Levi Davis and the Pioneers can now prepare for a deep run in the playoffs after defeating Liberty and capturing the OCC Central title. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Angie Greenwood)
Ohio University-bound quarterback Levi Davis passed for 216 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 95 yards and two more scores as Orange gained a No. 1 seed and a bye in the Division I, Region 3 playoffs.
Powell, OH – Quarterback Levi Davis frequently engages in good-natured banter with outside linebacker Aden Scott about which unit carries the weight for the Olentangy Orange football team.
“Aden Scott, I consider him one of my best friends,” Davis said. “We always talk off the field and I always joke about when is the defense going to make a play … when is the defense going to put something up on that scoreboard and tonight was the night. I have to go buy him something. But he knows I’m not buying him nothing.”
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All joking aside, Davis and Scott – not to mention a host of their friends – made a slew of big plays for the Pioneers as they achieved a trifecta of sorts in a 26-14 win over defending state champion Olentangy Liberty at sold-out Patriot Stadium Friday.
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Orange not only beat its chief intra-district rival, but captured the outright Ohio Capital Conference Central Division championship and the program’s first 10-0 regular season finish. Third-ranked in the Associated Press Division I state poll, Orange already had clinched the No. 1 seed in the Region 3 computer ratings, thus gaining a bye for the first-round of the playoffs and home field advantage thereafter.
Davis, the uber-skilled Ohio University commit, inflicted his usual damage. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries with two more scores. He did all of this against a stanch Liberty defense that had yielded only 47 points during a six-game win streak.
“Almost all of the Olentangy schools play similar styles of defense, so we see the very best in practice every day,” Davis said. “(Running back) Lucas Fickel is a dog, but we know if they try to take him away, we’ve got other ways to attack them. It’s a process, but we made the proper adjustments and made them pay in the second half.”
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To the surprise of no one, Liberty (6-4, 4-1) provided Orange (10-0, 5-0) with one of its stiffest challenges to date. The Pioneers came in having outscored their opposition 347-84.
Treyton Schroeder’s 72-yard punt return for an apparent TD was negated by a penalty for a blind side block.
After recovering a muffed punt on the game’s opening drive, the Patriots drove into position for a 29-yard field goal. But although Carson O’Morrow towering kick appeared to stay well inside the left crossbar, it was ruled no good, much to the chagrin of the home stands.
Orange responded with a methodical 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by a 1-yard run TD run by Davis. The march took nearly seven minutes.
As it did a week earlier in a win over Hilliard Davidson, Liberty went to a hurry-up offense and got on the board with 33 seconds left in the half on an Alex Leonard-to- Patrick McDonnell TD pass of 20 yards. Leonard completed 6 of 6 passes for 84 yards on the drive.
Leonard, who excels at fitting passes into tight windows, got his come-uppance during a pivotal play in the third quarter. Scott intercepted a short pass by Leonard and returned it 13 yards to the end zone.
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“I think he was trying a backside slant and I stepped right in the way,” said Scott of his second career interception and first score in his career. “I was just thinking about how we needed to make a play deep in their end.”
After a three-and-out, Davis connected with Jake Luling on an 83-yard catch and run down the sideline for a TD to make it 19-7.
Antonio Kish found his way into the end zone for a second straight week.
“We noticed that the cornerback had been bailing early and we thought we could beat them there,” said Luling, who made six receptions for 139 yards. “They were obviously committed to stopping Lucas so we made an effort in the second half to spread things out and open up the running lanes and hopefully give us some opportunities through the air as well.”
Buoyed by Luke Mulder’s 33-yard punt return, Liberty needed just seven plays to get back in the game. On a fourth-and-goal, Antonio Kish took a direct snap for a 1-yard TD to cut the Patriots’ deficit to 19-14.
Davis, however, proved a handful to corral, engineering a composed, well-balanced 13-play, 80-yard drive to regain control. Davis scored on a 6-yard sweep with 4:11 left to seal the win. It marked Orange’s first outright league title since 2019.
Liberty still holds a 12-5 lead in the series dating to 2010.
“I’m not sure what is more satisfying, beating Liberty or going 10-0,” Orange second-year coach Wes Schroeder said. “To go 10-0 against the competition we play is very difficult so that’s pretty special. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy tonight. Liberty is so physically tough we had to alter our game plan a little as the game went on.”
Orange joins Cincinnati Elder and Mentor as the only big-school unbeatens.
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While fans are well acquainted with the dynamic skill-set that Davis brings to the table, along with Fickel’s emergence as a big-time back, Orange’s defense tends to hover under the radar a bit. Led by junior linebacker Brennan Kesler, who came in with 10 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles and a prolific secondary anchored by All-Ohioan Treyton Schroeder, Orange has allowed 14 or fewer points to all but one opponent.
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Leonard completed 13 of 26 passes for 173 yards and a TD but was intercepted three times. Liberty managed just 49 yards rushing on 20 attempts.
“We feel like such a connected group,” Scott said. “We’ve been taking care of the ball on offense and shutting down people and taking the ball away on defense. We complement each other really well.”
Orange boasts a turnover ratio of plus-18.
With the defeat, Liberty is projected to secure a No. 5 seed and will host a first-round playoff game, likely against Newark (6-4).
“They made too many plays and we made too many mistakes,” Patriots coach John Sansbury said. “Their quarterback and running back are outstanding players and they pose a challenge for anybody. At times, we did a very good keeping Fickel in check (68 yards on 21 carries), but Davis is so elusive and hard to bring down. He’s a difference-maker.”
Levi Davis had a major impact on the outcome with his arm and legs.