Wayne led from start to finish in Week 1 in a 31-13 victory at Fairfield and trailed from start to finish in Week 2.
The Warriors fell behind 31-6 and then 38-13 in the second half before rallying. They scored 27 points in the fourth quarter but couldn’t recover an onside kick that would have given them a chance to drive for the winning touchdown in the final minute.
“I told them I commend them on the effort,” Wayne coach Roosevelt Mukes said. “That’s what we’ve been talking about all preseason. We’re just embracing being comfortable being uncomfortable. That’s something that we’ve got to get better at, and we have. I’m proud of them for that fight. If we correct some things, it’s a different outcome.”
Pickerington Central led 24-6 at halftime thanks to a field goal in the first quarter and three touchdowns in the second quarter: 1-yard touchdown runs by quarterback Rocco Williams and running back Gerald Banks; and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Marshall recruit Sherone White Jr. with 48.3 seconds left in the half.
“We were just kind of looking for a spark,” Mukes said of the first-half struggles. “We were never getting over that hump. But you’ve got to give Pick Central credit. They did a good job and kept the ball from us and kind of ate up some clock and did what they were supposed to do.”
Teaunn Hunter threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ka’Maurri Smith for Wayne’s only score in the first half.
Wayne trailed 31-6 late in the third quarter when it got on the board for a second time. Isaiah Thompson ran five yards for his third touchdown of the season.
In the fourth quarter, Wayne added four touchdowns. Durrell Pope scored on a pair of 4-yard touchdown runs. Then Jamier Averette-Brown caught a 44-yard pass from freshman quarterback Kye Graham, and Smith caught a 9-yard pass from Graham.
Averette-Brown finished with 91 yards on four catches. Thompson gained 107 yards on 15 carries. Smith caught five passes for 72 yards.
Graham completed 9 of 15 passes for 158 yards in the second half after replacing the injured Hunter.
This was the third matchup in three years between Wayne and Pickerington Central. Wayne lost 25-20 at Pickerington Central in 2023 and won 10-9 at Wayne in 2022.
Pickerington Central evened its record at 1-1 after a 24-21 loss at Harvest Prep in the season opener.
Williams completed 19 of 22 passes for 275 yards for the Tigers. Banks rushed 14 times for 117 yards. White caught seven passes for 146 yards.
Wayne play Lawrence North, of Indianapolis, in Week 3 at Wayne.
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