London’s Isaiah Near was a triple-threat as a runner, receiver and defensive stalwart in the Red Raiders’ narrow, season-opening loss. (PressPros Feature photos by Logan Howard).
Punching two tiers above its new division classification, London slugged out a season-opener at home against New Albany before the game’s first turnover intruded and left the Red Raiders one play shy of a potential game-tying field goal.
London, OH — Months remain before we’ll know whether this season brings London’s powerhouse football program the euphoric achievement it’s never attained.
Maybe, just maybe, what helps get the Red Raiders to that first-ever state championship will be something else none of head coach Kyle Cutler’s players had experienced before their season-opener last night.
Driving toward a potential game-tying field goal as the final seconds ticked away, London committed the game’s only turnover on a fumble with under 30 seconds remaining to fall to New Albany, 17-14.
That sealed the Red Raiders’ first regular-season loss since Oct. 30, 2022, ending a streak of 33 straight regular-season wins and 15 victories in a row at home since a playoff upset against Bellefontaine in 2023,
London’s swarming defense, led by Isaiah Near (3), Dreux Prince (22) and a host of others put the clamps on New Albany’s Kingston Torres-Lofton.
“I’m always proud when my guys compete,” Cutler said. “That’s all I’ve ever asked: ‘Show up and compete.’ We did that tonight. We had opportunities to win and we didn’t pull it out. Details matter. So now we go to work and figure out what we have to fix.”
In Division IV, where London will compete this season, it will likely be just fine once the playoffs begin, given the multiple options its offense features in Cutler’s Wing T attack.
First-time starter Colt Hughes threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Near in the first quarter and deftly operated the Red Raiders’ power, option and misdirection looks against a stout New Albany defense under new head coach Mark Solis.
The Eagles missed the playoffs a year ago and turned to Solis, who directed Olentangy to eight straight playoff appearances before leaving after the 2021 season to become an assistant at Hilliard Davidson.
“I really didn’t want to be a head coach again, but these folks reached out and we had some great conversations,” Solis said. “I’ve grown since my last job and this feels great. I got hired late (in mid-April) and it’s been tough at times, but our seniors have really bought in and I’m just so happy for them to pull this one out.”
One of those seniors, 5-10, 210-pound Mason Ackerman was a physical presence all night in the London backfield and at the line of scrimmage. He punched the football out in the waning seconds as London’’s Bryston Toronto converted a fourth-and-one inside the New Albany 30.
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Teammate Chase Lewis recovered to stun a London home crowd accustomed to their Raiders’ dominating, as evidenced by a streak of six straight shutouts and wins by 30 points or more to end the 2025 regular season.
“I love to hit,” Ackerman said. “But I couldn’t make any tackles without our D-line occupying guys up front. They do the dirty work. I’m just there to fill the hole.”
Ackerman scored New Albany’s first touchdown on a one-yard run with 7:03 left in the half, pulling the Eagles even after Hughes’ TD pass to Near put London on top midway through the first quarter.
New Albany converted a pair of third downs and one fourth down on that 50-yard drive, then used 40- and 32-yard completions from quarterback Drew Jackson to get in position for Caleb Busch’s 25-yard field goal late in the half.
Jackson moved into the New Albany from Arkansas over the summer because of his father’s new job.
“We didn’t throw it that much, but we were pretty efficient with our pass plays,” Jackson said. “I didn’t know what to expect, because this is my first game of Ohio high school football. It was a battle for sure.”
It always is with London, which last year went to New Albany and pulled out a 14-11 victory against the Division II Eagles.
It looked like that scenario might play out again when the Red Raiders drove 57 yards to score on Toronto’s one-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Dreux Prince augmented a balanced London rushing offense.
He accounted for 24 yards of that march on six carries, including each of the last four plays that put London back on top, 14-10.
“He has the heart of a warrior,” Cutler said of Toronto, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season as a sophomore. “He has the heart of a champion and gives us everything he’s got.”
Almost to the word, Cutler leveled the same praise at Near, who caught the game’s first touchdown, made a series of outstanding defensive plays and contributed a 15-yard catch on London’s final drive.
By then, however, New Albany had reclaimed the lead by driving 80 yards to score in response to Toronto’s go-ahead TD.
Chase Jackson’s 35-yard catch converted a third-and-four to jump start that drive, but London stiffened and had the Eagles facing fourth-and-two at the 31 soon after that.
On the game’s first possession, senior running back Jett Jerwers skirted right end for what would have been a 48-yard touchdown run, only to have a holding penalty on the edge nullify that score.
This time, the Eagles blocked a toss sweep to the right cleanly, and Jerwers outran London’s defense to the game-winning touchdown.
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“It was a battle on the offensive side, but we really buckled down at the end and got it done,” Jerwers said. “The offensive line did a super job and I got a great block on the edge that allowed me to score.”
London responded with the resilience it will need to chase down that first state title in school history, advancing in range of a tying field goal from kicker Calem Mason before Ackerman’s game-winning, fumble-causing tackle.
“It feels great to go 1-0,” he said. “But we have a lot more things to do. I’m not trying to win just one. I’m trying to win a lot more. This feels great. We’ll celebrate for 24 hours and then get back to work. I have one more thing to say: We’re not the same Eagles you’re used to.”
With his eyes closed, London quarterback Colt Hughes let fly with this 15-yard, first-quarter touchdown pass to Isaiah Near.
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