LEWIS CENTER, Ohio — Defending state champion Olentangy Orange dug out of a 19-0 third-quarter hole Friday night, Oct. 30, and stunned host St. Charles 29-26 in a Division I, Region 3 first-round playoff game, according to The Columbus Dispatch’s live game coverage. The Pioneers scored all 29 of their points after halftime and took the lead for good on a touchdown pass with nine seconds left.
St. Charles built its lead methodically. Liam Allwein broke free for an 80-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put the Cardinals ahead 6-0 after Orange blocked the extra point, and Michael Zarick scored from a yard out late in the first half to make it 12-0 at the break, the Dispatch reported. Zarick struck again early in the third quarter, going 38 yards for a touchdown that stretched the margin to 19-0 with 9:26 left in the period.
Orange’s comeback started on the ensuing possession. A big kickoff return set up a short field, and Colby Luling ran seven yards for the Pioneers’ first touchdown. James Schuh followed with a seven-yard scoring run late in the third quarter, capping a four-play, 45-yard drive that pulled Orange within 19-14, according to the Dispatch’s live updates.
The fourth quarter turned into a shootout. Jaeyln Berry’s 16-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Colby Luling to Deonte Robinson, gave Orange its first lead at 22-19. St. Charles answered almost immediately: one play after a fourth-and-1 conversion, Nolan Beyer found Jack Hilbert for a 27-yard touchdown that put the Cardinals back in front 26-22 with just 53 seconds remaining, the Dispatch reported.
Orange had one last answer. The Pioneers needed only five plays to cover the field, and Colby Luling connected with Jake Luling on a 36-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left to seal the 29-26 win. At halftime, St. Charles had outgained Orange 242 yards to 167 behind a ground game led by Allwein, but the Pioneers’ offense found its rhythm when it mattered most, according to the Dispatch’s halftime statistics.
The win sends Orange (6-5) to a Division I, Region 3 quarterfinal at top-seeded Gahanna on Friday, Nov. 6. St. Charles closes its season at 8-3 after leading for most of the night on its home field.
Friday’s result continues a remarkable two-year run for the Pioneers, who entered the night as the defending Division I state champions despite a five-loss regular season. For St. Charles, the loss ends a season in which the Cardinals spent much of the fall ranked among central Ohio’s best, and it came in a game they controlled for nearly three quarters before Orange’s late surge.
Photo: CarCai, CC BY-SA