NEO High School Football Week 6: Solon takes down Mentor

Week 6 saw interesting storylines unfold as the narrative of the 2016 NEO high school football season continues to develop. In the game of the week, Solon came up big and pulled off an important victory over the struggling Mentor Cardinals. The Top 10 here saw a shake up despite most teams being victorious, and a new team entered the rankings. The backstretch of the season awaits.

So, what happened in Week 6? Let’s take a look at this week in the high school football season in Northeast Ohio.

NEO HS Football Recap: Season Preview, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6

Notable Scores from Northeast Ohio

St. Edward 35 Naperville Central (IL) 14

St. Ignatius 49 Parma 0

Avon 42 Lakewood 6

Solon 37 Mentor 8

Stow 42 Twinsburg 14

Midview 35 Westlake 14

Archbishop Hoban 41 Lake Catholic 10

Crestwood 24 Mogadore 7

Kirtland 27 Independence 11

Bedford 40 Garfield Heights 33

Glenville 46 East Tech 0

Cleveland Heights 34 Maple Heights 30

Euclid 41 Strongsville 0

Hudson 37 Cuyahoga Falls 6

Medina 41 Brunswick 7

Aurora 43 Medina Highland 10

Brecksville 42 Nordonia 35

Chardon 48 Kenston 0

Copley 35 Tallmadge 7

St. Vincent-St. Mary 15 Steubenville 7

Cuyahoga Heights 42 Richmond Heights 6

Canton McKinley 20 Uniontown Lake 14

Massillon Jackson 35 Canton GlenOak 10

Massillon Perry 21 North Canton Hoover 14

Recap of the Top Matchup of the Week

Solon beats Mentor, 37-8

Solon versus Mentor was not really the battle that many thought it would be before the season. Solon (5-1) easily put away the Cardinals (2-4), 37-8. Solon’s defense was the key to the Comets victory. After allowing just eight points at half, Solon shut out Mentor’s offense in the second half. On offense, Solon was led by running back Thomas Wilks, who rushed for 178 yards and touchdown in the victory. Quarterback Joe Bubonics added two rushing touchdowns for the Comets. On the losing end, Mentor quarterback Tadas Tatarunas was 16 of 34 for 154 yards and four interceptions.

Best Performance

Solon beats Mentor, 37-8

A bit of a repeat from the category above, but it’s worth reiterating that the matchup of the week was just dominant play by the Solon Comets. Solon put out a complete team performance, playing well both on offense and defense. On offense, the Comets rushed for an impressive 387 yards on 43 carries versus the Mentor defense. The run game was led by their star running back Thomas Wilks, who rushed for 178 yards and touchdown in the game. But, the Solon defense was probably even more impressive. The Solon defense held the Cardinals to just 112 total yards of offense and no points in the second half. The game proved that the Solon Comets are a team to be reckoned with in the Division I playoffs.

Biggest Surprise

Mogadore falls to Crestwood, 24-7

Crestwood is a really good team, but their 24-7 victory over Mogadore was a bit of a surprise. Mogadore came into the game undefeated and one of the top teams in Division VII. The way the game played out was another part of the surprise. Mogadore went up 7-0 after the first quarter. But since that point, Crestwood outscored the Wildcats 24-0 for the rest of the game. It was an impressive win by Crestwood.

Best Individual Performance

QB Joey Baughman, Wadsworth

QB Joey Baughman led his Wadsworth team to a 55-35 shootout win over North Royalton. In the victory, he threw for two touchdowns, while also rushing for three touchdowns. Three of his touchdown plays came in plays of 77, 69, and 68 yards.

Top 10

10. Medina (6-0)

Last Week Ranking: Unranked

Past Week: Win @ Brunswick 41-7

Next Week: vs. Mentor on Friday

Medina cracks my top ten for the first time this season after cruising to 41-7 win over Brunswick. Medina is a talented team, who is led by star running back Jimmy Daw.

9. Bedford (6-0)

Last Week Ranking: 10

Past Week: Win @ Garfield Heights 40-33

Next Week: vs. Cleveland Heights on Friday

Bedford moves up one spot this week after their nail biting win over Garfield Heights this past weekend. Quarterback Arshaun Wilson-Boone, who threw five touchdowns in this week’s victory, leads the Bearcats high-powered offense.

8. Midview (5-1)

Last Week Ranking: 9

Past Week: Win @ Westlake 35-14

Next Week: @ Olmsted Falls on Friday

Midview moved up one spot this week with their 35-14 victory over Westlake. With Dustin Crum under center, the Middies have a player who can single handily carry a team to a victory.

7. Avon (6-0)

Last Week Ranking: 7

Past Week: Win @ Lakewood 42-6

Next Week: @ North Ridgeville on Friday

Avon remained undefeated this week, beating Lakewood 42-6. The Eagles have an explosive offense, who has scored at least 31 points in five of its six games this season.

6. Kirtland (6-0)

Last Week Ranking: 6

Past Week: Win @ Independence 27-11

Next Week: vs. Cardinal on Friday

Kirtland remained undefeated this season, beating a tough Independence team, 27-11, on Friday. Kirtland has a high-octane rushing attack that helps them control the game against whomever they are playing.

5. Solon (5-1)

Last Week Ranking: 5

Past Week: Win @ Mentor 37-8

Next Week: @ Strongsville on Friday

Solon won the matchup of the week, beating Mentor with ease, 37-8. The Solon Comets have had big wins so far this season over Mentor, Euclid and Aurora, losing their only game of the year to No. 1 Stow.

4. St. Edward (5-1)

Last Week Ranking: 4

Past Week: Win vs. Naperville Central (IL) 35-14

Next Week: Bye Week

St. Edward beat another out-of-state school this week, taking down Naperville Central, 35-14. The Eagles will be a factor in the Division I playoffs even with a lot of new starters on the roster this season.

3. St. Ignatius (5-1)

Last Week Ranking: 3

Past Week: Win @ Parma 49-0

Next Week: @ Canton GlenOak on Friday

St. Ignatius cruised to their fifth win of the season, beating Parma, 49-0, on Saturday. The Wildcats boast a defense, who have pitched four shutouts so far this season.

2. Archbishop Hoban (5-1)

Last Week Ranking: 2

Past Week: Win vs. Lake Catholic 41-10

Next Week: @ Padua on Friday

Archbishop Hoban continued its roll on Friday, beating Lake Catholic 41-10. Archbishop Hoban has had only one hiccup this season, losing to No. 4 St. Edward in a game Hoban should have won.

1. Stow (6-0)

Last Week Ranking: 1

Past Week: Win @ Twinsburg 42-12

Next Week: @ Hudson on Friday

Stow remains unbeaten and No. 1 in my rankings, after beating Twinsburg on Friday, 42-12. Stow has a big test this coming week when they travel to Hudson to play the Explorers.

Top Matchup Next Week

No. 1 Stow @ Hudson on Friday

The game of the week in Week 7 is Stow versus Hudson. Stow faces a tough test to remain undefeated, traveling to Hudson to play the 5-1 Explorers. Hudson’s lone loss came against a good Canton McKinley team, so the Explorers should give Stow a pretty good test on Friday. But in the end, I think Stow will be too much for Hudson and will remain unbeaten on the season.

All stats come from Cleveland.com