NEO High School Football Week 3: Stow beats Solon

Week 3 of the high school football season in Northeast Ohio did have a lot of big-time matchups, but it did see a game pitting two of my top ten teams in Stow and Solon. Most of the top teams in the area played easier games, running through the competition in smooth fashion. But, there were some surprises that took me off guard. It is another great week of high school football.

So, what happened in Week 3? Let’s take a look at what went on in Week 3 of the high school football season in Northeast Ohio.

NEO HS Football Recap: Season Preview, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3

Notable Scores from Northeast Ohio

St. Edward 41 Glenville 0

St. Ignatius 49 Valley Forge 0

Kirtland 36 Villa Angela-St. Joseph 14

Stow 13 Solon 10

St. Xavier 20 Mentor 7

Midview 34 Amherst 15

Massillon Perry 23 New Philadelphia 15

Archbishop Hoban 37 Youngstown Ursuline 12

Mogadore 42 Norton 14

Cleveland Heights 47 Benedictine 40

Euclid 48 Willoughby South 13

Bedford 32 Shaker Heights 22

Brecksville 42 Brunswick 35

Aurora 38 Twinsburg 15

Mayfield 30 Garfield Heights 0

Canton McKinley 51 Hudson 24

Maple Heights 27 Eastlake North 13

Nordonia 55 Dover 47

Avon 45 North Olmsted 10

Canada Prep Academy 27 St. Vincent-St. Mary 7

Berea-Midpark 42 North Ridgeville 39

Recap of the Top Matchup(s) of the Week

No. 4 Stow beats No. 7 Solon 13-10

The matchup between two of my top ten teams really lived up to the hype, with Stow inching past Solon for 13-10 victory. The game was neck and neck for the entire game. With Solon leading 10-7, Stow put together a 75-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, ending with the game-winning touchdown rush by running back Joe Gobble. Solon had a chance to answer that score with 1:20 left in the game, but the Comets coughed up the ball, giving the Bulldogs the ball and the victory. Stow was led by their star running back Joe Gobble, who had both of the team’s touchdowns in the game. It was a great game between two really good teams.

Best Performance

Archbishop Hoban beats Youngstown Ursuline 37-12

Archbishop Hoban had the best performance of the weekend with their complete dominant 37-12 win over Youngstown Ursuline. Ursuline is one of the top teams in Division IV, with a team capable of reaching and winning the state championship. But, Archbishop Hoban put on an impressive performance to take care of business. The game was tight at the half, with Hoban leading just 10-6. But in the second half, Hoban completely dominated the game, outscoring Ursuline 27-6. Hoban was led by their star running back Todd Sibley, who ran 24 times for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

Biggest Surprise

Canada Prep Academy beats St. Vincent-St. Mary 27-7

St. Vincent-St. Mary’s loss to Canada Prep Academy was the biggest surprise of the weekend. Canada Prep beat the Irish quite soundly. The Irish came into the game undefeated and one of the best teams in Division III. Canada Prep was 1-1 going into the game, after losing to Medina Highland the week before. It was just a shocking result from the team who hadn’t lost to a team other than Archbishop Hoban since 2014.

Best Individual Performance

QB Cam Searight, Cleveland Heights

Quarterback Cam Searight led his Cleveland Heights team to an impressive 47-40 victory over Benedictine. In the win, he completed 23 of 30 passes for 431 yards and four touchdowns. Cleveland Heights needed all of this to win the shootout versus the Bengals.

Top 10

10. Mentor (1-2)

Last Week Ranking: 5

Past Week: Loss vs. St. Xavier 20-7

Next Week: @ Euclid on Thursday

Mentor lost its second straight game of the season, this time falling to St. Xavier 20-7. The Cardinals have had a tough past two weeks against two of the best teams in Division I. They fall down five spots in my rankings, but remain in the rankings because of the tough schedule they had to face so far this season.

9. Mogadore (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: Unranked

Past Week: Win @ Norton 42-14

Next Week: vs. Granville on Friday

Mogadore enters my rankings for the first time this season, after beating Norton 42-14 on Friday. The Wildcats took care of business early, leading Norton 35-6 at the half.

8. Massillon Perry (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 9

Past Week: Win @ New Philadelphia 23-15

Next Week: vs. Massillon Jackson on Friday

Massillon Perry rebounded off its tough loss last week, beating New Philadelphia 23-15. Perry moved up one spot this week with the win. 

7. Solon (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 6

Past Week: Loss vs. Stow 13-10

Next Week: @ Brunswick on Friday

Solon had a tough matchup this weekend, suffering its first loss of the season to Stow. Solon fought right down to the wire with the Stow, so they only fall one spot with the loss.

6. Kirtland (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 10

Past Week: Win @ Villa Angela-St. Joseph 36-14

Next Week: @ Richmond Heights on Friday

Kirtland makes a big jump this week with their win over Villa Angela-St. Joseph. Kirtland was led in their victory by quarterback Dylan Fulco, who contributed three touchdowns, and running back Joey Torok, who also contributed three touchdowns.

5. Midview (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 8

Past Week: Win vs. Amherst 34-15

Next Week: vs. Avon on Friday

Midview continued its unbeaten season with a convincing 34-15 victory over Amherst. The Middies moved up three spots this week and have been very impressive in the first three weeks of the season.

4. Stow (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 4

Past Week: Win @ Solon 13-10

Next Week: vs. Wadsworth on Friday

Stow won the biggest matchup of the week, beating Solon 13-10 this past weekend. Stow has a talented defense and an offense led by running back Joe Gobble and quarterback Kyle Vantrease.

3. Archbishop Hoban (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 3

Past Week: Win vs. Youngstown Ursuline 37-12

Next Week: vs. Royal Imperial Collegiate (Can.) on Friday

Archbishop Hoban had the most impressive performance of the week, beating a really talented Youngstown Ursuline in convincing fashion. Hoban was able to come back from their tough loss last week to beat a tough opponent this week.

2. St. Edward (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 2

Past Week: Win vs. Glenville 41-0

Next Week: @ Cincinnati Elder on Saturday

St. Edward took care of business this week, beating Glenville 41-0. The Eagles had no trouble with the Tarblooders, who have had a really tough season so far this year.

1. St. Ignatius (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 1

Past Week: Win vs. Valley Forge 49-0

Next Week: @ Detroit Catholic Central on Friday

St. Ignatius remains on top of my rankings with an easy win over Valley Forge this week. The Wildcats travel to Detroit to keep their undefeated season going versus Detroit Catholic Central.

Top Matchup(s) Next Week

No. 5 Midview vs. Avon on Friday

Week 4 does not have a lot of big time matchups, but one of the bigger ones will be Midview versus Avon. The Middies will get its first big test of the season, facing the undefeated Avon Eagles. Avon has been impressive so far this season. I think Midview will win this matchup behind its star quarterback Dustin Crum.

All stats come from Cleveland.com