Circleville takes back-and-forth battle with Washington
By: Cameron Crego
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WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Circleville Tigers traveled to Washington Court House on Friday to face the Washington Blue Lions. The Tigers would take this week two matchup, 28-26.
This match was important for both teams, as both looked to enter the win column for the first time in 2026. Circleville lost their opening match against Chillicothe 34-0, while Washington dropped their opening contest against Mechanicsburg 32-20. This game would also be a rematch of a game that took place last year, a game which the Tigers won 35-27, giving both teams a chance to get a win against a familiar opponent.
The game opened with a drive littered with penalties from both teams, but ultimately Circleville pushed through and struck first with a one-yard touchdown from Ray Ezell, putting the Tigers up 7-0 in the first.
Circleville began to build momentum entering the second period with a punt return from Kiser Cassidy. Although a fourth-and-nine attempt from Circleville came up short, they’d get another chance after recovering a fumble from the Blue Lions’ Trevon Roberts. Washington’s defense would thwart this attempt from the Tigers offense as well, but the Blue Lions turned the ball over yet again after failing to convert a fourth down.
With Circleville on the one-yard line, Washington successfully halted the golden scoring opportunity by forcing a fumble, which was recovered by Roberts. The Blue Lions used this chance to equalize the game, with Sam Pfeifer connecting with Aden Osborne on a touchdown pass, and Pfeifer ran in the two-point conversion to put Washington in the lead 8-7.
However, Circleville immediately responded, as the Tigers took advantage of Blue Lions penalties, which allowed Jace Captain to connect with Tristen Carmichael for the score, giving Circleville the halftime lead 14-8.
Washington came out of the locker room looking for a strong opening to the half, and got it with another touchdown on the Pfeifer-Osborne connection to tie the game 14-14. The Tigers were unfazed, though, immediately returning the favor with a kick return touchdown by Uriah Woodworth to put Circleville back in the lead, 21-14.
With under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Blue Lions took advantage of a strong passing attack and Tigers penalties to push the ball downfield before Osborne cashed in his third touchdown, this time on the ground. However, a blocked extra point kept Circleville in the lead 21-20 entering the fourth quarter.
A strong Ezell-led rushing attack put the Tigers on the doorstep early in the fourth quarter. Captain would ultimately sneak the ball in for a one-yard touchdown, extending Circleville’s lead to 28-20. Champ Walters struck right back by hauling in Pfeifer’s pass and taking it the distance for a Washington touchdown. The two-point conversion would come up short, though, keeping the Tigers in the lead 28-26. Circleville ran out the clock and took home their first win of the season.
The Tigers earned their first win of the season, a much-needed recovery after suffering a blowout loss in week one. They’ll look to carry the momentum into next week’s home opener against cross-county rivals Westfall. Meanwhile, the Blue Lions will continue to search for their first win of 2026 as they host the Thurgood Marshall Cougars.