The Olentangy Braves have won four straight games and need one more to clinch the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division title and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Olentangy (5-4, 4-0 OCC Cardinal) travels to Olentangy Berlin on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. for the regular-season finale. Berlin is also 4-0 in division play, according to Stateline Sports Network. The winner takes the conference crown outright.
After a 1-4 start, Olentangy won four consecutive games against Thomas Worthington, Marysville, Hilliard Darby and Dublin Jerome, outscoring those opponents 138-71., according to the team's MaxPreps schedule.
In Week 9, quarterback Tommy Hartings threw four touchdown passes in what the Delaware Source described as adverse playing conditions, and the Braves beat Dublin Jerome 27-21.
The Columbus Dispatch posted a video Oct. 22 in which defensive back Jet Cornelius discussed the team's season-long bounce-back. A transcript of his remarks was not available.
The stakes go beyond the division race. Olentangy sits 14th in the Division I Region 3 Harbin standings, Stateline Sports Network reported. A win over Berlin would likely push the Braves into the 12-team postseason field. Berlin has already clinched a playoff spot. Olentangy has not.
Through nine games, the Braves have scored 215 points and allowed 201, per MaxPreps. The arc tells the story: three blowout losses, a narrow defeat, then four wins by a combined 67 points.
Orange hosts Olentangy Liberty in the other district rivalry game.
Kickoff for Olentangy at Berlin is 7 p.m. Friday.
