BERLIN TOWNSHIP — It was a good night to “Bear Down” under the Friday night lights at Olentangy Berlin High School.
With Berlin’s student section (seated in “The Cave” section of the home stands) growling in full force, the Bears upset the defending Division I state champion Orange Pioneers 21-6.
Coach Mark Nori’s team claimed the Week 1 rivalry victory thanks to stellar performances from junior wide receiver Abe Davis and senior running back Owen Miller.
“We put Miller in the backfield this year, we’ve moved some guys around, and Davis is a really good player, he’s an up-and-comer,” Nori said. “I don’t think many people knew about Davis, but they will after tonight.
“They both came ready to play tonight and did a really nice job for us.”
Nori acknowledged there are still things his squad will have to work on as the season progresses.
“The preseason is so short now, we’re still trying to find out who we are,” he said. “I don’t think we won the penalty battle, but we won the turnover battle, so I think that maybe won us the game.
“That’s a good football team over there, but we made too many mistakes to be successful throughout the season so we have some cleaning up to do, too.”
Nori pointed to two snaps the Bears played with only 10 men on the field due to substitution issues as a piece he expected to have worked out by now. It is something he expects to sort out ahead of next week.
Several Bears went down in the second half from cramps, which is another thing Nori will look to cut out.
“We’re cramping, that was incredibly embarrassing because I pride myself on being in shape, and we weren’t so we got some things to figure out,” he said.
Still, Nori said he was just proud of his guys for snatching the rivalry win at home to open the season.
A low scoring first half
A sloppy first quarter led to a scoreless duel, but the Pioneers struck first with a field goal early in the second period.
The Bears answered quickly from there. Starting at their own 20, back-to-back first down completions to Davis put the Bears at their own 49-yard line, a few more darts and suddenly Berlin was on Orange’s 2. Miller took it from there and bull-rushed past the pylons for six. That pushed the Bears in front 7-3 with 7:02 showing in the half.
Back came the Pioneers. Using a methodical mix of short runs and passes Orange got to the Bear 10, but another red zone drive with three missed opportunities meant the Pioneers had to settle for splitting the uprights again.
Berlin owned a 7-6 edge as the teams made their way to the locker rooms.
Photos from the first half action below. Story continues below. Credit: Jack Slemenda / Delaware Source
A ritual-ridden halftime
As per every high school football game, both schools’ bands delivered top-notch performances of classic tunes.
But “The Cave” has a special tradition unlike any other.
Hundreds of students took little baggies of chalk, much like LeBron James does before his iconic pregame routine, and cast them into the air mere minutes before the second half kickoff.
The slideshow below shows the progression of the students’ white cloud above “The Cave.”
Bears claw away at the Pioneers
Orange’s offensive struggles continued in the second half, starting things off with a three-and-out.
The Bears didn’t let off the gas and another solid pickup for Davis led to another passing touchdown with a little over nine minutes to play in the third quarter.
Berlin’s defense stymied the Pioneers throughout the second half.
Meanwhile, another Bear put the game out of reach via another TD pass with 58 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
To put the final nail in the Pioneers’ coffin, Davis picked off Colby Luling at the 8:50 mark. The Bears then handed the rock to Miller for 14 of the the last 15 plays to whittle the clock down to triple zeroes.
Final: Berlin Bears 21, Orange Pioneers 6.
Photos from the second half action below. Credit: Jack Slemenda / Delaware Source
