.
Also in Division III, undefeated London aims for its second consecutive Region 12 title when it takes on Tippecanoe. If London and Watterson both win, they’ll face off in a state semifinal for the second year in a row.
The Division II, Region 7 final between Big Walnut and Massillon is a rematch from last fall. Big Walnut won that game, but lost in a state semifinal.
Big Walnut’s defense has recorded three consecutive shutouts. The Golden Eagles have outscored opponents 206-9 over the past five games and 454-90 for the season.
In Division V, Region 20, North Union takes on Central Buckeye Conference-Mad River rival Indian Lake, which won the regular-season matchup 17-14 in Week 6. This is North Union’s first regional final appearance.
West Jefferson has long since put last year’s 3-7 season in the rearview mirror. The Roughriders will advance to their first state semifinal since 2021 if they defeat Colonel Crawford in Division VI, Region 23.
In Division VII, Region 27, Danville has reached its fourth straight regional final. In Hillsdale, the Blue Devils take on the team that eliminated them last year, 25-22 in a state semifinal.
Click here for the full schedule of Ohio fourth-round playoff games.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio high school football playoff scores, live fourth-round updates
Reporting by Frank DiRenna, Scott Gerfen and Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
