Five takeaways from Week 12 of high school football

Saturday, November 8, 2025
By Kevin Rouch
krouch@cbussports.com

Week 12 title page

Olentangy Orange (Lucas Fickel) and Bishop Watterson (Nate Henderson), along with London and Licking Valley, are the CBUS-area undefeated teams heading to the next round of football playoffs.

Week 12 of the high school football season saw some upsets and some come-from-behind wins to set up an exciting round of regional semifinal play next Friday. Here’s our five takeaways from the action last night.

The Olentangy “Series” will be decided in Week 13
The Olentangy Orange Pioneers stayed undefeated Friday with a win over Olentangy Berlin to set up a community title match with Olentangy Liberty, who beat the Olentangy Braves. Orange and Liberty tangled in the final week of the regular season with the Pioneers coming out on top, 26-14.

Comebacks were all the rage
The undefeated Licking Valley Panthers found themselves behind 21-8 in the fourth quarter to the visiting Bloom-Carroll Bulldogs. The Panthers, led by running back Brody Rogers, scored 23 points coming down the stretch for the 31-24 victory.

Desales won a seesaw battle with Ashland when quarterback RJ Day hit Jordan Karhoff for the winning score with just five seconds left in the game and the Stallions beat the Arrows 33-29.

Upper Arlington won on the road at Pickerington North, 30-27. The Golden Bears were up 17-0 in the first half, but found themselves behind 27-24 late in the fourth quarter. UA kicker Edward Oakley tied the score with 29-yard field goal with 2:27 left, then clinched the win with just five seconds on the clock, hitting from 31 yards out.

Watterson still sharp after Week 11 bye
If anyone wondered whether the defending-state champion Watterson Eagles had any rust to knock off after taking the previous Friday off with a first-round bye, that curiosity was misplaced. The Eagles executed in all phases of the game to down a good Granville team, 56-0. Next up is Tri-Valley, who lost to Granville in Week Two.

The Game of the Week will be in Sunbury
Perhaps the best game next Friday will be a pair of 10-1 teams who did not meet in the regular season. Canal Winchester travels north to take on Big Walnut. The Indians’ only loss was to Pickerington Central in Week Five, while the Golden Eagles fell to Watterson in the first week of the season. 

Keep an eye on Centerburg
The Centerburg Trojans’ only loss of the season came in Week Two to Johnstown. They finished out the regular campaign with eight straight wins, scoring  no fewer than 34 points in their victories. On Friday, they beat a stingier Ridgewood at home, 28-14. Star running back, Miles Marshall, scored all four touchdowns for the Trojans.