THE 10 BEST GAMES TO SEE IN OHIO - WEEK FIVE
By Kyle Holsinger
Welcome back for another edition of The 10 Best Games to See in Ohio. As we get midway through the regular season, conference play has begun and the playoff picture is starting to develop. Last week, we had seven of the ten featured games decided by 10 points or less. Let’s hope we can improve on that.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Eagles defeated Calvert at home, 44-12; and the Blue Devils beat Upper Sandusky at home, 49-14.
Previous Meeting: Oct. 10, 2025; Carey beat Colonel Crawford at home, 24-14.
Intrigue: Two top-tier Northern 10 Athletic Conference teams going head-to-head.
Colonel Crawford’s Roen Thew is 47-for-88 passing for 738 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for 386 yards and two TDs on 47 attempts this year. Parker Weithman had 23 receptions for 379 yards and four TDs. Avery Powers is the team’s leading rusher with 365 yards and four TDs on 54 carries.
Defensively, Kyle Smith and Thew each have two INTs on the year.
Luke Christman has punted eight times for 296 yards—a 37-yard average.
Carey’s Tripp Phoenix completed 11-for-33 passing for 140 yards, a TD, and two picks all season. Phoenix is also the N10’s leading rusher with 715 yards and 10 TDs on 38 attempts. Mace Puckett has 416 rushing yards and three TDs on 76 carries.
Benson Kloepfer is 13-of-14 on point-after-tries while making 1-of-2 field goals—making a 32-yarder.
On defense, Puckett leads the way with 45 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, and two forced fumbles. Joe Reinhart has made 43 tackles, 12.5 TFL, and 3.5 sacks. Louis Watkins wrapped up 42 tackles, 13.5 TFL, and three sacks.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Pirates defeated Canal Winchester Harvest Prep, 52-13; and Bellevue won at Norwalk, 55-0.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 19, 2025; Perkins defeated Bellevue at home, 41-0.
Intrigue: Two Northern Ohio Conference teams from different divisions going at it.
Perkins’ Grant Kuhnle threw 42-for-81 completed passes for 671 yards with nine TDs and one INT in 2026. Kaden Legando made eight catches for 174 yards and three TDs. Nine different receivers have made at least three catches so far this season for the Black & White.
Levi Jackson is the team’s leading rusher also with 159 yards and two TDs on 39 touches, and JoJo Moore has toted the rock 29 times for 132 yards and four TDs.
Defensively, Landon Flores and Boden Bollinger lead the team with 41 tackles apiece this season. Bollinger has also made a sack, a forced fumble, and a scoop-and-score while Flores also has a forced fumble.
Carter Koch has made 23 tackles, six sacks, and a safety. Bryce Davie wrapped up nine tackles and two picks—one was returned for a TD. Dante Shipp made 24 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two picks—one was a pick-six.
Bellevue’s Ike Brown completed 40-for-83 passes for 528 yards, eight TDs, and four INTs while rushing for 316 yards and three TDs on 38 attempts. Caden Cramer caught 10 receptions for 170 yards and two TDs. Justin Bucher also has 10 catches and two TDs but for 131 receiving yards.
On defense, Maddex Bailey leads with 44 tackles, 1.5 sacks, a pick, and a forced fumble. Eli Turinsky has made 23 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a recovery. Cramer also has 27 tackles and two forced fumbles. Konner Dauch wrapped up 26 tackles and a pick, and Brown has 21 tackles and a pick.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Clay Eagles won at Napoleon, 52-13; and the L-B Eagles lost to Anthony Wayne at home, 34-14.
Previous Meeting: First meeting.
Intrigue: One more tuneup for two Northern Lakes League schools before they go into separate divisional seasons.
Clay QB Landon Echelberry was 6-for-11 passing for 116 yards and a couple TDs while rushing for 94 yards and three TDs on 13 touches last week. Bryce Ostrander, J.J. Medina, and Max Morrison each caught TD passes in the game.
Liberty-Benton’s 2026 football experience has been a bit of a change. From going from being the big fish in the Blanchard Valley Conference pond to being the little fish in the Northern Lakes League. The Eagles are still a talented team with something to prove on the season.
They have one of the toughest schedules in all of Division V according to Drew Pasteur’s Fantastic 50 site. A win against Clay would spark a potential playoff berth that may not come otherwise.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Tigers won at Lima Perry, 50-20; and the Comets lost at Woodmore, 41-24.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 5, 2025; North Baltimore beat Elgin at home, 47-6.
Intrigue: Two of the three remaining undefeated schools in the Northwest Central Conference battling out to remain at the top of the league standings.
North Baltimore has outscored their opponents in 2026 by a score of 192-69. The Tigers currently have scored 40-plus points in 14 straight games—the longest active streak in the state. They’ve scored 20-plus and 30-plus points in 15 consecutive games.
Elgin, according to Pasteur, is one of the most improved teams in all of Ohio. Their Week 1 upset of Arlington was one of the biggest so far this season. A win for the Comets will punch their ticket to the post season, but a loss won’t necessarily discount them from postseason play.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Warriors beat Clear Fork at home, 17-7; and the Tigers lost to Shelby at home, 31-14.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 19, 2025; Galion won at Ontario, 7-0.
Intrigue: Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference contest between two of its top teams.
Ontario’s Max Ciroli has rushed the ball 46 times for 352 yards and five TDs this year.
Defensively, Zane Curry has wrapped up 50 tackles. Liam Smith leads the MOAC with six sacks, and Maddix Smith has made four sacks himself. Cardae Brown has picked off two passes.
Galion’s Kane Hay is 54-of-103 passing for 843 yards with seven TDs and five picks. Kurt Hay (23 receptions, 267 yards, and two TDs) and Jamesen Glew (18 rec., 393 yards, four TDs) are the top targets in the passing game.
On defense, the Tigers’ Lachlyn Butcher leads the MOAC in tackles with 51.
Fremont Ross (1-3) @ Findlay (4-0); Tiffin Columbian (2-2) @ Huron (0-4); and Bucyrus (2-2) @ Buckeye Central (1-3).
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Tigers lost at Harrison, 22-13; and the Rockets won at St. Bernard Roger Bacon, 42-6.
Previous Meeting: Oct. 28, 2005; McNicholas won at Withrow, 13-12.
Intrigue: A Queen City matchup with lots of computer points on the line.
Withrow’s Savion Davis completed 12-of-16 passes for 158 yards with a TD and a pick in last week’s loss. Davis’ primary receivers were Charles Alexander Jr. (five catches, 48 yards) and Cody Johnson (five catches, 26 yards). The leading rusher was Dion Clardy with 66 yards and a TD on 14 runs.
Defensively, Mister Achoe led the way with eight tackles. Joshua Erkins and LaCarter Thomas each had seven tackles. Erkins also had three TFL and a sack while Thomas had 3.5 TFL.
McNicholas’ Evan Sandfoss was a perfect 9-for-9 passing for 160 yards and two TDs last week. Sandfoss also rushed for 39 yards and a TD. His top targets were Connor Powderly (59 yards, one TD), Finn Mayer (23 yards), and Isaac Troutman (13 yards)—who all had two receptions.
Junior RB Joseph Reuss carried the ball 10 times for 73 yards and a TD.
The Rockets’ defense was led by Josh Charron—who made six tackles last week. Matthew Powderly and Emmet Froman made four tackles each, and Max Hamilton made three tackles—all for loss.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Crusaders defeated Nashville (TN) Christ Presbyterian Academy at home, 42-14; and the Bombers won at Westerville North, 31-0.
Previous Meeting: Nov. 14, 2025; St. X won at Moeller, 17-13.
Intrigue: Greater Catholic League South matchup.
Moeller saw action from two QBs in last week’s win. Hunter Mclaughlin threw 11-of-12 completions for 120 yards and a TD while Nick Monserez completed 12-of-17 passes for 83 yards. Reggie Watson caught 10 passes for 113 yards and a TD.
Their top rusher was Juice Glover-Brown—who ran for 126 yards and three TDs on 13 touches. Monserez had 62 yards and a TD on four carries while Mclaughlin had a rushing TD as well.
The Crusaders’ D got two interceptions from Mason Tate in the win. Andrew Stofko made six tackles and one TFL while Brody Haag wrapped up five tackles, 1.5 TFL, and 0.5 sack.
St. Xavier’s Aidan Newdigate went 10-of-15 passing for 89 yards and a TD last week. Newdigate also led the team with 76 rushing yards and a TD on 16 carries. Logan Von Holle caught five passes for 59 yards and a TD.
The Bombers’ defense relied on Charlie Googins—who made nine tackles, a forced fumble, and a TFL. Griffin Lyons racked up five tackles, a TFL, and a sack. Braden Moore (a sack and a TFL) and Graham Uran made four tackles each.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Steubenville won at Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 21-16; and Indian Valley had a bye but won at New Philadelphia in Week 3, 37-14.
Previous Meeting: Aug. 29, 2025; Indian Valley won at Steubenville, 30-0.
Intrigue: Two of the top teams in their area matching up.
The Big Red play the toughest schedule in all of Division III, according to Fantastic 50. They’ve outscored their four opponents though, 148-51.
Indian Valley’s Ryker Williams is 27-for-40 passing for 566 yards with eight TDs and two INTs. Williams has also rushed for 143 yards and two TDs in 2026. Reese St. Clair has rushed for 292 yards and two TDs on 22 touches while also catching 10 balls for 239 yards and three receiving TDs.
The Braves’ defense is led by Logan Burrier—who has made 32 tackles, five TFL, two pass deflections, and a sack this year. Brett O’Connor has made 17 tackles, three pass breakups, and a TFL. Bradley Barr has 16 tackles, three TFL, and a sack. Carsen Hostetler made seven tackles, seven PBUs, and a fumble recovery.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Tigers beat Buffalo (NY) Canisius at home, 42-0; and the Eagles defeated Akron Archbishop Hoban at home, 17-14.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 19, 2025; Massillon defeated St. Ed at home, 21-14.
Intrigue: As big as a matchup can get!
Massillon’s Rasmus Haines was 8-for-12 passing for 148 yards, one TD, and one pick last week. Giorgio Jackson Jr. snagged three catches for 84 yards and a TD. Gary Yeager led the way on the ground with 77 yards and a TD on 10 attempts.
The Tigers’ defense was led by Brayton Feister with 10 tackles and 1.5 TFL a week ago. Isaac Maxheimer garnered eight tackles and one TFL. Anthony Hoover wrapped up five tackles and two TFL. Joseph Carter made two tackles, 1.5 TFL, and a sack.
St. Edward’s Langston Lucas went 7-for-14 passing for 93 yards, one TD, and one pick while carrying the pigskin 19 times for 116 yards and a TD. Ronnie Neal ran the ball 12 times for 50 yards and also caught two balls for 46 yards and a TD.
When: Fri. Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Vikings beat Cincinnati Sycamore at home, 56-7; and the Firebirds defeated Hamilton at home, 42-7.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 12, 2025; Princeton won at Lakota West, 27-10.
Intrigue: Battle for the top spot in the Greater Miami Conference.
Princeton’s Monsanna Torbert completed 6-of-9 passes for 146 yards and a TD while also rushing for 36 yards and an additional TD last week. Lorenzo McMullen Jr. caught three passes for 85 yards and a TD. Jordan Hall rushed for 56 yards and two TDs on three carries.
The Vikings defense saw Jon Civils make four tackles, 2.5 TFL, and 1.5 sacks in last week’s win. Jarvis Davis also had four tackles, and Terrance Jones Jr. made three tackles, 1.5 TFL, a PBU, and 0.5 sack. Ka’ronn Daugherty made two tackles, two TFL, and a deflection.
Lakota West used three different QBs in last week’s win: Jackson Smith (6-for-12 passing for 45 yards, two INTs); J.T. Munoz (3/4, 33 yards, one TD),;and Wyatt Schroeder (1/4, 62 yards).
Labron Lumpkins caught four balls for 91 yards, Karmelo Jordan made three receptions for 33 yards and a TD, and Xavier Ratica caught three passes for 29 yards.
Kenyon Norman rushed for 210 yards and four TDs on 14 attempts.
The Firebirds defense had four players lead with five tackles last week. Judah Blair (one sack, one TFL); TreVaughn Moore (one TFL); Owen Herring, and Roman Combs. Karson Jordan made two tackles, a sack, a TFL, a PBU, and a pick.
CENTRAL - Canal Winchester (2-2) @ Pickerington Central (1-3).
EAST - Girard (4-0) @ Sugarcreek Garaway (4-0).
NORTHEAST INLAND - Louisville (3-1) @ North Canton Hoover (2-2).
NORTHEAST LAKE - Cleveland Benedictine (3-1) @ Mentor Lake Catholic (2-2).
NORTHWEST - Wapakoneta (1-3) @ St. Marys Memorial (3-1).
SOUTHEAST - Albany Alexander (2-2) @ Wellston (2-2).
SOUTHWEST - Kettering Archbishop Alter (3-1) @ Bellbrook (4-0).
Let’s hope this weekend is competitive, healthy, and sportsmanlike!
