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O H I O C A P I T A L C O N F E R E N C E- CE N T R A L
Overview
Warhawks’ success gives hope to others
By PATRICK DOLAN
ThisWeek Staff Writer
Chances are few people outside of
Westerville predicted that the West-
erville Central High School football
team would win the OCC-Central
Division championship last year. The
Warhawks had finished just 2-8 in
2005.
But Central proved last season that
anything can happen from one year
to the next by going 5-0 in the OCC-
Central and 6-4 overall.
As a result of Central’s rapid
change in fortune, how the league
unfolds this season seems to be any-
one’s guess. Perhaps Central Cross-
ing or Thomas will ascend to the top
of the league. Thomas coach Scott
Gordon definitely isn’t discounting
his team from achieving such a
turnaround.
“I think it’s pretty balanced and
pretty wide open,” said Gordon, who
spent the last four seasons as the coach
at Grandview and is one of four
coaches new to the division. “West-
erville Central is the defending
champs and has a lot of talent, but I
don’t think you can say any team is
the heads-on favorite to win the
league.”
By Adam Cairns/ThisWeek Central Crossing coach Ricky
Jeff Gafford is in his first season Vaughn believes the best team in the
with Marysville, replacing Rich league is Westerville Central until
Weiskircher. proven otherwise.
Delaware Hayes
Depth adding to confidence for Masi, Pacers
By BRAD EMERINE make because of our depth is to make sure we Decker, Blair, Burns, Turner, and Ogletree are
ThisWeek Staff Writer keep them fresh on the defensive side. We want among 16 juniors on the 68-player roster.
our best guys on defense.”
Jamie Masi is hoping his team will perfect Dunlap, Dalga and Vanway are among 23
the option offense this season. As well as the seniors on the roster, replacing 15 graduates. six on offense.
option defense.
Central Ohio High School Football Preview ’07 • August 22, 2007
Well sort of.
With greater depth, the fourth-year coach of
the Delaware Hayes High School football team
will have more options available.
“This is the first time since I’ve been here
cs 082207 B88672-1
that, as a staff, we feel we have enough depth
to be able to do some different things,” Masi
said. “We won’t have to play as many guys the
whole game.”
That would be a bonus for the Pacers, who
www.delawareohrealestate.com
finished 4-6 overall and 2-3 in the OCC-Cen-
tral Division last season when they played most
opponents close in the first halves of games
before wearing down after intermission.
Delaware was outscored 102-84 in the first
halves and 174-78 in the second halves.
With a bevy of fast and talented receivers
2007
and defensive backs, Masi said he won’t hes-
itate to give players a breather for a series or
two.
“We’ve got guys who can flat-out fly like
Nate Decker, Brian Dunlap, Alex Blair, Cody
Dalga, Kees Burns, Calvin Turner, Girard Ogle- Disbennett Real Estate
tree and Luke Vanway,” Masi said. “That’s a toby@tobysellshomes.com
core group of receivers and defensive backs.
We can rotate receiver packages to give them Toby Boyce Realtor
rests between plays. They are all capable 740-990-9748
34 receivers. The philosophical change that we’ll
“I think one of our goals should
Inside the division be to make sure that that 10th game
will again be for the OCC champi-
2006 STANDINGS Delaware at Thomas Worthington onship,” said Marysville coach and
Team League Overall Pickerington North at Westerville Central former Worthington Kilbourne coach
Westerville Central 5-0 6-4 Oct. 12
Marysville 4-1 6-4 Westerville Central at Central Crossing Jeff Gafford, who is in his first sea-
Delaware 2-3 4-6 Pickerington North at Delaware son with the Monarchs.
Pickerington North 2-3 3-7 Marysville at Thomas Worthington “Just like any competitive athletes,
Thomas Worthington 1-4 2-8 Oct. 19 (that loss) is something (the players
Central Crossing 1-4 2-8 Central Crossing at Pickerington North
will) remember and make a mental
2007 SCHEDULE Marysville at Delaware
Thomas at Westerville Central note of it to use while they’re work-
Sept. 28
Thomas Worthington at Central Crossing Oct. 26 ing out over the summer. They’ll use
Westerville Central at Delaware Delaware at Central Crossing it to make themselves better.”
Marysville at Pickerington North Westerville Central at Marysville Gafford, who employs the triple-
Oct. 5 Pickerington North at Thomas Worthington
option offense, took over at Marysville
Central Crossing at Marysville
last February after Rich Weiskircher
stepped down after 19 seasons.
“You have to look at the returning football teams in the conference with In addition to Thomas, Central
champions,” said the former Lima new coaches that have done great Crossing and Marysville, North also
Senior coach, who is in his first sea- jobs in other programs,” Central coach have new coaches.
son with the Comets. “That is who Bob Fresch said. Tom Phillips, who spent the last
is at the top of the list until you knock The only other team in the OCC- three seasons as the coach at Bexley,
them off. All the other programs will Central to finish with a winning record took over from Tim Bahen, who
improve.” a year ago was Marysville, which stepped down after four seasons with
Among the key returnees for Cen- went 6-4. the Panthers.
tral are senior running back Ryan Marysville, which lost fullback Gordon pointed out that the teams
Smith, who led the team in rushing and OCC-Central Player of theYear with new coaches may struggle at the
last season with 703 yards and eight Sean Mulholland to graduation, and start of the season as their players
touchdowns on 150 carries, and kicker Central played in the final game of adjust to new coaching schemes and
Ben Buchanan, an Ohio State recruit the regular season last season with philosophies. But he stopped short
who made a 54-yard field goal last the league title on the line. The of saying that the teams that did not
season in a 7-6 loss to Big Walnut. Warhawks prevailed 14-7 at home, undergo a coaching change in the off-
Both made first-team all-league. and it’s safe to say the Monarchs season would have an advantage over
. . . .
“Our No. 1 goal is to obviously haven’t forgotten that game. the ones that did.
focus in on a league title, and we The teams meet in the regular-sea- “By the time we hit league play,
know that’s going to be a monumental son finale again this season, at all the teams should be hitting on all
task because you have tremendous Marysville. cylinders,” he said.
Decker and Dunlap return at cornerback and
Dalga moves from safety to linebacker, where
Delaware returns eight defensive players he joins senior Stan Gibson and junior Evan
who started at least part-time a year ago and
See DELAWARE, page 40
Good Luck
Delaware Hayes
Check on your rivals
GOOD LUCK
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