The Columbus Academy football team began November on a strong note, easily beating archrival Bexley to retain the Mayor’s Cup, 41-0.

The Vikings’ defense jumped out to a hot start, forcing a Lions fumble on the first possession. Armed with a short field, junior quarterback Brady Hess utilized a key 4th down conversion to drive the offense down to the goal line. He then punched the ball in, faking a handoff to senior lineman Phil Soderberg before lofting a jump pass to senior Carter Warstler.

The defense continued its dominant play, forcing a punt on the ensuing drive. Hess then struck with a long passing touchdown to junior Sam Huyghe, who snagged the ball in the back of the endzone to give the Vikes a 14-0 lead. 

The defense held strong once again, forcing another punt. Academy drove down the field once again, but the Lions’ defense held us to a short Sam Massick field goal that pushed the lead to 17 points.

Bexley’s offensive struggles continued, punting the ball back to CA. Hess marched the team back down the field, with Massick booting home another short field goal, giving the Vikings a 20-0 lead going into halftime. 

The Vikes went back to work after the half, driving down the field once again. Hess tossed his third TD pass of the night to classmate Graham Mallory, who made a nice sideline catch to add to the lead.

After forcing yet another stop, Warstler showed his talents as a return man. He raced down the field to add to his growing number of punt/kickoff touchdowns, continuing CA’s dominance over the hapless Lions.

Bexley’s first long drive of the night occurred on the ensuing possession, but the Lions failed to score after coughing up the ball on a fumble. Their defense forced an Academy punt.

Early in the fourth, sophomore lineman Gyvynn Mendenhall put one on the highlight reel, scooping up a fumble and taking it to the house to cap off a 41-0 shutout of our archrival.

Following the game, Bexley’s mayor awarded the Mayor’s Cup, an annual trophy, to Mrs. Soderberg.

This win didn’t just earn the trophy for the Vikes but also got them a playoff spot. We will face off against Amanda Clearcreek on Saturday, November 9, at 7:00 PM to begin our playoff run.