The Pickerington North Panthers (7-1, 3-0 OCC-Ohio) travel to face the New Albany Eagles (6-2, 2-1) Friday night at 7 p.m. in a pivotal OHSAA Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division matchup.
Pickerington North enters riding a six-game winning streak that includes two shutouts and a dominant defensive stretch in which the Panthers have not allowed more than 10 points in any contest. The Panthers’ defense has surrendered just 69 total points through eight games while the offense has averaged 35 points per game.
• Watch: Pickerington North vs. New Albany football is livestreaming on NFHS Network
Sophomore quarterback Demetrius Neal-Nesbitt has thrown for more than 900 yards with 11 touchdowns, while the ground game features running back Andyriq Thomas (450-plus yards, seven touchdowns) and freshman Jayden Preece (370 yards, four touchdowns). Junior quarterback Chase McKee also contributes out of the backfield.
New Albany bounced back from a 35-3 loss to undefeated Gahanna Lincoln two weeks ago with a dominant 51-0 victory over Central Crossing last week. Senior quarterback Drew Jackson has developed a reliable connection with tight end Evan Murphy, and running back Jett Jerwers leads the Eagles’ offense with more than 1,000 all-purpose yards. Jerwers rushed for two touchdowns in last week’s shutout win.
Both teams remain in the hunt for the OCC-Ohio title, though Gahanna Lincoln (8-0, 3-0) also sits atop the division standings with a perfect conference record.
Opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, October 16 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.
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How to watch Pickerington North vs. New Albany football livestream
What: Surging Panthers bring six-game winning streak into OCC-Ohio clash at New Albany
When: Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on Friday, October 16
Where: New Albany High School | New Albany, Ohio
Watch: Watch Pickerington North vs. New Albany live on the NFHS Network
Can’t catch the games live? Click the ON DEMAND tab to watch replays of OHSAA football games any time and anywhere.
Watch four games all at once. Your two favorite athletes playing at the same time? Multiple games you don’t want to miss? The multiviewer on NFHS Network lets you watch up to four games on one screen.
Pickerington North’s Geo McKnight (left) and Demetrius Curtis.Russell Peterson, special to cleveland.com
