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October 26, 2015As crazy as it may sound, the 2015 high school football regular season has only one week left until the playoffs begin. This season, like most others, has been a fun one with a lot of great action and Week 9 was no exception. This past weekend, teams started putting in their final preparations for the playoffs. Many teams are still fighting their way into November, looking to finish strong to make a strong case for the postseason.
This week produced some of the best high school football of the year. So, let’s take a look at what happened in Week 9 of the high school football season in Northeast Ohio.
NEO High School Recaps: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9
Notable Scores from Northeast Ohio
Benedictine 48 Walsh Jesuit 21
Midview 35 Avon Lake 14
St. Edward 49 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller 17
Archbishop Hoban 49 Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 10
Stow 37 Brecksville 28
Glenville 44 Collinwood 0
Mentor 20 Brunswick 10
Avon 63 Berea-Midpark 15
Mayfield 49 Eastlake North 20
West Geauga 49 Perry 28
St. Ignatius 34 Cincinnati St. Xavier 20
St. Vincent-St. Mary 56 Massillon 31
Euclid 35 Medina 27
Solon 25 Shaker Heights 0
North Ridgeville 35 Lakewood 21
Elyria 24 Strongsville 21
Hudson 30 Wadsworth 6
Aurora 55 Warrensville Heights 13
Bay 48 Valley Forge 7
Madison 29 Kenston 0
Nordonia 49 Twinsburg 21
Copley 35 Kent Roosevelt 21
North Olmsted 23 Olmsted Falls 13
Buckeye 41 Keystone 0
Recap of the Top Matchup of the Week
No. 8 Avon rolls past Berea-Midpark, 63-15
Avon put in a perfect performance on Friday, cruising past Berea-Midpark, 63-15. The game quickly became a blowout, with Avon leading 42-15 at halftime. The Eagles had five possessions in the first half, scoring touchdowns on all five possessions. Star quarterback Jake Sopko led Avon’s offensive attack, throwing for 219 yards and three touchdowns. The Titans were shut down by the Avon defense, scoring only 15 points in the game, with all scores coming in the first half. Avon put together a great win for their playoff resume, beating the 6-3 Berea-Midpark Titans.
Best Performance
No. 8 Avon trounces Berea-Midpark, 63-15
Avon put out a dominant performance versus Berea-Midpark. The Eagles led 42-15 at half, never letting the Titans into the game. Avon was explosive on offense through the air and on the ground. All three of quarterback Jake Sopko’s touchdown passes went to receiver Will Heilman, who had eight catches for 138 yards. In the run game, Avon running back Gerett Choat rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns. The Avon defense held Berea-Midpark to just 15 first-half points and held Titans quarterback Nick Gassman to just 166 yards passing, one touchdown, and an interception. It was a complete performance for No. 8 Avon.
Biggest Surprise
St. Ignatius beats St. Xavier, 34-20
St. Ignatius has struggled mightily this season, especially on defense, but on Saturday the Wildcats beat a good St. Xavier team. The Wildcats were coming off a tough loss to another Cincinnati team, Archbishop Moeller, so a win over the Bombers looked like a very tough task. St. Ignatius started off very slowly in the game, but after falling behind 13-0, the Wildcats scored 34 unanswered points. St. Ignatius quarterback Dennis Grosel threw for 177 yards, a passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown. The biggest surprise was the impressive performance of the Wildcats defense, which had struggled for most of the season. The defense held the Bombers to just 20 points and added a pick-six. It was a huge win for St. Ignatius’ playoff hopes.
Best Individual Performance
QB Mike Federico, Willoughby South
Willoughby South quarterback Mike Federico was dominant through the air and on the ground in the shootout win over Riverside. Federico completed 18-of-28 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing nine times for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He was directly involved in 42 of the 75 points Willoughby South put up versus Riverside. South needed all of his touchdowns because the game ended in a close victory, at 75-68.
Top 10
- St. Vincent-St. Mary (8-1)
Last Week Ranking: Unranked
Past Week: Defeated Massillon, 56-31
Next Week: vs Youngstown Ursuline on Friday
St. Vincent-St. Mary has had only one hiccup this season, losing to No. 4 Archbishop Hoban. The Fighting Irish are a talented team with athletes all over the field and a strong history of success. St. Vincent-St. Mary returns to my rankings this week at No. 10.
- Mayfield (8-1)
Last Week Ranking: 9
Past Week: Defeated Eastlake North, 49-20
Next Week: vs Riverside on Friday
Mayfield rebounded from their first loss of the season by beating Eastlake North convincingly. Mayfield has a potent offense behind quarterback Mario Monastero that will wreak havoc in the Division II playoffs. Mayfield remains at No. 9 in my rankings this week.
- Avon (8-1)
Last Week Ranking: 8
Past Week: Defeated Berea-Midpark, 63-15
Next Week: at Olmsted Falls on Friday
Avon put together the best win of the week by crushing Berea-Midpark on Friday. After an early season loss, Avon has really turned it on, cruising through their schedule behind a high-scoring offense. Avon remains at No. 8 in my rankings this week.
- Mentor (7-2)
Last Week Ranking: 7
Past Week: Defeated Brunswick, 20-10
Next Week: at Elyria on Friday
Mentor had a close win this week, beating Brunswick, 20-10, on Friday. The Cardinals are always a tough team to beat in the Division I playoffs because of their high-powered offense. Mentor remains at No. 7 in my rankings this week.
- Glenville (8-1)
Last Week Ranking: 6
Past Week: Defeated Collinwood, 44-0
Next Week: vs John Hay on Friday
Glenville is rolling through the Cleveland Senate League once again. The Tarblooders have athletes littered throughout the roster who can change a game in one play. Glenville remains at No. 6 this week.
- Stow (9-0)
Last Week Ranking: 5
Past Week: Defeated Brecksville, 37-28
Next Week: vs North Royalton on Friday
Stow is still perfect this week after beating a solid Brecksville team this past weekend. Stow has a very good backfield duo in quarterback Kyle Vantrease and running back Jayson Gobble. Stow remains at No. 5 in my rankings this week.
- Archbishop Hoban (9-0)
Last Week Ranking: 4
Past Week: Defeated Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 49-10
Next Week: at No. 1 Benedictine on Saturday
Archbishop Hoban continued its perfect season by cruising past a solid NDCL team. Hoban is known for its explosive offense, but their defense has been just as good. Hoban remains at No. 4 in my rankings this week.
- St. Edward (8-1)
Last Week Ranking: 3
Past Week: Defeated Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, 49-17
Next Week: vs St. Ignatius on Saturday
St. Edward had another blowout victory this week, beating Archbishop Moeller, 49-17. The Eagles are one of the favorites to win the Division I championship this season. St. Edward remains at No. 3 in my rankings this week.
- Midview (9-0)
Last Week Ranking: 2
Past Week: Defeated Avon Lake, 35-14
Next Week: vs North Ridgeville on Friday
Midview is back at full strength with quarterback Dustin Crum back under center, making Midview one of the more dangerous offenses in the area. Midview has been perfect all season, beating a lot of quality teams. The Middies remain at No. 2 in my rankings this week.
- Benedictine (9-0)
Last Week Ranking: 1
Past Week: Defeated Walsh Jesuit, 48-21
Next Week: vs Archbishop Hoban on Saturday
Benedictine is still perfect this season, cruising past Walsh Jesuit this past weekend. The Bengals face their toughest competition of the season this coming week when they play No. 4 Archbishop Hoban. Benedictine remains at No. 1 in my high school football rankings this week.
Dropped out of Rankings: Perry (formerly No. 10)
Top Matchup Next Week
No. 1 Benedictine hosts No. 4 Archbishop Hoban
This matchup of two unbeaten teams may be the high school football matchup of the season. Benedictine and Archbishop Hoban have been perfect this season, going into each game as the heavy favorite. It will be an interesting match for both teams playing a team equal to their level of talent. Both teams have Division I talent on offense with the ability to change games in one play. This game should be a shootout and a very close game. I think the Benedictine Bengals will pull out the close victory this week.
All stats come from Cleveland.com
3 Comments
Joe, I’ve enjoyed your high school wrap-ups all year long.
Some of St. Ignatius’ defensive improvement Saturday might have been attributable to the very windy conditions, which played a significant role in the game. St. Xavier struck quickly with the wind in the first quarter, and the Wildcats rolled when they had the wind in the second and third quarters. Facing a big deficit, the Bombers couldn’t capitalize with the wind at their backs in the fourth.
St. Ig has to beat St. Ed this Saturday to have any shot at making the playoffs (signifying a pretty steep fall for the preseason consensus No. 1 team in the area*) I’d like to see them give the Eagles a battle. Hope it’s windy.
* Actually, this doesn’t mean that St. ignatius failed, it just means that the people doing the predicting overrated them.
yay midview~!
Thanks for reading each week. Yeah I had St. Ignatius has my preseason #1. I am shocked how much their defense has struggled so far this season. Very unlike a usual Wildcat defense