THE 10 BEST GAMES TO SEE IN THE STATE OF OHIO THIS WEEK
By Kyle Holsinger
Below are the top 10 Ohio high school football games for week three of the 2024 season. Any reference to recruit rankings is referring to 247sports.com. We feature games between Ohio schools as a way to promote 20 solid football programs in the Buckeye State. That being said, the honorable mention section can feature a game between an Ohio team versus a Non-Ohio opponent.
The games are picked through a combination of analysis, rankings, competitiveness, and statistics. If you’d like us to cover your region, please contact us at heartofohiosports.com. Any recruiting rankings are from 247sports.com.
Here's last week's article: https://heartofohiosports.com/ohio-high-school-football-week-2-preview/
Here we go...
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: North won at home against Grandville (MI), 53-51; Central beat Huber Heights Wayne on the road, 45-40.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 8, 2023; North beat Central at home, 39-34.
Intrigue: North was up by three scores last week before losing the lead and then hitting a game-winning field goal as time expired. Michael Taylor rushed for 102 yards on 13 attempts with four TDs. Wisconsin commit QB Jarin Mock threw for 238 yards and a TD to Kentucky commit Preston Bowman. Bowman ended with 107 receiving yards for the Panthers.
Central was never behind in their shootout with Wayne last week, but did survive a late rally by the Warriors.
QB Rocco Williams was 19-of-22 throwing the ball for 275 yards, Gerald Banks had 14 carries for 117 rushing yards, and Sherone White Jr., a Marshall commit, had seven receptions for 146 receiving yards.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Minster beat Africentric on the road, 41-14; Anna defeated Brookville at home, 46-20.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 15, 2023; Minster beat Anna at home, 35-18.
Intrigue: Minster created four turnovers against Africentric last week. Offensively, the Wildcats had 303 yards on the ground and 194 in the air for 497 total yards.
Anna QB Alex Shappie threw for three TDs and rushed for two more as his offensive line gave up zero sacks last week. Aaron Shappie had both a TD catch and TD run, and Zach Osborn had a TD reception and a scoop & score on defense to fuel the Rockets in Week 2.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: North lost to Olentangy Orange at home, 54-41; Watterson won at Scioto, 45-0.
Previous Meeting: First meeting.
Intrigue: Two well-balanced offensive attacks going at it.
North gave up five turnovers (four INTs, one fumble) and only lost by 13. The Warriors did have 438 yards offensively with 284 of them on the ground and 199 through the air for a well-balanced attack.
Watterson gained 326 yards with 160 passing yards and 166 rushing yards. The Eagles were dominate on both sides of the ball last week as the defense showed out. They gave up 172 yards to the Irish and only 59 rushing yards.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Harding won at Buchtel, 20-18; Perry won at St. Vincent-St. Mary, 17-0.
Previous Meeting: Unknown.
Intrigue: Harding leans on the run. Their attack is led by sophomore RB MiKing Adair (125 yards after two games), senior QB Chaz Coleman (116 passing yards, 119 rushing yards) and senior RB B.J. Coleman (51 rushing yards).
Junior Rai’twan Hill leads the Raider defense with 19 tackles after two games.
Massillon Perry has had back-to-back shutouts to start their 2024 campaign, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 52-0. Last week, the Perry defense allowed only 166 total yards and forced a turnover against SVSM.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: L-B lost at home to Columbus Grove, 42-14; McComb won at Convoy Crestview, 31-14.
Previous Meeting: Oct. 20, 2023; Liberty-Benton beat McComb at home, 44-22.
Intrigue: Liberty-Benton’s Zach Elchert rushed for 72 yards while also catching a TD pass in last week’s defeat.
The Eagles defense gave up TDs on each of it’s first five possessions in Week 2.
McComb QB Grady Schroeder threw a couple TD passes and ran for a TD against Convoy Crestview last week. Brayden Shoop had 26 rushing attempts for 108 yards and a TD.
The Panther defense only gave up 66 rushing yards in last week’s win.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Milford won at Walnut Hills, 38-0; Winton Woods beat Kings at home, 19-5.
Previous Meeting: Oct. 6, 2023; Milford won at Winton Woods, 3-0.
Intrigue: Milford sophomore Jordan Davis ran the ball 13 times for 139 yards and 2 TDs in last week’s dominating win. Senior Caden Bailey had three catches for 111 yards and two TDs. Senior QB Luke Brand was 9-of-12 passing for 187 yards and 2 TDs before being substituted out last Friday. Brand is averaging 225.5 passing yards per game while throwing six TDs (five of those to Bailey) and zero picks so far this year.
Eagle senior LB Christian Felix leads the defense with 12 tackles and two fumble recoveries on the year.
Winton Woods’ defense has scored more points than its given up after two games. Senior LB Landen Anderson already has 13 total tackles, three TFLs, a sack, three pass deflections, and two INTs (one of which was a 60-yard pick six last week) under his belt this year. Delan Massey-Wright has 10 tackles, three TFLs, and a sack; and sophomore DE Jaylen Mercer has 10 tackles, two sacks, and two TFLs already in the 2024 campaign. Senior DE and Alabama commit Justin Hill and senior LB Erick Morris have each had nine tackles, two sacks, and two TFLs, respectively.
The Warrior offense is led by junior QB Bryshawn Brown. Brown has completed 10-of-27 passes for 85 yards, a TD (as well as rushed for a TD) and an INT. Senior RB Tyler Gooding (64 rushing and 22 receiving yards) and sophomore RB Isaiah Garrett (58 rushing and 2 receiving yards) both pitch-in on the offensive workload in the backfield.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Gahanna Lincoln lost to Groveport-Madison at home, 8-7; Liberty beat Glenville at home, 24-13.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Gahanna Lincoln beat Olentangy Liberty at home, 46-28.
Intrigue: Gahanna Lincoln senior RBs Jayden Gwynn (35 carries, 150 yards, one TD) and Avion Brown (16 carries, 113 yards, two TDs) are a tandem in the backfield. Senior QB Brennen Ward has completed 19-of-28 passes for 170 yards, one TD, and two INTs.
The Lion defense has only given up 18 points this season against two solid opponents.
Liberty senior RB Jake Struck had three TDs against Glenville last week.
The Patriots defense held Glenville to 199 yards, only giving up 120 in the air and 79 on the ground to the Tarblooders while forcing a fumble and interception.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Kirtland won at Ashland Crestview, 42-6; Perry won at Euclid, 42-0.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Perry won at Kirtland, 24-6.
Intrigue: Kirtland’s Jake LaVerde had 199 rushing yards on five attempts and two TDs, and also threw for two TDs last week. LaVerde has 540 rushing yards after two weeks of play this season.
Perry ran for 223 yards last week against Euclid, and threw for 108 yards.
The Pirate defense held Euclid to only 155 yards last week, 75 yards passing and 80 yards rushing.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Lakota West beat Hamilton at home, 31-0; Princeton won at Sycamore, 52-0.
Previous Meeting: Nov. 10, 2023; Lakota West beat Princeton in the Region 4 semifinals at Mason’s Atrium Stadium, 19-7
Intrigue: Lakota West senior QB Sam Wiles has completed 17-of-32 passes for 241 yards, three passing TDs, one INT, 109 rushing yards and three rushing TDs. Sophomore RB Kenyon Norman has 93 receiving and 78 rushing yards, junior RB Braydon Johnson has 60 rushing and 47 receiving yards as additional weapons in the Firebird offensive arsenal.
Princeton junior QB De’angelo Birch has completed 27-of-41 passes this season for 321 yards, four TDs, and no picks as well as a couple rushing scores. Senior RB Teryntino Brown-Freeman has rushed for 111 yards on 11 carries and a TD, gained 81 return yards, and also has 30 receiving yards on the year. Junior TE Landen Miree had eight receptions, 129 yards, and three TDs after two games.
Senior LB Paul Nelson leads the Vikings in tackles with 14, one TFL, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Junior LB Andre Parker has 12 tackles and three TFLs so far this year.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Glenville lost at Olentangy Liberty 23-14; Avon beat Canton McKinley at home, 21-14.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Avon beat Glenville at home, 24-16.
Intrigue: As I had said previously, Glenville wasn’t able to get much going offensively against a tough Olentangy Liberty team.
Their defense gave up 265 yards with 147 of them passing and 118 rushing in last week’s defeat.
Avon racked 332 yards against Canton McKinley in Week 2. Kent State commit QB Nolan Good was 14-of-25 for 264 yards, two TDs, and three INTs. Wide receivers Matt Maxey had 10 receptions for 168 yards, and Grant Barr had five receptions for 94 yards last week.
The Eagles defense held McKinley to 212 total yards last week.
Honorable Mention - Garaway @ West Muskingum and Boyle County, KY @ Lakewood St. Edward’s
I recommend attending one of these games this weekend. Thank you for reading. I'll see you next week!
