Evan Andrews and the Wildcats finally escaped from the first-half cages the Irish had them locked in, scoring 23 unanswered points for a gritty 26-18 comeback win at home. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
After trailing by 15 at the half, the Wildcats scored the game’s final 23 points and beat the Irish 26-18 on the opening night of OCC Capital Division action.
Westerville, OH – As Westerville South can attest, missing tackles on defense and having sloppy offensive execution can be a momentum killer during a season showing significant promise.
During the first half of their Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division opener Friday at home against Dublin Scioto, the Wildcats were outgained 182-25 and found themselves in a double-digit hole after posting shutouts in each of the past two weeks.
South flipped the script during the final two quarters, however, holding an Irish team off to its best start in more than a decade to three plays in the third quarter and seizing control of what would become a 26-18 victory.
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“Our kids adjusted their mindset,” said Eric Calland, who is in his second season as South’s coach but is a 2003 graduate of the program and has been with the program since 2015. “I didn’t even have to say anything. They went into the locker room, got together, and said this can’t be the way it is. This was one of our worst halves of football, and we had to execute better, tackle better, and clean things up. That’s what made the difference.”
The Wildcats, who went 5-6 a year ago and opened with a 23-13 loss to Dublin Jerome on Aug. 22, are 3-1 overall.
Senior defensive back and wide receiver Isaac Patterson, a Pitt commit, sat out this week with a strained hamstring, but still played a role in the comeback according to junior linebacker Elliott Bakirci.
“When we walked into the second half, it was definitely a different mentality,” Bakirci said. “One of our defensive leaders, Isaac Patterson, talked us up and told us what it was. We really came out there and executed. Our big thing was tackling. I know I didn’t really show up in the first half and missed a lot of tackles, gave up a touchdown, but we took what he said to heart and put it on in the second half. I felt really inspired.”
Jhalil Armstrong puts a dagger in Dublin Scioto’s hopes with his second touchdown of the night.
South opened the second half by driving 59 yards in 14 plays, with senior Jhalil Armstrong capping the drive with a 1-yard run to cut it to 18-10 with 4:21 left in the third quarter.
After forcing the Irish into a three-and-out, the Wildcats moved to the Scioto 14 after having held the ball for all but 1:18 of the third quarter. South kicker Ethan Rozen hit a 31-yard field goal five seconds into the final period to cut it to 18-13.
The Wildcats took an 19-18 lead on a 1-yard run by senior quarterback Evan Andrews with 3:54 remaining, two plays after Andrews connected with junior Owen Eschenauer for a 39-yard pass that moved the team to the Scioto 5.
Scioto fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with Eric Smoot falling on it at the Irish 27-yard-line with 3:38 to go. Four plays later, Armstrong ran in from 15 yards to cap the scoring.
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“In the first half, we didn’t have many running opportunities, so once we came out in the second half and were able to run, we were able to keep it moving and that really helped us out,” Andrews said. “The way we’ve come together the past few weeks leadership-wise and as a team, that’s really going to be special and carry us through. We’ve had a lot of people step up, and that’s helped us. We just have to try to get better and look forward to our next game.”
Scioto’s Eden Williams slips past a defender and around the edge.
Even with the loss, Scioto has been one of central Ohio’s biggest surprises so far this fall.
After going 2-8 in coach Alex Place’s first season in 2023 and 1-9 a year ago, the Irish won their first three games for the first time since 2007.
Scioto, which takes a 3-1 mark into the Battle of Hard Road next Friday at home against Worthington Kilbourne, also has a key player out after senior quarterback Jack McKee went down a week ago with injury.
Junior Grady McMillen was intercepted twice during the first half and three times overall but finished with 120 yards passing.
Senior Eden Williams gave Scioto a 7-3 lead with 8:47 to go in the first half, and McMillen hooked up with Williams for a 46-yard touchdown with 16.5 seconds left before halftime to give his team an 18-3 lead.
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South kicker Ethan Rozen drills a 31-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to cut the Irish lead to 5.
“It’s all about how we respond now,” Place said. “It was a tale of two halves. We played really well in the first half and had a bunch of guys doing their jobs, but we came out in the second half and didn’t get it done. We didn’t move guys off the ball. Receivers were not blocking, and on defense, we didn’t tackle. So, we need everyone to be doing their jobs all the time.
“The entire time we’ve talked about building the foundation with these guys. It’s about executing in these big games. For three weeks, we have, and that’s why we’re at this point of being 3-0. We didn’t do that tonight in the second half, so we’re going to be frustrated with it, but we need to turn our attention to Kilbourne because it’s a good league.”
After South’s final touchdown, Scioto got the ball back twice, but the Wildcats’ Ja’Mari Alston ended one possession with an interception.
Ja’Mari Alston ended a last gasp effort by the Irish with a pick late in the fourth quarter.
The Irish’s final drive ended on the South 20 after McMillen hooked up with Isaiah Jones for a 45-yard reception on the game’s last play.
The Wildcats play next Friday at Big Walnut, which improved to 3-1 overall with a 45-7 win over Delaware in its league opener.
“It was just good leadership, good teammates bringing each other up,” Armstrong said. “I like the defense and like our mentality. We just dominated on offense (in the third quarter) and was blocking hard and running hard. We did our jobs.”
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