Pickerington (Ohio) Central (1-0) at Columbus East (1-1)
» Game time: 7 p.m.
» Last year: Teams did not meet
» Last week’s results: Pickerington Central beat Winter Park (Florida) 33-21, Columbus East lost to Columbus North 42-31
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» Coaches: Jay Sharrett is 163-33 in his 17th year at Pickerington Central; Bob Gaddis (316-138 in 41st year, including 198-38 in 19th year at East)
» Key players: Pickerington Central QB Demeatric Crenshaw, RB Lorenzo Styles, DE Ty Hamilton; East QB Cole Gilley, RB Mark McDonald, RB-WR Lance Greiwe, WR Dalton Back, WR-S Tyler Settle, LB Parker Harrison
» What to watch for: Coming off last week’s upset loss to the Bull Dogs, it doesn’t get any easier for the Olympians. Pickerington Central is ranked No. 1 in the Midwest and No. 12 in the nation by USA Today and features several Division I prospects. Crenshaw is regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in the Class of 2020 and has several offers, including one from Indiana University. Styles has offers from Notre Dame and Ohio State, where his father Lorenzo Styles Sr. played, and Hamilton has committed to Ohio State. The Tigers were the 2017 Ohio big-school state champions.
» Prediction: Pickerington Central 42, Columbus East 27
Southport (2-0) at Columbus North (1-1)
» Game time: 7 p.m.
» Last year: Columbus North won 41-36 at Southport
» Last week’s results: Southport beat Perry Meridian 49-21, Columbus North beat Columbus East 42-31
» Coaches: Brandon Winters is 20-13 in his fourth year at Southport, Tim Bless (142-93 in 22nd year, including 130-84 in 20th year at North)
» Key players: Southport QB Ryan Lezon, RB Lamarco Yates, WR Carson Moore, LB Brayon Hogan; North QB Luke Hammons, RB Blake Huffman, WR-DB Hunter Huser, TE-DE Mitchel Collier, OT JJ Montgomery, DE Montez Mitchell, LB Landon Robbins
» What to watch for: The Cardinals are the only team on the Bull Dogs schedule that are not either ranked or receiving votes in this week’s Associated Press polls, yet this game could decide the Conference Indiana title. Lezon, who has been a wide receiver the past couple years, moved to quarterback this season and has completed 25 of 36 passes for 297 yards and six touchdowns and run for 306 yards and two scores over the first two games.
» Prediction: Columbus North 35, Southport 28
Other area games:
» Jennings County at Bedford North Lawrence, 7 p.m.
» Indianapolis Manual at Brown County, 7 p.m.
» Oldenburg Academy at Edinburgh, 7 p.m.
» Indianapolis Tindley at South Decatur, 7 p.m.
