Gahanna Lincoln finished a perfect regular season Friday night, rallying past Pickerington North 20-19 on the road to close at 10-0 and win the OCC-Ohio title outright. The Lions trailed 19-14 in the second half before putting together their best drive of the night when it mattered most, an eight-play, 68-yard march capped by a 3-yard touchdown catch by John Quartey from senior quarterback Grey Kegley with 1:57 remaining.
The win gave Gahanna its second 10-0 regular season in four years and a 5-0 finish in league play. The Lions had already clinched the top seed in Division I, Region 3 and a first-round playoff bye before kickoff, but the outright championship required beating a North team that entered the night 7-3 and was playing for its own postseason position at home.
Gahanna’s defense set the tone for the comeback. The Lions forced four turnovers, all fumble recoveries, meeting the unit’s weekly goal of at least three takeaways. The fourth came in the final minute, when senior defensive lineman Marshall Fry knocked the ball loose from North sophomore quarterback Demetrius Neal-Nesbitt and junior end Taiwan Johnson recovered inside the North 40 to seal the victory.
North managed just 14 rushing yards on 20 carries against the Gahanna front, though Neal-Nesbitt hurt the Lions through the air with two touchdown passes to junior Dennis White. The second, a 54-yard strike 56 seconds into the second half, put North ahead 19-14. Both teams finished with 240 total yards, Gahanna gaining 138 on the ground and 102 passing, in a game marked by 21 combined penalties.
Quartey finished with three catches for 18 yards, two of them on the game-winning drive, while Marki Wallace caught three passes for 68 yards and a first-half touchdown. Carter James added 55 rushing yards and a score on 12 carries. Gahanna also got a key first-half play from Mark Thorpe III, who blocked an extra point after White’s first touchdown to preserve a one-point halftime lead that loomed large at the finish.
“We were smart enough to go tempo and kind of keep them unbalanced and keep ourselves going with momentum,” Gahanna coach Bruce Ward said of the final scoring drive. “That was something we’ve always had in our back pocket at practice. We just never brought it out. This was the perfect time.”
For North, the loss stung but did not end the Panthers’ postseason hopes. North remains in line to host a first-round playoff game in Region 3 despite falling to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the OCC-Ohio. “Our kids played their hearts out, but we had a couple turnovers and couldn’t make that one play to finish the game,” Panthers coach Nate Hillerich said.
Gahanna now gets a week off with its first-round bye before opening the Division I playoffs at home. The Lions will learn their regional semifinal opponent once the first round is played, carrying an unbeaten record and a defense that has made takeaways a habit into November.
Photo: Sixflashphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0