Week 7 of the Ohio high school football season delivered a defensive statement in the Columbus area Friday night, as Westland shut down Westerville North 22-6. The defense bent but didn’t break, twice turning Westerville North away on downs deep in Westland territory.
“We teach those guys to bend, don’t break, don’t let them in the end zone,” Westland’s Williamson said afterward. Westerville North managed just 54 rushing yards on 26 carries, and penalties and negative plays repeatedly stalled promising drives. Quarterback Ethan Stewart, who hurt his shoulder during pregame warmups, still completed 15 of 25 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown before limping off during the Warriors’ final scoring drive.
“He actually did a pretty good job for what happened to him,” Westerville North coach Stanley Jackson said. “We have to be better offensively. I mean, we really do.” Tyson Perkins caught two passes for 76 yards and Disi Alexander added three catches for 33 yards, but neither back — Jamarion Lovett (11 carries, 27 yards) nor Major Jackson (8 carries, 17 yards) — broke a run longer than 8 yards. Jackson also pointed to a communication breakdown on the opening touchdown and a special teams lapse.
Elsewhere around central Ohio, Westerville Central edged Grove City 41-35, Westerville South topped Hayes 28-21, Walnut Ridge beat Eastmoor 28-7 and West defeated Marion-Franklin 26-22. With the regular season winding down, playoff positioning is tightening across the region.
