Son of former Ohio State standout leads Bishop Watterson to win over Westerville North

Drew Bellisari accounted for four touchdowns in Bishop Watterson's win over Westerville North

Drew Bellisari prepares to take a snap for Bishop Watterson against Westerville North on September 6, 2024. / Aaron Blankenship, SBLive Sports

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Many people assumed that Bishop Watterson's Drew Bellisari would follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming an elite defensive player on the football field.

After all, Drew showed flashes of Greg Bellisari’s toughness, physicality and nose for the football, while starting at free safety and helping Bishop Watterson earn a 14-2 record and reach the Division III state final last fall.

Drew said he’s grateful for everything that his father has taught him, as Greg also serves as Watterson’s linebackers coach – after twice earning second-team all-Big Ten honors while playing linebacker at Ohio State University (1993-96) before playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997.

However, Drew Bellisari is beginning to forge his own unique path of success while starting at quarterback for Watterson this season.

In just his third start, Bellisari put together the best game of his varsity career on Friday at Ohio Dominican University, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for two more scores while leading Watterson to a 41-6 victory over Division I-opponent Westerville North.

“My dad was a great player and he’s a great coach, and it’s been awesome, because he’s taught me everything I know about football,” said Drew, whose squad improved to 3-0 overall. “I still play some defense at free safety, but I’ve always loved playing quarterback, and I’m doing my best to be a leader on offense this year.

“I’m super-excited because Westerville North is a good Division I team, and our entire team executed and played well to win this game tonight.”

Bellisari shredded North’s defense equally effectively with his arm and his legs, as he rushed for a game-high 173 yards on just 11 carries and was 7-for-13 passing for 145 yards.

“Drew played a lot of defense for us last year, but he’s learning and progressing at quarterback very quickly,” Watterson coach Brian Kennedy said. “He has a different skill set than some of the other quarterbacks we’ve had, and we’re taking advantage of his ability to run the ball well, in addition to throwing it.”

At times, Bellisari resembled a battering ram, charging fearlessly up the middle before plowing through a host of defenders. 

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior also displayed nimble feet when he seemingly glided his way up the center of field en route to a 16-yard touchdown run that put Watterson ahead 7-0 late in the first quarter.

“My dad is super-tough and he taught me to run hard and be physical as well, so I play that way on both sides of the ball,” Bellisari said.

Bellisari later showed off his superior speed by sprinting untouched up the center of the field and then outracing North’s defense for a 92-yard touchdown run to put the Eagles ahead 27-0 heading into halftime.

“Drew’s a good leader and he had a great really game,” Watterson senior center Vance Graney said. “Drew’s 92-yard run was the biggest play of the game, and it made us feel good (as offensive linemen) because we were able to give him room to run, and he made a great play.”

Drew’s passing is also improving under the watchful eye of his uncle, Steve Bellisari, who serves as Watterson’s quarterback coach, after playing quarterback at Ohio State University from 1998-2001 and being selected by the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft.

Late in the second quarter, Drew delivered a 24-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Zack Weber, who snatched the ball in between two defenders and then bowled over a defensive back at the goal line, to give Watterson a 20-0 advantage.

“Working with Steve has helped me out a ton,” said Drew, who was hit a split-second after making the touchdown pass. “Zack made a really good catch and run on that touchdown.

Midway through the third quarter, Bellisari also zipped the ball downfield to senior wide receiver Cal Mangini, who zigzagged his way through North’s defensive backfield for a 58-yard touchdown to extend Watterson’s lead to 34-0.

“He’s a Bellisari, so we knew what he’s capable of,” said North coach Stanley Jackson, who played quarterback at Ohio State from 1993-96 as one of Greg Bellisari’s teammates. “(Drew) is Greg’s son and has his toughness, but he’s built more like Steve, and he plays the position well.”

Led by the forceful blocking of Graney, right guard Blaise Strausbaugh, right tackle Davis Seaman, left guard Jacob Lee, left tackle Pete Eglitis and tight end Dominic Theado, Weber rushed for 96 yards and a score on 10 carries, Jack McCoy ran for 89 yards on 18 attempts and Ben Uhlenhake rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown on just three carries.

“Our offensive line won the game for us,” Bellisari said. “They were all amazing and we couldn’t have done any of this without them.

“I was barely touched at all tonight. I really only got hit by the safety on my first touchdown run, and I didn’t get touched at all on that long touchdown.”

Playing without the services of three injured starting offensive linemen - including Ohio State University recruit Jake Cook - North was limited to just 28 rushing yards on 23 carries.

“We were missing three of our best offensive lineman, including a senior who is going to Ohio State, and we couldn’t get our running game going,” said Stanley, whose squad dropped to 1-2 overall, after losing to Olentangy Orange 54-41 on Aug. 30 and opening with a 34-0 win at Westerville Central on Aug. 23. “Watterson’s a well-coached team and they have a lot of good football players with strong motors, and they were tough to play when we were so beat up.

“But I don’t want to make excuses, because this is unacceptable. We need to regroup and play much better next week.”

Playing under constant pressure, North senior quarterback Ronald Jackson still managed to complete 9 of 22 passes for 149 yards, including a 58-yard scoring strike to Kayden Childress with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter to make it 34-6.

“Our quarterback played well, considering that he was running for his life most of the game,” said coach Jackson, who is Ronald’s father. “Ronald had 400 yards when our line was intact. There are very few quarterbacks who could perform this well under that kind of pressure.”

Kennedy was particularly pleased with the performance of Watterson defensive linemen Jack Schuler (two sacks), Michael Boyle, CJ Youell (one sack), Breck McVey and David Wickham, in front of linebackers Tommy Haley, Uhlenhake and Weber.

After scoring on an 8-yard run that put Watterson ahead 14-0 with 21.7 left in the first quarter, Weber also intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

In addition to making several bruising tackles, Uhlenhake also scored on a 19-yard run to cap Watterson’s scoring early in the fourth quarter.

“Our whole defensive line had a really good night, and our defense stepped up and made big stops when we needed them to,” Kennedy said. “Zack Weber really had a great game on both sides of the ball, and it’s nice to have so many kids contributing to our team.”

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