COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's the middle of the season, OHSAA playoff ratings and conversations have begun, and that means the margin for error is getting smaller by the week. 

In week five, we'll see some of the best programs around the state meet up, and plenty of games in regions 3 and 11 that will have a domino effect on the rest of the season.

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Linden-McKinley 16, Centennial 7

East 73, Mifflin 6

Beechcroft 43, Whetstone 13

Northland 14, KIPP Columbus 6

GAME OF THE WEEK

Olentangy Berlin (3-1) at Olentangy Orange (3-1)

Another battle between the Olentangy schools is on deck in Central Ohio this week. All four teams in the Olentangy Local Schools District are top 10 region 3 teams with 3-1 records, and this will be the third of five matchups between the teams this season. The remaining two will be league games involving both teams to close out the regular season--Olentangy Berlin at Olentangy and Olentangy Liberty at Olentangy Orange. 

Olentangy Berlin shook the area with their second half rally against then unbeaten Olentangy Liberty. The Bears came back from a 21-7 deficit to win 22-21 after quarterback Aiden Eviston connected with Colton Less on a two-point conversion. Giving up only 15.5 points per game, Olentangy Berlin touts one of the best defenses in Central Ohio behind a talented core of linebackers and defensive backs. They held Olentangy Liberty to their lowest total of the season, and now have another tough test against a revamped Olentangy Orange.  Berlin's offense hadn't been their calling card early, but they've gained some momentum after scoring 40 points against New Albany, and another 22 in the second half of last week's win.

Olentangy Orange scored 139 points in their 3-0 start, most of which was a result of their first half dominance. For a fourth time, the Pioneers led going into halftime, but Gahanna Lincoln pushed through for a 31-21 win. Dual threat quarterback Levi Davis has been the star of the offense,  with senior running back Cohen Weaver not far behind him, as he's been the key to a balanced offense. Friday night is a great opportunity to not only respond to last week's loss, but also add another prove-it game to the resume as they look to climb the region 3 ranks. 

What to watch for: Can Olentangy Orange put together a complete game on offense and defense and can Olentangy Berlin's offense produce enough points to support their defense?

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES 

Big Walnut (3-1) at Westerville South (3-1)

Big Walnut continues to make strides in their offense, while Westerville South's defense hopes to make a statement against an OCC-Buckeye and region 7 opponent.

What to watch for: Can Big Walnut's offense keep their dominance against a defense that only gives up 15 points per game and has Westerville South found their playmakers on offense yet?

Bishop Hartley (3-1) at Ironton (4-0)

Bishop Hartley heads to the border for an anticipated matchup against a Division V contender. Hartley's dominant run game and suffocating defense clashes with premiere skill talent in Ironton.

What to watch for: Can Bishop Hartley's offense keep Ironton on their toes and how do they try to limit Shaun Terry's impact on the game?

Bishop Watterson (4-0) at Chardon (3-0)

Bishop Watterson heads to Chardon to face a defending regional champ in Division III and the top ranked team in region 9. Bishop Watterson won last season's matchup in Columbus 14-10.

What to watch for: Can Bishop Watterson beat Chardon in the trenches and control the running game?

Canal Winchester (3-1) at Pickerington Central (2-2)

Pickerington Central looks to finally capture their first home win of the season against a gritty Canal Winchester team, who is 12-2 against OCC opponents dating back to last season.

What to watch for: Can Corey Howard wear down Pickerington Central's defense and how does Canal Winchester counter against the threats that Pickerington Central's skill players present?

Columbus Academy (4-0) at St. Charles (4-0)

Columbus Academy heads on the road for their biggest test of the season, while St. Charles looks to maintain their top five spot Division II, Region 7 with a quality win over an unbeaten team. 

What to watch for: Is St. Charles' defense good enough to slow down Columbus Academy's surging offense?

Dublin Jerome (2-2) at Olentangy Liberty (3-1)

Olentangy Liberty gets set to bounce back from last week's loss to Olentangy Berlin while Dublin Jerome hopes to find some consistent improvement with back-to-back wins.

What to watch for: Can Dublin Jerome get another complete game from their offense and defense, and how does Olentangy Liberty respond after their offense was silenced in the second half?

Dublin Scioto (1-3) at Worthington Kilbourne (2-2)

This year's Battle of Hard Road will greatly help or hurt playoff chances in Division II, Region 7 for Dublin Scioto and Worthington Kilbourne. That's on top of the OCC-Buckeye stakes and rivalry bragging rights that come with the game every year.

What to watch for: Can either team find their offensive identity in what will most likely be their biggest game of the season?

Gahanna Lincoln (2-2) at Dublin Coffman (1-3)

Gahanna Lincoln will need to limit Amari Valerio-Hudson's abilities to make plays out of the pocket, and Dublin Coffman is still looking for answers on defense after giving up 43 points last week.

What to watch for: How does Gahanna Lincoln handle a dynamic athlete at quarterback and can Dublin Coffman's defense hold up enough to give the Rocks a chance to win?

Westerville North (2-2) at Delaware Hayes (2-2)

Delaware Hayes looks for answers on defense after allowing 41 points last week, and Westerville North tries to string together another win before a monumental game against Westerville South.

What to watch for: Can Westerville North exert their dominance against a quality opponent with a winning record, and can Delaware Hayes prove they learned from last week's mistakes? 

THE REGION 11 RACE

With the OHSAA computer rankings officially underway, we can finally start to get a feel for how each region will look come playoff time. Plenty of uncertainties still dominate the overall landscape, but we can see the bloodbath in Region 11 coming from a mile away.

Division III Region 11 features 20 teams from the 270 coverage area (CCL, City League, LCL, MSL, and MVL teams), with all 20 teams facing at least two teams after week five, and at least one team as a league opponent. So what does this mean? We'll have several teams playing each other for either home field advantage, a playoff spot, or a league title. In some cases, teams will be playing for all of the above. 

When you look at the entire region, there are 18 teams with a 3-1 record, and multiple teams who are projected to finish with at least 6 wins who will miss the playoffs this season. 

WHO CAN STAY PERFECT?

After a month of play, we're down to 14 unbeaten teams across Central Ohio. Six of the unbeatens (Columbus Academy at St. Charles, Shelby at Galion, and Tri-Valley at New Lexington) will be playing each other for the right for 5-0, while Bishop Watterson hopes to come back to Columbus without a loss after they play an unbeaten team from the Northeast Ohio area.

After Delaware Hayes, Olentangy Liberty, and Olentangy Orange lost last week, Grove City is the last remaining unbeaten in Division I amongst Central Ohio. Grove City started the year with wins over two 3-1 teams, but don't play another team who has won a game until October 11, when Pickerington North comes to their Leasure Field. 

Granville, who finished with a perfect regular season in 2023, is also in great shape to extend their unbeaten stretch into October 11, when they play at Licking Valley.

Ontario and Urbana are the only unbeaten Division IV teams who won't play a fellow unbeaten in the area, as they'll instead be matched up with struggling 1-3 teams this week.

At 4-0, Grandview Heights and Northmor are ranked 1 and 2 in the OHSAA's point system in Division VI, Region 23. Both teams will have their perfect season's tested over the next several weeks, but will not face each other until or unless they are matched up in a playoff setting.