Olentangy Berlin rallied from a 19-14 halftime deficit to beat Hilliard Darby 20-19 on homecoming night Friday, Sept. 25, handing the Panthers their third loss of the season.

Darby controlled the first half. The Panthers built a 6-0 lead after the first quarter and stretched it to 19-14 by halftime, according to Knox Pages. But Berlin, which entered the game at 3-2, found another gear in the second half.

Berlin scored the only points of the second half in the third quarter to take a 20-19 lead. The defenses held the rest of the way.

One point. That was the margin that spoiled a homecoming crowd's evening at Hilliard Darby High School, where kickoff came at 7 p.m. under 68-degree skies. The homecoming royalty had been crowned just 25 minutes before the opening kick.

The loss drops head coach Brad Burchfield's squad to 3-3 on the season. Darby opened with a 20-15 road win at Lancaster on Aug. 21, then fell 25-19 at crosstown rival Hilliard Bradley on Aug. 28. The Panthers bounced back with a 34-0 win over Walnut Ridge on Sept. 4 and a 41-7 victory over crosstown rival Hilliard Davidson on Sept. 11 before losing to Gahanna Lincoln 10-7 on Sept. 18.

Berlin beat Darby for the second straight year. The Bears won 17-7 in the 2025 meeting on Sept. 26, 2025.

Both teams entered Friday's game with identical 3-2 records, according to NBC4's Friday Night Football scoreboard. The loss puts Darby at .500 with four regular-season games remaining before the OHSAA playoffs begin Oct. 30.

Through six games, senior Kohen Kornegay leads Darby's rushing attack at 112.3 yards per game with four rushing touchdowns, according to MaxPreps stats updated Monday, Sept. 28. Senior Cedric Holman Jr. paces the receiving corps at 71.2 yards per game with five receiving touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jonah Marsh has thrown five touchdown passes. Those figures include the Berlin game.

Darby travels to Dublin Jerome on Friday, Oct. 2, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.