Gahanna Lincoln uses explosive offense and strong defense for 38-24 win over New Albany

WHITEHALL, Ohio – Makai Shahid has pleaded with Gahanna Lincoln’s coaches to utilize him more as a wide receiver this season.

Gahanna coach Bruce Ward said he was reluctant to do so in recent weeks because Shahid had been nursing a minor foot injury and he wanted to keep the senior’s legs fresh since he plays nearly every down at safety.

However, sensing that his offense might need a spark against New Albany, Ward finally acquiesced to Shahid’s request Friday in a key Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division showdown played at Whitehall.

And as fate would have it, Ward’s gamble paid off, as not only did Shahid continue to play excellent defense, but he also racked up six receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns, including hauling in the game-winning score, to help lead the Lions to a 38-24 victory over the Eagles.

“I’ve been begging to get on the offensive side of the ball because I knew I could make a difference there, too,” Shahid said. “New Albany was focusing on trying to take (running back Diore Hubbard) out of the game because he’s the heart of our offense, so I knew that was going to lead to some opportunities, because they couldn’t keep up with our athletes on the outside of the field. I finally got some chances to make some big plays and I took advantage of them.”

Shahid scored his first touchdown on a 34-yard pass from quarterback Brennen Ward midway through the third quarter to break a 17-17 halftime tie. That play helped Gahanna take a 25-17 advantage when holder Jake Bushelman tossed the ball to Elijah King for a two-point conversion, after a mishandled snap botched the Lions’ point-after kick attempt.

“Makai started off the season as a two-way player, but he had a little foot injury and we wanted to keep him fresh on defense because he’s our top safety,” said coach Ward, whose squad improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the OCC-Ohio. “But New Albany (loaded the box) to try to stop the run, so we figured we’d take advantage of Makai’s speed because we needed to throw more than usual.”

Shahid scored what stood as the game-winning touchdown with just under two minutes into the fourth quarter when he hauled in a 32-yard scoring pass from Ward. On that play, Shahid leaped to catch the ball at the 10-yard line and then shook off a tackler on his way into the end zone.

“I had to come back to the ball, and I was expecting to get tackled right away, but I broke away from their guy and scored,” Shahid said. “On my first touchdown, I had a mismatch on the outside and it was a long catch-and-run.”

Even though New Albany’s defense was able to contain Hubbard for most of the game, including limiting him to three carries for zero yards in the third quarter, the junior managed to bust loose for two long touchdown runs and finished with 132 yards on 18 carries.

With New Albany keying on Hubbard, Ward was 21-of-30 passing for 249 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-yard scoring strike to Hubbard, which put the Lions ahead 17-7 midway through the second quarter.

“Diore’s having a great year,” coach Ward said. “New Albany did a good job defensively, but the rest of our guys were able to back him up. My son was poised and made good decisions, and (Hubbard) came through with some big plays.”

Indeed, on the rare occasions that Hubbard wasn’t swarmed by defenders the moment he touched the ball, he displayed his explosive speed and dazzling shiftiness.

On Gahanna’s sixth play from scrimmage, Hubbard broke free from a defender, used a spin move to get past another and then raced 59 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0.

In the fourth quarter, Hubbard also exploded up the middle for a 39-yard touchdown run, pausing only briefly to shake loose from a defender. Hubbard’s third touchdown put Gahanna ahead 38-24 with 6:55 remaining and effectively iced the game.

“I’m a playmaker and that’s just what I do,” Hubbard said. “I practice all week so I can make explosive plays like this. That was my first touchdown catch ever in high school, and that was a well-designed, well-executed play.

“New Albany beat us (31-3) last year, so this was my revenge tour and we had to turn the page over. We just have better playmakers than them and we wanted it more.”

The Eagles - who dropped to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the OCC-Ohio - had averaged 37.5 points and 355.5 yards in their first six games, before rushing for only 122 yards and passing for 59 yards against Gahanna.

Led by linebackers Bushelman, Dylan Scott, Jacob Starr and Jaden Yates, linemen Kamari Burns, Jake Grimm, Griffin Flusche, King and Isaac Perkins and backs Shahid, Jason Smith, Ty Staples and Romearo Wells, Gahanna’s defense hadn’t surrendered more than 59 yards rushing in its first six games.

“New Albany’s offense posed a ton of challenges because they run the wing-T so well,” Scott said. “The key was getting our assignments down, being physical and making plays. It feels good because we all did our jobs well.”

The Eagles racked up only three first downs in the first half, but capitalized on big plays on special teams

to stay in the game.

Chidi Mabatah blocked a Gahanna punt and recovered the ball in the end zone to pull New Albany within 10-7 early in the second quarter.

After Tom Bohman recovered a muffed punt at Gahanna’s 26, Colin Schuler made a 37-yard field goal to cut Gahanna’s lead to 17-10. And then Christian Manville scored on a 1-yard run with just 3.3 seconds remaining in the second quarter to knot the score at 17 heading into halftime.

Dylan Rosser rushed for 70 yards on 18 carries and Manville rushed for 36 yards on 16 attempts and scored two touchdowns to pace the Eagles’ offense.

“We started strong and played good defense, but we had some self-inflicted wounds and New Albany battled back to make it a competitive game,” coach Ward said.

New Albany quarterback Luka Garver pulled his team within 25-23 late in the third quarter, when he scrambled to his right and feathered a pass between defenders to Manville for a 36-yard touchdown.

But the Eagles turned the ball over twice in the second half, with Grimm and Wells each recovering fumbles within the final seven minutes.

“Gahanna’s one of the best teams in the state,” New Albany coach Brian Finn said. “Their defense is as good of a defense as we’ve seen, and it was hard to run against them. Our kids fought and continued to play hard, but we need to play better.”

Photo Gallery (photos by Gabe Haferman)