Olentangy Berlin knocked off defending Division I state champion Olentangy Orange 21-6 on Aug. 21, handing the Pioneers their first loss in 16 games and giving the Bears the statement win coach Mark Nori wanted to open the season.

Across the district, Liberty fell 15-12 at No. 4 St. Edward on a late touchdown drive, and the Braves were routed 40-7 by Upper Arlington at home.

Berlin 21, Orange 6

Sophomore quarterback Austin Knapke won the preseason competition for the starting job and delivered in his first varsity start, throwing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Tony Johnson early in the third quarter to push Berlin's lead to 14-6, according to the Columbus Dispatch's live coverage. Running back Owen Miller had opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run that capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive in the first half.

Orange managed only two Tyler Gibson field goals (27 and 24 yards) as Berlin's defense kept the Pioneers out of the end zone all night. Junior Colby Luling, who converted from safety, made his first varsity start at quarterback for a Pioneers squad that graduated more than 30 seniors from its 15-0 championship team.

Berlin's defense sealed the game when Abe Davis intercepted a pass intended for Orange's Ricky Tonelli-Floyd in the second half. Ethan Rader added a third-quarter touchdown reception to close the scoring.

"Given our 0-5 start last year, and the ability to recoup to a fourth straight division title, I think the focus is on being prepared for a really tough schedule starting out with the defending state champs," Nori told the Delaware Gazette on Aug. 18. "It will be important to get off to a good start."

He got one.

Berlin had lost twice to Orange in 2025, including a 43-14 playoff defeat in the Region 3 quarterfinals.

St. Edward 15, Liberty 12

Liberty looked poised to pull the road upset at First Federal Lakewood Stadium after senior running back Grayson Davis, a Columbia commit, punched in a 5-yard touchdown run with 5:33 left to give the Patriots a 12-7 lead. The two-point conversion failed.

St. Edward answered with an 80-yard drive capped by Langston Lucas's go-ahead touchdown run with 1:11 remaining, according to cleveland.com. Lucas converted the two-point attempt to make it 15-12, and Liberty couldn't respond.

Senior quarterback Alex Leonard had connected with Kaidan Schmelmer on an 18-yard touchdown pass in the first half for Liberty's first score, but the extra point was missed. The Patriots entered the game ranked No. 21 in the statewide cleveland.com Big 25 poll; St. Edward was No. 4.

The matchup was a rematch of the 2024 Division I state semifinals, which Liberty won 21-7 on its way to the state title.

Upper Arlington 40, Olentangy 7

The Braves had no answer for Upper Arlington's speed. Drew Theado rushed for 107 yards on 14 carries in the first half alone, and quarterback Charlie Hunt threw two touchdown passes, including a 19-yard strike to Theado on the opening drive and a 10-yard connection to Nolan Miller.

UA led 19-0 at halftime, then Anderson Walther returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to blow the game open. The Golden Bears led 33-7 entering the fourth quarter.

Olentangy quarterback Tommy Hartings was intercepted twice in the first half by James Janowicz and Grant Harold. Tyler Gebhardt's interception of a UA halfback pass was one of the Braves' few bright spots. Will Gray led Olentangy's ground game with 37 yards.

What's next

Berlin (1-0) travels to Upper Arlington on Aug. 28. Orange (0-1) opens its home schedule against Pickerington North on Sept. 18. Liberty (0-1) and Olentangy (0-1) have Week 2 opponents not yet confirmed in available schedules.