Gahanna Lincoln gets big game from Diore Hubbard in win over Pickerington Central

PICKERINGTON, Ohio - Diore Hubbard was champing at the bit for a chance to dazzle fans on a football field after the Gahanna Lincoln senior running back had limited carries during three consecutive blowout victories.

The West Virginia University recruit finally received his opportunity to shine Friday at Pickerington Central, and he made the most of it, rushing for 182 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries to lead the Golden Lions to a 49-14 victory.

Hubbard, who was the Central District Offensive Player of the Year and an Ohio Mr. Football finalist as a junior, had rushed for 446 yards and four touchdowns on just 59 carries through Gahanna’s first four games this season.

“I knew this had to be the night where I came out and showed the world that No. 4 (Hubbard’s uniform number) hasn’t gone anywhere,” said Hubbard, whose squad was ranked No. 16 in the latest SBLive Ohio Power 25. “I didn’t let any of that stuff I accomplished last year go to my head, because it’s all past history, and I’m looking to be an even better player this year.

“I only had nine touches last week (in Gahanna’s 49-6 win over Reynoldsburg), but I knew we were facing one of the best teams in the state tonight, and that my team was going to need me, so I came out and ran downhill right away.”

Indeed, Hubbard was especially dominant in the first quarter, when he exploded for 124 yards and three scores on only eight carries, to help the Lions jump out to a 28-0 lead.

“Diore’s been getting it going all year, but this was his breakout game,” Gahanna coach Bruce Ward said. “Diore didn’t like not playing more in those last three games, but we knew we could spare using him a little bit in those games, and we wanted to keep him fresh because we knew this game was coming.

“When you hold back a competitor like Diore, he’s going to be bound and determined to make the most of his opportunities, and it showed with the way he ran the ball tonight.”

After slicing his way up the middle for a 15-yard gain on the game’s opening play from scrimmage, Hubbard broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and then raced 64 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 just 47 seconds into the contest.

On the Lions’ next possession, Hubbard plowed his way through two defenders on his way to a 3-yard touchdown rumble to make it 14-0.

Running behind center Jeremy McDowell, right guard Alex Marcum, right tackle Evan Dailey, left guard Ben Morris and left tackle Jake Grimm, Hubbard also raced eight yards untouched down the left sideline for a score to put Gahanna ahead 28-0 with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter.

Dailey is a Temple recruit and Grimm is a Toledo recruit.

“I wanted to score a touchdown on that first drive, and then keep scoring, to put these boys to bed early,” Hubbard said. “My line did a great job blocking, and I just hit the hole and ran downhill.”

The Lions, who improved to 5-0 overall, never allowed Central to pull within 28 points again the rest of the game.

The Tigers, who lost their third in a row to drop to 2-3 overall, hold a 20-5 lead over Gahanna in their all-time series. But the Lions have won the past three meetings, including a 38-14 win over Central in a Division I, Region 3 semifinal a year ago.

“We were looking to make history because we’ve never beaten Pickerington Central two times in a row in the regular season and three times in a row overall,” Hubbard said. “I don’t think anyone’s ever embarrassed them on their home field like this before.”

Junior quarterback Brennen Ward, who also is a Division I college football recruit, completed all seven of his passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

Ward threw a 58-yard scoring strike to Amir Simmons to put Gahanna up 21-0 late in the first quarter, and tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Scott to make it 49-14 with 3:11 remaining in the third quarter. Ward also scored from a yard out on a quarterback sneak to give Gahanna a 42-7 halftime lead.

“Brennen’s a stud and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son,” coach Ward said. “He’s smart. He knows how to take care of the ball, and he’s been throwing it well. He’s made big throws. He had one that he threw side-armed that went under one guy’s arm and over another guy’s arm, right into the perfect spot.”

Central played well on special teams, with the highlight coming early in the second quarter, when Connor Retherford scooped up a loose ball and ran 34 yards for a touchdown, after a Lion fumbled on a punt return.

Quarterback Rocco Williams was 11-of-20 passing for 111 yards, including a 32-yard scoring strike to Dominic Shaw midway through the third quarter, to pace Central’s offense.

“I like that we didn’t fold at halftime,” Central coach Jeff Lominico said. “We came out and scored on our first drive of the second half, to stop the running clock. But then we let them down, defensively.

“Gahanna has a great running back and a lot of Division I athletes on their team, but I wish we could have fought them better. But we’ll make some changes during the second half of our season to fix things, and we’ll be a different team.”

Gahanna outgained Central 302-33 in total yards in the first half.

The Lions’ defense forced a total of three turnovers, including one on downs, and limited Central to just 126 passing yards and 40 rushing yards on 28 carries.

Senior safety Cam Frazier made two interceptions and returned them a total of 54 yards, including a 36-yard return for a touchdown early in the second quarter to put Gahanna up 35-0.

“We always talk about physicality and execution and tonight we put it all together against what is traditionally one of the best teams in our area,” coach Ward said. “Cam’s an impact player and his potential is still untapped. Our linebacker (Quan Rhodes-Mckee) is a hole-plugger, who has a knack for making plays all over the field, as you saw tonight. We had the mindset to come out strong right away, and this is how we want to play the rest of the season.”