Dublin Jerome and Dublin Scioto both lost on Friday, Sept. 18, dropping each program to 1-4 at the midpoint of the Ohio high school football season.

New Albany beat Jerome 42-29, and Worthington Kilbourne routed Scioto 49-20 in the annual Battle of Hard Road.

Jerome falls to No. 18 New Albany

The Celtics traveled to New Albany, which entered the game ranked No. 18 in the cleveland.com Big Ohio Top 25. Jerome kept the score within two touchdowns but could not contain the Eagles, who pulled away for a 42-29 final.

New Albany improved to 4-1. Jerome, which entered at 1-3, has lost two straight after a season-opening win.

Kilbourne rolls past Scioto in Battle of Hard Road

The Irish had circled this one.

Dublin Scioto kept a countdown clock in the weight room all year for the Battle of Hard Road, the rivalry between two schools separated by roughly three miles. The teams play for a 50-pound slab of what was once Hard Road itself.

Worthington Kilbourne's offense proved too much. The Wolves scored 49 points to extend their unbeaten start to 5-0, while Scioto managed 20 in the loss.

Kilbourne entered the game averaging a 31-point margin of victory through its first four wins, all without starting a single senior on offense. Quarterback Jackson Szabo had accounted for 25 total touchdowns, 1,223 passing yards and 386 rushing yards through Week 4, according to an ABC6 pregame feature.

Scioto head coach Alex Pace said before the game that his staff is trying to mold a young roster into playing "Irish football the correct way." He told ABC6 ahead of Friday's kickoff that the game plan was to limit Kilbourne's explosive plays and finish drives with points.

Scioto entered with an offensive line that returned only one starter from last season.

Both Dublin schools face uphill second half

Jerome and Scioto each sit at 1-4 with five regular-season games remaining. The losses put both programs in a difficult position for the OHSAA playoff picture as the second half of the schedule begins in Week 6.

Week 6 opponents and game times for Jerome and Scioto had not been confirmed as of Saturday, Sept. 19.