THE 10 BEST GAMES TO SEE IN WEEK SEVEN
By Kyle Holsinger
Get ready for a thrilling Week 7 in Ohio high school football! This weekend, powerhouse teams go head-to-head in competition that will leave you on the edge of your seat. From rivalry bragging rights to top-ranked battles, we've got the inside scoop on the games you won't want to miss.
The following are the five best high school football games played by schools within the Heart of Ohio Sports coverage area and the five best games throughout the state. This will be a weekly article that come out on Mondays.
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.
We’ll start with the local games first…
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Western Reserve defeated St. Paul at home, 28-7; Monroeville won at New London, 71-0.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 29, 2023; Monroeville won at Western Reserve, 44-36.
Intrigue: The winner controls their own destiny in the Firelands Conference title race. Both teams are 3-0 in the conference.
Western Reserve QB Hayden Keith was 13-of-15 for 198 yards passing with 74 rushing yards and two TDs last week. Hayden Dobias had nine catches for 79 yards.
Monroeville set a school record with 71 points scored last week. This is the toughest remaining opponent remaining on the Eagles’ schedule. They appear locked for a playoff berth and a home game to boot, but this one is for the Firelands.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Colonel Crawford won at Bucyrus, 58-6; Seneca East beat Upper Sandusky at home, 14-7.
Previous Meeting: Oct. 27, 2023; Colonel Crawford beat Seneca East at home in the first round of the Region 22 playoffs, 24-16.
Intrigue: Colonel Crawford’s Brayden Holt completed 4-of-5 passes for 72 yards and had two carries for 93 yards and two TDs last week. Conor McMichael had a couple carries for 119 yards with two TDs, and Avery Powers rushed for 35 yards on six attempts and two TDs.
Colonel Crawford is a lock for the Region 22 playoffs, but if they want to clinch a home game then they’re going to have to win out.
Seneca East controls their own destiny for a share of the Northern 10 Conference title with current front runner N10 leader, Mohawk, still on the schedule in Week 10.
Nicholas Parks was 9-of-16 for 176 yards, two TDs, an INT, and rushed for 73 yards last week. Taylor Young caught six passes for 140 yards with two TDs.
The Tigers’ defense gave up 147 passing yards and 132 rushing yards in last week’s victory. They were able to intercept two passes and recover a fumble.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Clay defeated Bowling Green at home, 24-22; Fremont Ross beat Napoleon at home, 26-20.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 29, 2023; Fremont Ross won at Clay, 41-28.
Intrigue: The winner controls their own destiny in the Cardinal Division of the Northern Lakes League.
Clay’s Mason Heintschel, a Pitt commit, threw two TD passes last week. Landon Eversman had an 14-yard TD run. Troy Hazuda had an 11-yard TD reception, and Brayden Schultz caught a three-yard TD also.
The Eagles are likely in the playoffs already. However, they need to win out to guarantee a home first-round playoff game.
Fremont Ross’ Karson Kayden threw a passing TD to Bryce Shiets in last week’s win. Tallon Brown and Elijah Ysaguirre rushed for a TD, and Jadrian Brown took a punt return to the house.
Like Clay, the Little Giants need to win out for any shot at a home playoff game.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Pandora-Gilboa won at Elmwood, 34-0; Liberty-Benton won at Arlington, 28-0.
Previous Meeting: Oct. 6, 2023; Liberty-Benton won at Pandora-Gilboa, 33-28.
Intrigue: The winner walks away as the leader of the Blanchard Valley Conference.
Pandora-Gilboa had a well-balance attack against Elmwood last week. They gained 283 total yards with 142 through the air and 141 on the ground. P-G was also 7-of-14 on third downs in the contest.
Defensively, the Rockets held their opponent to negative-19 yards rushing and 59 yards passing for only 40 total yards given up. The defense picked off two passes, and did not allow Elmwood to get a single third down conversion.
Liberty-Benton rushed for 201 yards last week. Zach Elchert rushed for 96 yards and a TD on 19 attempts, Austin Colbert had 13 carries for 73 yards and a TD.
The Eagle defense held Arlington to 30 yards of offense.
L-B is already locked-in for the playoffs so this game is purely for the BVC title for them.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Perkins defeated Clyde at home, 28-7; Edison won at Bellevue, 21-6.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 29, 2023; Perkins defeated Edison at home, 49-14.
Intrigue: Perkins’ Sam Schweinfurth completed 8-of-13 passes for 161 yards. Michigan State commit Braylon Collier had 39 receiving yards, 31 passing yards, intercepted a pass, and punted for a 53-yard average in last week’s win.
Edison’s Cyrus Finnen had 22 rushes for 97 yards and a TD to lead the way for an offense that rushed for 262 yards. They also passed for 49 yards to gain a total of 311 yards last week.
The Chargers held Bellevue to 92 total yards: 37 yards passing with 55 rushing. The defense also recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass last week.
Honorable Mention - Vermilion (5-1) @ Port Clinton (2-4) and Calvert (4-2) @ Margaretta (1-5)
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Fairland beat South Point, 36-0; Portsmouth won at Chesapeake, 45-8.
Previous Meeting: Oct. 27, 2023; Portsmouth won at Fairland in the first round of the Region 19 playoffs, 50-38.
Intrigue: Fairland gained 280 of their 289 total yards on the ground last week. Jack Hayden gained 165 yards and two TDs on seven rushes.
The Dragons held South Point to a mere 26 rushing yards, 82 passing yards, and 108 total yards. The defense had an interception, and held their opponent to a 1-of-9 third down conversion rate.
Like Fairland, the majority of Portsmouth’s yards last week were on the ground. The offensive attack rushed for 305 of PHS’s 344 offensive yards. However, they did giveaway two fumbles.
The Trojan defense gave up 29 yards rushing and 100 yards passing for a total of 129 offensive yards. They were able to recover a fumble as well last week.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Elder lost to St. Xavier at home, 22-17; Moeller won at La Salle, 38-0.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 29, 2023; Moeller won at Elder, 38-7.
Intrigue: Elder QB Kaden Estep completed 13-of-21 passes for 194 yards, a TD, and a pick. Christopher Paff caught three passes for 66 yards and a TD.
The Panther defense was led by Joey DiTullio who had five tackles, one TFL, and a 74-yard pick-six.
Moeller’s Matt Ponatoski was 19-of-23 for 228 passing yards and three TDs. Matthew Fogler caught three balls for 86 yards and a couple TDs.
The Crusader defense held La Salle to just 46 rushing yards and 96 passing yards for 142 yards total. They held their opponent to 2-of-11 on third down conversions and 0-of-2 on fourth down conversions too.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Nordonia beat Twinsburg at home, 40-14; Wadworth beat Hudson at home in overtime, 21-14.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 29, 2023; Wadworth won at Nordonia, 55-14.
Intrigue: The winner controls their destiny in the National Conference of the Suburban League.
Nordonia QB Ben Chesser rushed for 116 yards and three TDs while also going 7-of-12 for 71 passing yards last week. The offense gained 276 rushing yards in the win. Rocco DeLorenzo had 82 rushing yards and a TD to help the cause. Owen Smotek had a 48-yard punt return TD.
Wadsworth’s Gavin Madigan rushed for 70 yards, caught a pass for nine yards, ran-in a two-point conversion, and had a 29-yard interception return last week. Bryan Hall was 9-of-14 for 122 yards with a rushing and passing TD. Jacob Earnest had three receptions for 75 yards.
The Grizzlies defense held Hudson to 25 rushing yards in the game.
This is arguably the toughest opponent either team has faced all season.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Liberty beat Coffman at home, 19-15; Upper Arlington won at Hilliard Bradley, 42-0.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 29, 2023; Liberty beat Upper Arlington at home in overtime, 19-16.
Intrigue: Two teams vying for a Ohio Capital Conference - Central Division title.
Liberty plays one of the toughest schedules in the state. There’s a good chance the Patriots will earn two home playoff games to start the postseason.
Upper Arlington has a tough four-game stretch to end the season with Liberty, Olentangy Orange Coffman, and Davidson remaining. The Golden Bears are going to have to play some top notch football to get a home playoff game.
When: Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Hoban defeated Mt. Vernon [IL] at home, 56-13; Walsh Jesuit won at Benedictine, 20-12.
Previous Meeting: Nov. 17, 2023; Hoban defeated Walsh Jesuit at University of Akron InfoCision Stadium in the Region 5 finals, 30-6.
Intrigue: Hoban gained 355 yards of offense last week. Three-hundred forty-nine of those were on the ground. Brayton Feister had three rushes for 103 yards with three TDs. La'Near Folk carried the ball four times for 94 yards and a TD.
The Knights play one of the toughest schedules in Division II. They’re going to have to continue their elite play to guarantee two playoff games at home.
Walsh’s Marty Tobin had 30 carries for 211 yards. Quarterback Keller Moten threw for 92 yards and rushed for 76 yards with two TDs.
This is arguably the toughest opponent that Walsh will face in the regular season.
Honorable Mention - Football North [ON (4-1)] @ Massillon (4-2) and Bishop Hartley (3-3) @ Columbus St. Francis DeSales (5-1)
