Ohio
Ohio high school football rankings: Columbus-area Top 10 poll for Week 10
With one week to play in the 2024 regular season, Watterson is a unanimous No. 1 in the central Ohio high school football Top 10 poll.
It’s also the sixth consecutive week at No. 1 for the undefeated Eagles, who may have to beat DeSales on Friday to hold the ranking and win our poll championship. The winner of the Watterson-DeSales matchup captures the CCL title.
Our second- and third-ranked teams, Pickerington North and Olentangy Orange, also play rivalry games this week against Gahanna Lincoln and Olentangy Liberty, respectively. North (OCC-Ohio) and Orange (OCC-Central) also are playing for league titles, and perhaps one jumps up to No. 1 with a win and a Watterson loss.
The central Ohio Top 10 poll ranks teams regardless of division. Each voter submits a Top 10 with a first-place vote worth 10 points, a second-place vote worth nine and so on down to one point for 10th.
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Columbus-area high school football 2024 Top 10 poll for Week 10
Below is the poll as selected by USA Today Network staff and contributors. A unanimous selection is 90 points:
1. Watterson (9-0), 90 points, nine first-place votes. Last game: Def. Harrison 51-14. Next game: Friday vs. DeSales at Ohio Dominican. Last week: No. 1
2. Pickerington North (8-1), 76 points. Last game: Def. New Albany 34-14. Next game: Friday vs. Gahanna. Last week: No. 2
3. Olentangy Orange (8-1), 72 points. Last game: Def. Hilliard Bradley 35-10. Next game: Friday vs. Olentangy Liberty. Last week: No. 3
4. Olentangy Liberty (7-2), 57 points. Last game: Def. Hilliard Davidson 32-7. Next game: Friday at Orange. Last week: No. 4 (tie)
5. Big Walnut (8-1), 47 points. Last game: Def. Dublin Scioto 38-10. Next game: Friday vs. Westland. Last week: No. 4 (tie)
6. Upper Arlington (7-2), 44 points. Last game: Def. Dublin Coffman 38-13. Next game: Friday at Davidson. Last week: No. 6
7. Olentangy (8-1), 29 points. Last game: Def. Dublin Jerome 42-34. Next game: Friday at Olentangy Berlin. Last week: No. 7
8. Westland (8-1), 20 points. Last game: Def. Delaware Hayes 48-28. Next game: Friday at Big Walnut. Last week: No. 10
9 (tie). DeSales (8-1), 18 points. Last game: Def. Cincinnati Northwest 38-6. Next game: Friday vs. Watterson at Ohio Dominican. Last week: No. 9
9 (tie). Harvest Prep (6-2), 18 points. Last game: Lost to Cincinnati La Salle 28-14. Next game: Friday at KIPP Columbus. Last week: No. 8
Also receiving votes: Gahanna 12, Davidson 5, Berlin 3, Pickerington Central 2, Walnut Ridge 2
Dropped out: None
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Ohio
Why Ohio State is built to ‘wake up and move on’ from a loss before the College Football Playoff
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Breathe in. Breathe out.
The dust has settled on Ohio State football’s last contest: a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. Nearly 10 days have passed since the offensive line struggled to hold up, since the offense struggled to convert in the red zone and since the Buckeyes failed to accomplish one of their three major goals.
As is often the case at OSU, a loss is accompanied by anger, questions, concerns and aches.
“Sick to my stomach that we lost,” quarterback Julian Sayin said last week.
Now, after a week centered around College Football Playoff bracket debates and Heisman Trophy celebrations, Ohio State is looking to move on from the defeat in Indianapolis.
It should have little issue doing so.
The Buckeyes were in a similar, albeit more emotional and pressure-packed, situation last year. They entered the CFP off a loss, falling in shocking fashion to rival Michigan.
The final score of that contest: 13-10.
Ohio State went through some rigorous soul-searching, with coach Ryan Day and players having an emotional team meeting in which many on the roster expressed their frustrations with how the regular season ended.
The loss to Indiana isn’t as complicated. It’s simply a loss. However, the Buckeyes have experience flushing defeats before a postseason run.
“You’ve got to wake up and move on,” Day said.
As was the case last season, losing doesn’t diminish something apparent: Ohio State is a good team loaded with talent on its roster.
The Buckeyes are still betting favorites to go back-to-back this season, and statistics show why. They lead the nation in scoring defense and total defense while ranking in the top 25 of both categories on offense.
Ohio State has a slow and methodical approach on offense, but Day has expressed belief in his team’s ability to step on the pedal when appropriate. With Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith at receiver and Sayin under center, that belief shouldn’t falter.
“There’s still a bunch of guys in this room that know we can play with anybody in the country and beat anybody in the country when we’re on our game,” Day said.
The most pressing question left for Ohio State to answer before the CFP relates to offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. The Buckeyes’ play-caller was hired ahead of the Big Ten title game as South Florida’s next head coach.
Hartline called plays against Indiana, according to Day, and the plan is for him to do the same in the CFP. If there are concerns about his ability to balance two jobs, Day has a solution: time
USF announced Hartline’s hiring three days before Ohio State took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. While also balancing the opening of the early signing period, Day had little opportunity to sit back and determine what was best for his offense.
The Cotton Bowl won’t present those challenges. Two-seeded Ohio State returns to action on Dec. 31 where it’ll meet the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami in Dallas.
By then, Day will have had time to take a breath, assess the situation and determine who will run his offense.
Snow hits downtown Columbus
Snow falls outside the Ohio Theatre as downtown Columbus turns into a winter wonderland.
Columbus City Schools is closing Monday, Dec. 15, after a weekend winter storm dumped more than 5.4 inches of snow on the region and cold temperatures descended.
Following the weekend snowfall, a cold weather advisory was issued for the area, to remain in affect across central Ohio through 11 a.m. Dec. 15.
It was 4 degrees at John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14, with a wind chill of 16 degrees below zero.
Late on Dec. 14, CCS posted it would close Dec. 15 “due to inclement weather.” See more school closings at NBC 4 or check back with the Dispatch throughout the morning.
This list will be updated as additional information becomes available. School districts are encouraged to send an email with any delays or closures to newsroom@dispatch.com.
Snow hits downtown Columbus
Snow falls outside the Ohio Theatre as downtown Columbus turns into a winter wonderland.
Now comes the cold.
After nearly 5½ inches of snow fell Dec. 13 in some parts of central Ohio, the National Weather Service says bitterly cold temperatures moving into the region will mean highs in just the single digits.
A cold weather advisory is in affect across central Ohio through 11 a.m. Dec. 15. It was 4 degrees at John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14, with a wind chill of 16 degrees below zero.
Temperatures to the west and south are even colder: 1 degree in Springfield, minus-1 in Dayton and minus-3 in Indianapolis. Those temperatures are not expected in the Columbus area, though. The forecast calls for slightly warmer temperatures by evening and highs in the low 20s Dec. 15.
The record cold expected for Dec. 14 — until now, the coldest high temperature in Columbus for this date was 16 degrees in 1917 — follows a day of record snow. The weather service recorded 5.4 inches of snowfall on Dec. 13 at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, topping the prior Dec. 13 record, which was 3.6 inches in 1945.
Level 2 snow emergencies, which means roads are hazardous and people should drive only if they think it’s necessary, remained in effect in Fairfield and Licking counties.
Level 1 snow emergencies are in effect in Delaware, Franklin, Madison, Union and Pickaway counties.
Bob Vitale can be reached at rvitale@dispatch.com.
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