Westerville — It is Week 2 of the football season, and that meant rivalry week for the second straight week in Westerville. North defeated Central 24-0 to open the season in Week 1, while South fell to Dublin Jerome 23-13. Entering Friday, South was riding a four-game winning streak over Central in their series, dating back to 2019.
This year’s football columns will blend commentary, key game moments, and coaching insight, something a little different from traditional postgame coverage, but still true to what makes high school sports so enjoyable to follow in Central Ohio.
Game Insights and Moments
With freshman quarterback Nate Miller under center, the Warhawks are still shaping their offensive identity, looking for rhythm and hoped to break through against South.
After stumbling out of the gates in Week 1, South’s focus heading into Friday’s matchup was simple: stay composed and avoid costly mistakes.
Against Jerome, the Wildcats dug themselves into an early hole they couldn’t escape, despite clawing back late. Head Coach Eric Calland put it plainly: “We really dug a hole for ourselves, and the big goal this week was not doing that again.”
The rivals traded punts to start the game, but South found a spark on their second possession. Backed up inside their own 10-yard line, quarterback Evan Andrews connected with a wide-open Isaac Patterson, who sprinted 91 yards for the game’s first touchdown. The Wildcats jumped ahead 7-0 with 3:24 left in the opening quarter.
Central showed signs of life on its next drive, marching into South’s red zone early in the second quarter. But the Wildcats’ defense stood tall, forcing a turnover on downs at the 21-yard line to preserve the shutout.
South’s offense stalled again with another punt, but the defense quickly flipped momentum. Ja’Mari Alston intercepted a Nate Miller pass, giving the Wildcats prime field position. They wasted no time capitalizing, dialing up some trickery as quarterback Evan Andrews handed off to Ian Gordon, who lofted a 31-yard pass to Isaac Patterson for his second touchdown of the night.
The touchdown extended South’s lead to 14-0 with 4:42 left in the first half. From there, the teams traded punts to close out the quarter, sending the Wildcats into halftime with a two-score advantage.
With a two touchdown cushion, South’s offense did just enough to maintain control. For head coach Mike Calland, it was an encouraging sign that the unit was beginning to find its rhythm after last week’s struggles and a slow start on Friday.
“There are a lot of things we need to fix, but it is great to get these scoring drives,” Calland said. “We struggled last week and early tonight, and it’s about getting better and improving.”
Evan Andrews punched in a goal-line rushing touchdown midway through the third quarter, stretching the lead to 21-0 with 6:06 remaining. Central responded with its best drive of the night, pushing the ball inside the South 5-yard line.
But once again, the Wildcats’ defense held firm, forcing a turnover on downs to all but seal the outcome early in the fourth quarter. Ethan Rozen later added a late field goal, capping a 24-0 victory and South’s fifth straight win over Central in their rivalry.
In a split start to 2025, South’s defense has been the clear anchor. They kept the Wildcats within striking distance against Dublin Jerome despite turnovers, and on Friday they locked down Central in key moments.
Coach Calland was quick to praise that unit after another strong showing.
“This is two weeks in a row that our defense has stepped up, and you play bend but don’t break,” Calland said. “Our guys stood up on the goal line and I’m really proud of our backups against their first team at the end. They got the pick at the end and took some gashes.”
While South is the headliner and main focus, credit does need to be given to the Warhawks defense and some flashes from the Central offense.
If you subtract the two long touchdowns, Central played really solid on defense and did a good job of slowing down the running game. It is ultimately about eliminating the big plays and forcing opponents to beat them traditionally that will make a huge difference.
Central leaned heavily on the running game and it did some damage at times against South. Miller didn’t play badly at QB, he is simply a freshman going through the growing process of playing the position at the varsity level. He being baptized by fire in the OCC, which is difficult for most players, let alone a freshman.
Up Next
Westerville South (1-1) travels to Bexley to face St. Charles (1-1) in Week 3. Central (0-2) hosts Bellefontaine (1-1) in Week 3.
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