Upper Arlington's unbeaten season ended Sept. 11 at Marv Moorehead Stadium, where New Albany pulled away in the second half for a 28-21 win over the Golden Bears.

UA entered the Week 4 matchup at 3-0 and ranked No. 9 in the cleveland.com Ohio Big 25. The Bears' defense had forced 10 turnovers through three games, including four in a 43-22 rout of two-time Division II state champion Avon in Week 3. On Sept. 11, the script flipped.

The Golden Bears won the coin toss and deferred. New Albany took the opening kickoff and built a 14-0 lead before UA answered late in the first quarter. An Oakley extra point cut it to 7-14 with 32 seconds left in the period. Neither team scored in the second quarter, and the Eagles carried a 14-7 lead into halftime.

UA's defense forced a fumble early in the third quarter, recovering at the Bears' own 35-yard line with 9:01 on the clock. The opportunity evaporated when a Bears pass was intercepted at the New Albany 23 less than two minutes later. New Albany converted a fourth-and-short for a touchdown with 33 seconds left in the third to push the lead to 21-7.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Eagles. UA failed to convert on fourth down with 10:07 remaining, giving New Albany the ball at its own 14. The Eagles scored a touchdown at the 6:53 mark to extend the lead to 28-7. Moments later, a Bears pass was tipped and intercepted at the New Albany 6-yard line with 6:05 left, the second UA interception of the half.

The Bears mounted a late rally. Toliver leaped in from the 2-yard line for a touchdown with 57 seconds remaining, and UA cut the deficit to 28-21, according to the UA Football account on X.

The comeback bid fell short.

Two second-half interceptions proved costly for a Bears offense that had relied on the quarterback rotation of Charlie Hunt and Reign St. Clair through the season's first three weeks. Head coach Justin Buttermore's squad had won seven of its last eight dating to last year's Division I regional semifinal run.

New Albany head coach Mark Solis, who took over the Eagles' program in April, had stressed ball security before the game. "If we don't turn the ball over, at least we're going to give ourselves a chance," Solis told ABC6 in a pregame interview Sept. 11. His Eagles forced a pair of second-half interceptions and held the Bears scoreless for nearly three full quarters.

The game, designated the CW Friday Night Rivals Game of the Week, also served as Youth and Middle School Football Night at Marv Moorehead Stadium. New Albany improved to 3-1 under Solis, while UA dropped to 3-1.