DIVISION I

How does a team jump seven spots in one week?

Dismantling the defending state champions 51-7 is one way to do it.

Pickerington North went to Olentangy Orange on Friday night, deferred to the second half and opened the scoring with a safety. The Panthers followed that with two Demetrius Neal-Nesbitt-to-Noah Dumas touchdown passes before the end of the first quarter.

Andyriq Thomas added 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns as Pickerington North turned what looked like one of the best games in the state into a rout.

No team should ever look past an opponent in central Ohio, but the final three weeks of the Panthers’ regular season are brutal: at Grove City, at No. 15 (D-II) New Albany and home against No. 10 Gahanna Lincoln.

Those three opponents are a combined 13-2.

DIVISION II

I’ve sung the praises of Trotwood-Madison’s defense all season, but it’s time to turn our attention to the team that started at the top and has basically set up camp there.

Bishop Watterson’s defense has been every bit as impressive, allowing just 5.8 points per game.

Michael Boyle has been living in opposing backfields with 14 tackles for loss this season. Michigan State commit Jack Schuler draws plenty of attention from opposing coordinators and still has 11 tackles for loss of his own. Meanwhile, Ben Uhlenhake leads the Eagles with 11.8 tackles per game.

There aren’t many weaknesses to find on that side of the ball.

Bishop Watterson hosts No. 13 St. Francis DeSales on Friday night.

DIVISION III

I’ve gotten plenty of remarks from people in Western Buckeye League country lately.

So naturally, I’m going to talk about Chillicothe.

The undefeated Cavaliers make their debut in the Top 15 this week amid their hottest start in recent memory. Chillicothe is averaging 38.4 points per game, with junior running back Cartae Ligon at the center of everything.

Ligon is averaging 169.4 rushing yards per game and already has 20 touchdowns: 14 rushing, three receiving, two interception returns and one punt return.

That’s finding the end zone just about every way possible.

Chillicothe gets two interesting tests over the next two weeks, traveling to McClain before hosting Miami Trace.

DIVISION IV

I don’t believe anybody is ignoring Indian Valley.

But if you were, it’s time to stop.

The No. 2 Braves dismantled previously unbeaten Steubenville 41-13 on Friday night. Indian Valley jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

Quarterback Ryer Williams and running back Brett O’Connor both rushed for more than 100 yards, while the Braves piled up 342 rushing yards as a team.

Indian Valley will look to remain undefeated Friday when it travels to 4-1 Ridgewood.

DIVISION V

I worry that Barnesville may have forgotten what 48 minutes of competitive football feels like.

John Glenn kept things respectable in Week 1 before eventually falling to the Shamrocks, 34-19.

Barnesville has summoned the running clock every week since.

That stretch includes a 33-0 shutout of Bellaire and a 48-6 destruction of previously 3-1 Monroe Central.

The good news for anyone wondering how good Barnesville really is? The tests are coming.

The Shamrocks still have three undefeated teams on the schedule: at Fort Frye in Week 7, at Martins Ferry in Week 8 and home against Union Local to close the regular season.

We’ll know plenty more about Barnesville by then.

DIVISION VI

When Lima Central Catholic barely escaped Urbana and Columbus Grove, there were plenty of people who viewed the Thunderbirds as hanging on by a thread.

Surely, it was only a matter of time before they met their match.

But take a look at what those two teams have done away from LCC.

Urbana is 4-1, handing both Mechanicsburg and Graham Local their only losses of the season. Columbus Grove is also 4-1, is responsible for Patrick Henry’s only loss and responded to its loss against LCC by dismantling Spencerville, 56-0.

Those narrow wins suddenly look a lot better.

Liberty Center remains the class of Division VI, but Lima Central Catholic belongs firmly in that next group alongside Kirtland, South Range and St. Henry.

DIVISION VII

A couple of weeks ago, I said Division VII had three tiers: Marion Local, Hopewell-Loudon and everybody else.

I’m going to have to eat those words.

Several teams from that “everybody else” group have made a convincing case that they belong alongside Hopewell-Loudon.

Danville earned the spotlight last week and has now climbed to No. 2 in Division VII. Minster is undefeated and plays in the Midwest Athletic Conference. Enough said.

New Bremen may be only 3-2, but the Cardinals have faced the toughest schedule in Division VII. And unbeaten Leipsic has been downright suffocating defensively, allowing just 2.0 points per game.

At this rate, Mohawk, Fort Loramie, Ansonia and Symmes Valley may force their way into that conversation before September is over.

Marion Local still occupies its own tier.

Everything underneath the Flyers, however, suddenly looks a lot more interesting.

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