Westerville Central is 2-8 against Pickerington North since September of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Warhawks will square off against the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. This will be Westerville Central's first chance to prove their worth in the conference.
Westerville Central is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Olentangy on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Warhawks came up short against the Braves, falling 43-21. While losing is never fun, the Warhawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 177th, while the Braves are ranked 45th).
Westerville Central's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Omar Bangura, who rushed for 128 yards and one score on only eight carries, and Cohen Buss, who picked up 61 receiving yards and one TD. Jaxson Mark was in the mix too, providing the Warhawks with one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Pickerington North had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the CARDINALS 54-3. That looming 54-3 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Panthers yet this season.
Westerville Central better keep an eye on Jarin Mock. He was instrumental in Pickerington North's win, rushing for 63 yards and a pair of TDs on only five carries, while also throwing for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Those 63 rushing yards gave Mock a new career-high.
Pickerington North didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Thomas Worthington to a completion percentage of just 39.1%. The team can thank Daunte Curtis for the heroic effort on defense: he. Pickerington North wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 69%.
Pickerington North didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Massuod Seidu and Malachi Taylor. Seidu is also on a roll when it comes to defended passes, as he's now defended at least one in each of the last four games he's played.
Pickerington North's record is now 4-1. As for Westerville Central, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Westerville Central was taken down by Pickerington North 42-7 in their previous meeting back in September of 2024. Can the Warhawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
