NEO High School Football Week 8: Hudson upset, Hoban stays on top

Week 8 has come and gone, meaning there are only two weeks left in the regular season in Ohio. But before we get to the playoffs, Week 8 had a lot of important matchups. The game of the week pitted two 6-1 teams, Aurora and Copley, battling for playoff positioning. Week 8 also saw some really surprising results, including a huge upset. The playoffs are approaching, so teams are getting their teams into position to get their playoff seeding. A loss late in the season can knock a team completely out of the playoffs. Every game counts.

What happened in Week 8? Let’s take a look at what went on 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, Week 7, Week 8

Notable Scores from Northeast Ohio

St. Edward 35 Canada Prep Academy 7

Stow 37 Cuyahoga Falls 0

Midview 56 Lakewood 7

Medina 50 Shaker Heights 18

St. Ignatius 38 Archbishop Moeller 7

Chardon 40 Riverside 14

Archbishop Hoban 21 Walsh Jesuit 0

Avon 30 Amherst Steele 0

Kirtland 63 Fairport Harding 7

Mentor 42 Strongsville 26

Aurora 42 Copley 28

Glenville 44 Collinwood 0

St. Vincent-St. Mary 28 Cleveland Heights 0

Euclid 32 Brunswick 24

Lorain 44 Maple Heights 22

Bedford 26 Shaw 19

Brecksville 49 Wadsworth 27

Twinsburg 21 Hudson 12

Medina Highland 49 Tallmadge 6

Cuyahoga Heights 49 Berkshire 28

Mogadore 35 Garrettsville Garfield 20

Independence 55 Richmond Heights 6

Canton GlenOak 19 Canton McKinley 2

Massillon Perry 35 Uniontown Lake 0

Massillon Washington 45 Firestone 14

Recap of the Top Matchup of the Week

Aurora beats Copley, 42-28

The game of the week matched up two 6-1 teams, Aurora and Copley, vying for a playoff spot. Aurora went out to a commanding 28-7 halftime lead and was able to keep the lead for the entire game, never allowing Copley to cut the halftime lead to under 14 points. Aurora had two outstanding performances in the victory. On defense, Bubba Arslanian picked off two Copley passes, taking one of the interceptions for a touchdown. Aurora receiver Gavin Blunt caught three passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns, while also scoring a touchdown on a kick return. In the loss, Copley running back Weston Bridges ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Aurora moved to 7-1, while Copley fell to 6-2 on the season.

Best Performance

Canton GlenOak takes down Canton McKinley, 19-2

Canton GlenOak had the best performance of the week, shutting down Canton McKinley, 19-2. McKinley came into the week at 6-1 and one of the top teams in the Division I playoff projections. But, the GlenOak defense completely smothered the Bulldogs offense, holding McKinley to just 145 yards of total offense. The defense also forced five turnovers from McKinley. GlenOak’s Nicky Gliatta had two interceptions, while his teammate Daiquan Johnson had two interceptions and a fumble recovery. It was a dominant performance from now 5-3 Canton GlenOak.

(stats from fridaynightohio.com)

Biggest Surprise

Twinsburg upsets Hudson, 21-12

The biggest surprise of the week came in the huge upset 21-12 victory by Twinsburg over Hudson. Twinsburg came into the game at 1-6, while Hudson was 6-1. Twinsburg quickly went out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and was able to withstand a Hudson run in the second half to complete the huge upset. For Twinsburg, quarterback Jalen Tucker threw for 144 yards and a touchdown in the win. The Tigers defense was able to hold Hudson star running back Matt Restifo to just 58 yards. It was a huge upset loss for Hudson.

Best Individual Performance

Quarterback Ben Connor, Beachwood

Quarterback Ben Connor led his Beachwood team to 60-34 shootout win over Painesville Harvey. In the victory, Connor threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 62 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

Top 10

10. Brecksville (8-0)

Last Week Ranking: Unranked

Past Week: Win vs. Wadsworth 49-27

Next Week: @ Stow on Friday

Brecksville enters my rankings after the Bees remained perfect on the season, beating Wadsworth, 49-27. The Bees have a high-powered offense that has scored at least 34 points in every game this season.

9. Chardon (8-0)

Last Week Ranking: 10

Past Week: Win @ Riverside 40-14

Next Week: @ Brush on Friday

Chardon continues to roll through their season, remaining perfect on the season after taking down Riverside, 40-14. Chardon has a high-octane offense that has scored 40 points or more in seven of their eight games this season.

8. Midview (7-1)

Last Week Ranking: 8

Past Week: Win vs. Lakewood 56-7

Next Week: vs. Avon Lake on Friday

Midview won their fourth game in a row, beating Lakewood, 56-7, in easy fashion. The Middies are priming up for a playoff run behind their star quarterback, Dustin Crum.

7. Avon (8-0)

Last Week Ranking: 7

Past Week: Win @ Amherst 30-0

Next Week: vs. Berea-Midpark on Friday

Avon is still undefeated after the Eagles shut out Amherst, 30-0, this past weekend. The Eagles continued their streak of scoring at least 30 points, extending it to seven straight games.

6. Kirtland (8-0)

Last Week Ranking: 6

Past Week: Win vs. Fairport Harding 63-7

Next Week: vs. Cuyahoga Heights on Friday

Kirtland cruised to their eight victory of the season, beating Fairport Harding, 63-7. The unbeaten Hornets play their toughest opponent of the season this week when undefeated Cuyahoga Heights comes to Kirtland on Friday.

5. Solon (7-1)

Last Week Ranking: 5

Past Week: Win vs. Elyria 46-28

Next Week: vs. Shaker Heights on Friday

Solon beat Elyria, 46-28, in a high scoring affair, earning their seventh victory of the season. The Comets finish their season with two tough opponents, Shaker Heights and Medina.

4. Stow (7-1)

Last Week Ranking: 4

Past Week: Win vs. Cuyahoga Falls 37-0

Next Week: vs. Brecksville on Friday

Stow rebounded off their tough loss last week by beating Cuyahoga Falls soundly, 37-0. Stow has a huge matchup this coming week, when unbeaten Brecksville travels to Stow.

3. St. Edward (6-1)

Last Week Ranking: 3

Past Week: Win vs. Canada Prep Academy 35-7

Next Week: @ Archbishop Moeller on Saturday

St. Edward cruised past Canada Prep Academy on Saturday, on their way to their sixth victory of the season. The Eagles defense has held their opponent to single digits in three of their seven games this season.

2. St. Ignatius (7-1)

Last Week Ranking: 2

Past Week: Win @ Archbishop Moeller 38-7

Next Week: @ St. Xavier on Saturday

St. Ignatius blew past Archbishop Moeller, 38-7, on their way to their fourth straight win of the season. The Wildcats finish their season with two tough teams, St. Xavier and St. Edward.

1. Archbishop Hoban (7-1)

Last Week Ranking: 1

Past Week: Win @ Walsh Jesuit 21-0

Next Week: vs. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin on Friday

Archbishop Hoban remains No. 1 this week, after beating Walsh Jesuit 21-0. Hoban has rebounded off their early season loss to St. Edward, winning six straight games.

Top Matchup Next Week

No. 10 Brecksville @ No. 4 Stow on Friday

The matchup of the week is a game between two teams in my rankings, No. 10 Brecksville and No. 4 Stow. Brecksville comes into the game at 8-0, while Stow enters with a 7-1 record. The game will see two high-powered offenses who can score a lot of points. I am going with Stow in this game, but it should be one high scoring game.

All stats come from Cleveland.com or noted otherwise