Gahanna Lincoln clinches OCC-Ohio crown with 42-2 win over Pickerington North

PICKERINGTON, OH – Gahanna Lincoln quarterback Maxwell Cummings had to watch helplessly from the sideline while his team lost to Pickerington North by six points in the second round of the Division I, Region 3 playoffs a year ago, after his left collar bone was broken late in the regular season.

The senior finally got a chance to redeem himself when the Lions played a crucial Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division contest Friday at North.

And fortunately for Gahanna, Cummings made the most of his opportunity, as he rushed for a game-high 104 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and threw for 34 yards and another score to lead the Lions to a 42-2 victory and their first league title in 21 years.

“It was emotionally draining to not be able to be on the field at the end of last season,” said Cummings, whose squad improved to 9-1 overall and finished 5-0 in the OCC-Ohio to win the league title. “It was a long process to heal up and get back to this point, but my teammates supported me and kept me motivated.

“I’m just blessed with this opportunity, helping my team out in any way I can. Winning our league championship means a lot because it’s something we’ve been working for since June.”

Cummings has split playing time at the quarterback position with sophomore Brennen Ward this season. Brennen, who is the son of Gahanna coach Bruce Ward, was 4-for-12 passing for 30 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dylan Scott on the final play of the third quarter.

But after entering the game on Gahanna’s third possession, Cummings blazed his way straight up the middle of the field, untouched by defenders, for a 63-yard scoring run to put his squad ahead 17-0 with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

“We have one of the best offensive lines in the state and they did an excellent job of opening a big hole for me on that play,” said Cummings, whose squad also clinched the No. 1 seed in the Region 3 playoffs. “I just had to get my legs moving and use my track speed to outrace their defense to the end zone.”

Cummings also showed what he can do with his arm, completing both of his passes for 34 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Diore Hubbard to give Gahanna a 24-0 advantage midway through the second quarter.

Hubbard never had to break his stride on the way to the endzone, as Cummings floated the ball over North’s defense and into the outstretched hands of the speedy tailback.

“Max had a devastating injury last year, but he’s been playing a key role for us again,” Hubbard said. “We can do anything with him in the game. He’s fast and his touchdown run was big for us. And that over-the-shoulder throw he made to me was nice, too.”

Cummings even managed to douse coach Bruce Ward with a bucket of Gatorade at midfield after the game, seconds after Ward initially eluded his players’ first attempt at pouring the beverage over his head.

“Max definitely deserves to have a game like this, after what he went through last year,” coach Ward said. “Some people say that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any, but Max and Brennen have been a dynamic duo for us. They have different styles and different strengths, and they both played well for us today.

“They got me with the Gatorade tonight, and I’m freezing right now. But I knew to bring a change of clothes with me in case this happened, and I’m glad that they had a reason to dump Gatorade on me tonight.”

In his ninth season at the helm of the program, coach Ward was swarmed with well-wishers on the field after guiding the Lions to their first outright league title since 1998.

“It’s up there with the best victories of my entire career because of what winning an OCC title means to our kids and our community,” coach Ward said. “This is a credit to our kids because they stayed focused on this goal all season. I’m excited for the entire city of Gahanna.”

Hubbard rushed for 42 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.

He scored his first touchdown on a 10-yard run up the middle to put Gahanna ahead 7-0 with 6:31 left in the first quarter, just one play after a North player muffed a punt return attempt.

“We punched them in the mouths on that first touchdown and felt them back down after that,” Hubbard said.

The Panthers opened the game with an eight-play, 63-yard drive, but ended it by missing a 34-yard field goal attempt.

The Lions’ defense dominated the rest of the way, limiting North to 109 yards of total offense, including just eight passing yards.

Gahanna’s defense was led by linebackers Gabe Bushelman (3.5 tackles), Dylan Scott, Jacob Starr and Jaden Yates (11 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss), linemen Kamari Burns (eight tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss), Jake Grimm, Griffin Flusche, Elijah King (4.5 tackles, two sacks) and Isaac Perkins and backs Makai Shahid, Jason Smith, Ty Staples and Romearo Wells.

“We read their offense and we were physical and got to the ball quickly,” King said. “We have a lot of talented guys and our coaches prepared us well.

“I’m really happy we went undefeated in our league because we didn’t want to have to share this championship with anyone. Now, we’re hoping we can keep winning in the playoffs.”

North’s lone score happened late in the second quarter when Malik Ray tackled a Gahanna athlete in the end zone for a safety, cutting the Panthers’ deficit to 24-2 heading into halftime.

Ray and Kaedyn Dunbar-White both finished with five tackles and Kaiyin Lyles had an interception to lead North’s defense.

The Panthers dropped to 6-4 overall and finished 2-3 in the OCC-Ohio, but likely will finish as the No. 5 seed in Region 3 and get to host their first playoff game.

“They have one of the top defenses in all of Ohio and it was hard to do much against them tonight,” North coach Nate Hillerich said. “We missed a field goal and muffed a punt early, and we just couldn’t get away with making mistakes against a good football team like Gahanna. But we’ll get back after it in practice this week and be ready for a much better effort in the playoffs.”