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September 6, 2016Week 2 of the high school football season in Northeast Ohio saw a lot of big time matchups between the best teams in the area. The week was full of tough tests and season-shaping games. This week really helped distinguish some of the top teams in the area. It gave us a real good early view of what the landscape will look like in the next many weeks of the high school football season.
So, what happened in Week 2? A lot. Let’s take a look at what went on in Week 2 of the high school football season in Northeast Ohio.
NEO HS Football Recap: Season Preview, Week 1, Week 2
Notable Scores from Northeast Ohio
St. Edward 10 Archbishop Hoban 7
St. Ignatius 49 Mentor 7
Solon 43 Twinsburg 7
Stow 56 Kent Roosevelt 14
Hudson 35 Strongsville 20
Bedford 46 Nordonia 38
Midview 41 North Olmsted 6
Mogadore 21 Gilmour 7
Kirtland 29 Grand Valley 7
Canton McKinley 54 Mansfield Senior 37
Aurora 41 Euclid 13
Massillon Washington 24 GlenOak 21
Warren G. Harding 40 Cleveland Heights 6
Brecksville 34 Garfield Heights 0
Copley 51 Firestone 0
Maple Heights 46 Willoughby South 38
St. Vincent-St. Mary 10 Walsh Jesuit 3
Olentangy Liberty 24 Glenville 20
Canton Central Catholic 19 Massillon Perry 14
Benedictine 35 Buchtel 27
Recap of the Top Matchup(s) of the Week
No. 4 St. Edward beats No. 1 Archbishop Hoban 10-7
St. Edward traveled to Archbishop Hoban on Friday, walking away with the tight 10-7 victory. The game was close throughout with both defenses controlling the game. Hoban actually outgained St. Edward 275 yards to 145 yards, but some big mistakes like multiple turnovers plagued the Knights in the game. Hoban went down 10-0, but came back in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 10-7. The Knights lined up for a tying field goal with seconds left in the game, but the Eagles’ Melvin Jackson blocked the kick to seal the victory. St. Edward was led by running back Curtis Szelesta, who rushed 26 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. Hoban was steered by running back Todd Sibley, who rushed 30 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. St. Edward moves to 2-0, while Hoban falls to 1-1.
No. 5 St. Ignatius cruises past No. 2 Mentor 49-7
St. Ignatius put on an impressive performance, trouncing Mentor 49-7 on Saturday. The game was close at the half with the Wildcats leading 14-7. But in the second half, the game was no contest, with St. Ignatius outscoring Mentor 35-0. The St. Ignatius defense stymied the Cardinals high-powered offense to just 146 yards of total offense. The Wildcats controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On offense, St. Ignatius rushed for 285 yards with running back Jimmy Andrews rushing 13 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns and running back Mark Bobinski rushing 19 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Wildcats quarterback Patrick Ryan threw for 160 yards, while also running for 42 yards and a touchdown. St. Ignatius moves to 2-0, while Mentor falls to 1-1 on the season.
Best Performance
No. 5 St. Ignatius dominates No. 2 Mentor 49-7
St. Ignatius was so impressive in their 49-7 victory over Mentor on Saturday. The Wildcats completely shut down the high scoring Cardinals offense, holding them to just 146 yards of offense. 47 yards of that came on the team’s only touchdown of the game, a 47-yard Tadas Tatarunas pass to Derek Kleinhenz. The game was close at the half, but in the second half the game put away by the Wildcats. St. Ignatius was able to dominate the line of scrimmage both on offense and defense. St. Ignatius was on their game, completely dominating Mentor on both sides of the ball.
Biggest Surprise
Mentor’s getting shut down by the St. Ignatius defense
St. Ignatius beating Mentor was not a huge surprise, but the way the Wildcats dominated the game was a surprise. The biggest surprise of anything was the complete shutdown of the Mentor high-powered offense by the St. Ignatius defense. The Wildcats held the Cardinals to just 146 yards of total offense, including 49 rushing yards and 97 passing yards. This after the Cardinals offense put up 63 points last season on the Wildcats defense, including 523 passing yards from Tadas Tatarunas. It was a complete turnaround from a season ago. St. Ignatius defensive dominance was a big surprise in Week 2 against the high scoring Mentor offense.
Best Individual Performance
RB Andre Starks, John Marshall
John Marshall may have lost a tough overtime shootout to Painesville Harvey, but the Lawyers had an extraordinary performance from their running back Andre Starks. In the game, Starks rushed 20 times for 386 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 19.3 yards a carry in the tough defeat.
Top 10
- Kirtland (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: Unranked
Past Week: Win vs. Grand Valley 29-7
Next Week: @ Villa Angela-St. Joseph on Saturday
Kirtland has a dominant force in Division VI, including winning last season’s state championship in that division. They are 2-0 so far this season, after beating Grand Valley 29-7 this past weekend.
- Massillon Perry (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 6
Past Week: Loss vs. Canton Central Catholic 19-14
Next Week: @ New Philadelphia on Friday
Massillon Perry was upset by Canton Central Catholic this week, falling to 1-1 on the young season and down to three spots in my rankings. The game was a seesaw battle with Canton Central Catholic taking the lead in the fourth quarter that eventually earned them the upset victory over Massillon Perry.
- Midview (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 9
Past Week: Win @ North Olmsted 41-6
Next Week: vs. Amherst on Friday
Midview moves up one spot in the rankings after beating North Olmsted in a rout, 41-6. Star quarterback Dustin Crum, who threw for 239 yards and five touchdowns, led the Middies to the victory.
- Hudson (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 8
Past Week: Win @ Strongsville 35-20
Next Week: vs. Canton McKinley on Friday
Hudson moves up one spot with their 35-20 victory over Strongsville. The Explorers boast a two quarterback-led offense with Jackson Parker and Colt Pallay. Hudson went up 28-0 in the game, withstanding a 20-7 run by Strongsville.
- Solon (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 7
Past Week: Win vs. Twinsburg 43-7
Next Week: vs. Stow on Friday
Solon moves up one spot in my rankings with their 43-7 victory over Twinsburg. Solon, who went up 36-0 in the game, was led by the three-touchdown performance of running back Thomas Wilks.
- Mentor (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 2
Past Week: Loss @ St. Ignatius 49-7
Next Week: vs. St. Xavier on Friday
Mentor took the biggest fall in my rankings, falling three spots because of their 49-7 loss to St. Ignatius. Mentor was completely dominated by St. Ignatius, especially at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
- Stow (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 3
Past Week: Win vs. Kent Roosevelt 56-14
Next Week: @ Solon on Friday
Stow falls one spot in my rankings not because of their own fault, but because of great performances from other teams. Stow completely blitzed Kent Roosevelt this past weekend, winning 56-14.
- Archbishop Hoban (1-1)
Last Week Ranking: 1
Past Week: Loss vs. St. Edward 10-7
Next Week: vs. Youngstown Ursuline on Friday
Archbishop Hoban falls two spots with their lost to St. Edward this past weekend. Hoban should have probably won, outgaining the Eagles in the game, but committed too many mistakes to withstand the defending Division I state championships.
- St. Edward (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 4
Past Week: Win @ Archbishop Hoban 10-7
Next Week: vs. Glenville on Saturday
St. Edward moves up two spots with their impressive win over Archbishop Hoban on Friday. The Eagles were able to temper the talented duo of Todd Sibley and Danny Clark in their victory over Hoban.
- St. Ignatius (2-0)
Last Week Ranking: 5
Past Week: Win vs. Mentor 49-7
Next Week: vs. Valley Forge on Saturday
St. Ignatius takes the biggest leap in my rankings, moving up four spots with their big victory over Mentor. The Wildcats were dominant up front, both on offense and defense, including rushing for 285 yards and holding Mentor’s offense to 146 total yards of offense.
Top Matchup Next Week
No. 4 Stow @ No. 6 Solon on Friday
Stow gets their first big test of the season when they travels to Solon on Friday. Solon has looked really good on offense, scoring 36 and 43 in their first two games, but their defense has been even better, holding their first two opponents, Aurora and Twinsburg, to 6 and 7, respectively. Solon will face a Stow offense, led by running back Joe Gobble, who is the best offense Solon has seen so far this season. I believe it will be a close battle, but Stow will come away with the victory.
All stats come from Cleveland.com
