GALENA, Ohio — Football is a sport that can bring everyone together. There is one school district that’s celebrating under the Friday Night Lights this season.

What You Need To Know

  • Larry Cline is the owner of Cheshire Market, a popular market in the district 

  • Cline helped build the football team at Olentangy Berlin High School

  • Olentangy Berlin Bears and Olentangy Braves could play in the regional championship game
 

Combined, all four schools in the Olentangy school district have won 37 games so far this season.

And we could see two of them square off next week with a regional championship on the line.

Larry Cline is the owner of Cheshire Market. It’s a family-owned market that’s been around for nearly five decades, right in the heart of the Olentangy School District.

“We’ve been here for a long time, so we like to think we support the community,” said Larry Cline, owner of Cheshire Market.

Cline met his wife, who was working at the market back in 1980.

“We’re called the hole in the wall by a lot of people and a lot of our regulars are in here every day,” Cline said.

“All of our community knows Cheshire Market, whether it be the fishing bait tackle and the worms or walking in and hearing the floors kind of creak, but the pizza and just the people there are second to none,” said John Betz, athletic director for Olentangy Berlin High School.

And just as Cheshire Market has expanded over the years, so has the school district.

Growing from one high school just over 20 years ago to four, with more than 7,000 students in grades nine through 12.

“My brother graduated from Olentangy and the entire school district was in one building on Shanahan Road,” Cline said.

Cline has been a part of it all with his kids and grandkids attending the various high schools in the district.

That has turned him into a fan of all four of their football teams.

“Their combined record this year was 32-8 with all four schools going 8-2 and 5 of the 8 losses was to the other Olentangy schools so I think it goes to show how the football programs and communities have done very well here at Olentangy,” Cline said.

The newest of those teams is the Berlin Bears.

When the high school opened back in 2018, Cline jumpstarted their booster program, setting them up for success.

“The first year I think we had 53 players with just no senior class with just freshman, sophomores, juniors. This year I think we had 55 kids came in on the freshman class,” Cline said.

“Larry’s invaluable. From the day we started, he helped us get off the ground having the experience he had from the entire community. And being at Olentangy High School and then us being brand new, he really helped us lay the groundwork and what we needed to get everything put in place,” Betz said.

Cline said he’s honored to help build the football program, and it’s something that brings everybody together. 

“It’s a tough one to say which is my favorite because I graduated from Olentangy Braves but with my younger son graduating from Berlin and all the things we’ve done to help get that school started they’re at the top of my list right now,” Cline said.

Cline and his wife never miss a Bears game home or away. 

“Even though it’s grown it still feels like it’s a community,” Cline said.

In addition to Berlin, Olentangy Liberty is the other team in the district playing a regional semifinal game this week.

Viewers in central Ohio can watch the Patriots take on Upper Arlington Friday night at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1..