NEO High School Football Playoff Wk 2: St. Xavier upsets Colerain

Week 2 of the Ohio high school football playoffs has come and gone, but it was one crazy week of action with some gigantic statewide results that will shape the rest of the playoffs.

Week 2 is the first week games that are held at neutral sites, giving no one a real edge of home field advantage. This past weekend saw a lot of the top teams face off. It also saw huge upsets that have really opened up the entire division for the rest of the state. It was yet another week where lower seeds took home the victory. It was a great weekend of games and it should only get better as the playoffs go on.

So, what happened in Week 2 of the Ohio high school football playoffs? Let’s take a look at what went on this week in the high school football 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, Week 9, Week 10, Playoff Preview, Playoff Wk 1, Playoff Wk 2

Notable Scores from Northeast Ohio

Division I

St. Ignatius 31 Solon 17

St. Edward 41 Stow 35

Lorain 30 Dublin Jerome 14

Olentangy Liberty 45 Medina 27

Division II

Hudson 14 Aurora 7

Massillon Perry 66 Columbus Franklin Heights 28

New Albany 31 Dublin Scioto 7

Olmsted Falls 49 Westlake 21

Warren Harding 49 Chardon 31

Anthony Wayne 14 Avon Lake 6

Division III

Archbishop Hoban 21 St. Vincent-St. Mary 7

Lexington 30 Sandusky 19

New Philadelphia 27 Akron East 20

Toledo Central Catholic 56 University School 13

Division IV

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 17 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 12

Perry 42 Woodridge 41

Division V

Canton Central Catholic 30 Black River 0

Garrettsville Garfield 33 LaBrae 28

Division VI

Cuyahoga Heights 34 St. Thomas Aquinas 0

Kirtland 35 Springfield 13

Division VII

Crestview 28 Arlington 7

McComb 42 Hicksville 0

Norwalk St. Paul 24 Monroeville 0

Warren JFK 16 Mogadore 3

Best Performance

Warren JFK beats Mogadore, 16-3

The best performance of Week 2 of the playoffs was by Warren JFK beating Mogadore, 16-3. Mogadore has been a power in Division VII and this season they were showing they’re usually level of play, finishing the season at 9-2. But Warren JFK completely dominated the Wildcats.

After averaging 29.4 points a game in the regular season, Mogadore’s high-powered offense was held to just three points and 125 yards of total offense. JFK’s defense even forced a safety against the Wildcats offense. It was a great defensive performance by Warren JFK taking down Mogadore.

Biggest Surprise

St. Xavier upsets Colerain, 29-23

Usually I stick to Northeast Ohio in my roundup, but St. Xavier upsetting Colerain was a massive surprise and the biggest of the playoffs so far. Colerain came into the game as the No. 1 seed in Division I, Region 4, after finishing the regular season perfect at 10-0. St. Xavier was the No. 5 seed, after going 5-5 in the regular season, including losing to Colerain 20-14 in Week 2. Colerain was my pick to win the Division I state championship, but the Bombers had other plans. Colerain went up 23-7 in the third quarter, poised to advance to the next round, but St. Xavier scored 16 unanswered points in the last 13 minutes of regulation to force overtime.

In the first overtime, Colerain went scoreless after missing a field goal to get three points with their first possession of overtime. St. Xavier took advantage, scoring a game-winning touchdown on the first play of their first possession of overtime. It was a huge stunner to see one of the division’s favorites get eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

(via cincinnati.com)

Best Individual Performance

RB Curtis Szelesta, St. Edward

The best performance of Week 2 of the playoffs was by running back Curtis Szelesta of St. Edward. He led his Eagles to a close 41-35 victory over Stow. In the win, he rushed 20 times for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

Final Regular Season Top 10-Week 2 Results

10. Medina– Loss

9. Cuyahoga Heights– Win

8. Chardon– Loss

7. Midview– Eliminated

6. St. Edward– Win

5. Avon– Eliminated 

4. Solon– Loss

3. Stow– Loss

2. St. Ignatius– Win

1. Archbishop Hoban-Win

5 Big Game Picks for Week 3 of the Playoffs

St. Ignatius over St. Edward

Warren Harding over Hudson

Anthony Wayne over Olmsted Falls

Cuyahoga Heights over Kirtland

Archbishop Hoban over New Philadelphia

Last Week’s Results and Overall Game Pick Record

St. Ignatius over Solon- Correct

Stow over St. Edward- Wrong

Aurora over Hudson- Wrong

Warren Harding over Chardon- Correct

Archbishop Hoban over St. Vincent-St. Mary- Correct

Overall Record: 8-2

All stats come from Cleveland.com or noted otherwise