Mission accomplished. Drew Bellisari celebrates with teammate Zack Weber after a score that eliminated any hope of a Stallion comeback. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Gapen)
After falling in the Division III state championship game last December, Watterson is on a mission to return to Canton, and a decisive win over once-beaten DeSales was a big step in that direction.
Columbus, OH – When it comes to central Ohio rivalries, it’s impossible to overlook the consistency and tradition of Watterson versus DeSales.
The programs typically meet with the Central Catholic League title and heavy playoff implications on the line, and in 35 of the first 69 meetings between the programs, the game was decided by seven points or fewer.
That this year’s matchup wound up a rare blowout is more of a testament to the state-championship-caliber product the Eagles are putting on the field than of an overrated matchup.
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Watterson settled for a Division III state runner-up finish a year ago but hasn’t lost since, with its 44-7 victory over DeSales on Friday at Ohio Dominican University the final piece of what was the seventh perfect regular season in program history – including the first since 1993.
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Also near the forefront of the Eagles’ minds was avenging a 27-24 loss last season to DeSales that spoiled their hopes of a perfect regular season.
“We knew after we lost in the state championship game (last season) that we were going to get back to work,” Eagles junior quarterback Drew Bellisari said. “(Beating DeSales) was the goal, and we wanted to win the CCL and go 10-0, and now we’ve got another goal, and that’s to win the state championship.”
Watterson, which improved to 10-0 overall and wrapped up the No. 1 seed in Division III, Region 11, finished 3-0 in the CCL to win its 33rd league title since competing in its first season in 1956.
The Eagles, to-ranked in the Associated Press state poll most of the season, have given up just 62 points, and DeSales is their second consecutive opponent to close the regular season at 8-2 overall.
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Beginning with the game’s opening drive, Watterson consistently turned short fields into touchdown drives featuring a punishing running game led by senior Zack Weber and the efficiency and intelligence through the air and on the ground of Bellisari.
Dominic Thedo pulls down 1 of his 2 receptions to help cap a Watterson perfect season.
Watterson took a 7-0 lead on a 32-yard touchdown run by Bellisari with 9 minutes, 10 seconds left in the opening quarter and would have been up by two scores before the end of the first quarter if not for a goal-line stand by the Stallions.
“We played a really good game tonight, and our kids responded to the opportunity,” said coach Brian Kennedy, who has guided the Eagles to a 59-30 mark that includes a 36-4 record since the beginning of the 2022 season. “I’m just really proud of our guys. The kids have earned the opportunity to be in this position with all their hard work. You never think about (going 10-0), and as you keep going, it sounds like a cliche, but you’re just trying to go 1-0 each week. I feel like the last two games, we’ve played really well. I’m happy with where we’re at.”
Bellisari completed 13 of 19 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns, including an 8-yard scoring pass to senior Jake Uhlenhake that made it 14-0. Bellisari ran for a 17-yard touchdown with 24.2 seconds before halftime to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead.
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DeSales scored its only touchdown when senior Elazar Hood returned the opening second-half kickoff 94 yards.
Uhlenhake returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for what would have been another Watterson score, but it was called back for holding.
Nevertheless, the Eagles moved from their 12 to deep inside DeSales territory on that possession and made it 24-7 on a 29-yard field goal by Mike Antry.
On that drive, Bellisari hooked up with senior tight end Dominic Theado for receptions of 20 and 16 yards as the Eagles showed another wrinkle of an offense averaging 41.9 points.
Drew Bellisari finds an open seam and draws first blood to start off the 44-7 routing of DeSales.
“This means the world because they got us on a heartbreaker last year on a field goal, and we never forgot that,” Theado said. “That was always in the back of our mind 365 days out of the year, and to beat them and go to 10-0, it means everything.
“We have a goal in mind, and that’s to go back to Canton and win it all. We’re very hard to guard offensively because we’ve got a running quarterback, three great running backs in Jack McCoy, Zack Weber, and Ben Uhlenhake, and all the other receivers. It’s pick your poison because if you try to defend one, you leave the other one open.”
Weber, who surpassed 1,000 yards rushing on the season during the second half, finished with 145 yards on 21 carries while Bellisari added 123 yards and three scores on 10 rushes.
Watterson leads the fierce rivalry 39-30-1, including seven playoff meetings. DeSales has captured three state titles and six runner-ups, while Watterson is a two-time champion and four-time runner-up.
Senior Tommy Haley had two receptions on offense and an interception on defense against the Stallions, who finished 2-1 in the league but are moving forward with a first-round home playoff game in Division II, Region 7 a week from now.
The Watterson defense made it difficult on RJ Day and the Stallion offense, holding them to 196 yards on the night.
DeSales sophomore quarterback RJ Day, who is the son of Ohio State coach Ryan Day, went 7-for-13 passing for 67 yards and rushed for 42 yards as the Stallions were held to 196 yards of offense.
“They’ve got a really good team,” DeSales coach Ryan Wiggins said. “When you watch film, you don’t see any weaknesses. What I told our team is that we’re 8-2, we’ve got the playoffs coming, and the playoffs are a new season, a new life. Everybody is 0-0, and you’ve got to try to regroup and go 1-0 each week.”
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