Cohen Weaver outruns Westerville North defender Jonathan Stevens and gets a chunk of his game-high 221 yards on the night. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Gapen)
Levi Davis and Cohen Weaver combined for six touchdowns and Treyton Schroeder made two interceptions as Olentangy Orange rolled to a 2-0 start under first-year coach Wes Schroeder.
By Jarrod Ulrey
Westerville, OH — As his team celebrated its first 2-0 start in five years, first-year Olentangy Orange coach Wes Schroeder battled what perspective to take Friday following what became a big-play showdown against one of the area’s expected top contenders at Westerville North.
Sure, the Pioneers had four touchdowns called back by penalties and had another likely scoring pass dropped following an on-target pass from talented junior quarterback Levi Davis.
Orange also had a 21-point lead dwindle to seven midway through the third quarter before eventually pulling away for a 54-41 win.
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On the flip side, the Pioneers appear to have something special offensively with the combination of Davis and senior running back Cohen Weaver, who combined to produce six scores.
Potentially as crucial is that Orange has a secondary capable of keeping it in its biggest games because of a ball-hawking ability that helped it grab four interceptions.
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“It definitely helps us with our confidence, and it’s just a great win that we’re going to celebrate,” said Pioneers junior defensive back Treyton Schroeder. “We just played aggressively. I think we’ve got the best secondary in the OCC. We knew a lot of their plays and were calling them out on the field. We’ve got a lot of playmakers, and that helped us to make plays.”
Davis, who accounted for four touchdowns during the Pioneers’ opening 49-13 win over Marysville on Aug. 23, showed the type of scrambling ability that backs up why he has picked up nine scholarship offers.
In addition to rushing for a first-quarter touchdown and finishing with 95 yards on 19 carries, he hooked up with junior wide receiver Zane Konczak for a 46-yard touchdown with 3 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first half to give his team a 42-21 lead.
Much of the remaining damage offensively was done by Weaver, who finished with 25 rushes for 221 yards and four touchdowns and added a 25-yard reception.
“We felt good about what we had in the running game going into the week,” coach Schroeder said. “We knew we’ve got to be able to run the clock. When we have the weapons we have with Levi and Cohen, and our offensive line had some crucial calls go against them but they played hard, it was a total team effort. It was good to know we can play both home and away, and it’s nice doing it at their place.”
While Orange heads to Hilliard Darby next Friday to build off a strong start following a 4-7 finish last fall, North is 1-1 following a 9-3 season and has one of the area’s most elusive quarterbacks in senior Ronald Jackson.
Westerville North QB Ronald Jackson high steps it into the endzone just out of the grasp of Brennan Kessler.
Jackson ran for a 1-yard score and hooked up with Micah Young for a 54-yard touchdown in the first quarter on his way to combining to run and throw for 286 yards, but he also was intercepted three times.
Treyton Schroeder — a nephew of the coach — returned an interception 77 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, senior Will Musgrove picked off two passes in the second quarter and Schroeder added another interception in the fourth.
Schroeder’s second pick came with the Pioneers leading 48-35, and they scored four plays into the ensuing drive when Weaver ran for 59 yards.
“We had five turnovers and we lost by (13) points,” North coach Stan Jackson said. “That tells you you’ve got a good football team, but you’ve got to do things right. We had a good scheme and they bullied us a little bit. Our quarterback is dangerous, but he’s got to protect the ball a little better.
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“If we just protect the ball, it’s a different outcome. We’d like to go undefeated, but we’re looking for a state championship. I think Orange is going to go on and win a lot of games, and it doesn’t get any easier for us.”
For Weaver, the Pioneers’ strong start is indicative of what the team can expect over the coming weeks under Wes Schroeder, who was the offensive coordinator at Olentangy Liberty in 2016 and ’17 when it reached Division I state semifinals and was the Division III state Coach of the Year at Granville, where he went 38-8 in four seasons at Granville.
Trey McDonald knocks the ball away from Zane Konczak.
He took over for Zebb Schroeder, who is not related to him.
“He’s brought us together a lot more as a team,” Weaver said. “Me and Levi’s chemistry has improved a lot from last year for sure. We’re more of a team this year, and our offense is unstoppable I believe.”
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