THE 10 BEST GAMES TO SEE IN OHIO - WEEK THREE
By Kyle Holsinger
Welcome back and thanks for reading! With all the data needed to write these articles, there is not a realistic way to write these particular articles by Monday. The 10 Best Games to See in Ohio will be a Wednesday release from now on.
Let’s get right to it. We got some exciting games this week…
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Redmen won at Wauseon, 42-21; and the Whippets won at Lexington, 48-6.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 5, 2025; Shelby won at Bellevue, 49-6.
Intrigue: Bellevue quarterback Ike Brown was 12-for-27 passing for 171 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception while also gaining 124 rushing yards and two TDs on eight carries in last week’s win. Brown’s top targets were Caden Cramer (four receptions for 82 yards and a TD) and Justin Bucher (four for 41 yards and a TD).
Evan Bova also rushed for 40 yards and a TD on 13 rushing attempts.
Kicker Zach Moses was 6-of-6 on point-after-tries.
On defense for Bellevue, Coal Schochow had a sack, Maddex Bailey forced a fumble, and Landon Sartor had a fumble recovery.
Shelby QB Michael Sheppard was 13-of-19 passing for 190 yards and two TDs while also gaining 19 rushing yards and two more TDs last week. Brady Bowman caught two balls for 25 yards while also returning a punt 54 yards for a TD.
Gavin Baker toted the rock 11 times for 104 yards and two TDs. Luke Blevins had 55 yards on three rushes.
The Whippets’ defense gave up only 14 passing yards and 54 rushing yards in last week’s win.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Knights lost at home to Fort Wayne (IN) Bishop Dwenger, 35-0; and the Pirates won at Toledo Scott, 58-6.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 5, 2025; St. Francis defeated Perkins at home, 30-24.
Intrigue: St. Francis’ offense only mustered 102 yards of total offense last week against the defending Class 4A state champion in Indiana.
Knights QB Thomas Nowowiejski went 8-for-14 passing for 62 yards. Nowowiejski’s primary receiver was Brayden Gonzales—who had two catches for 29 yards. Running back Braylon Pokrywka ran the ball 11 times for 28 yards.
Defensively, the Knights gave up 318 yards.
Perkins QB Grant Kuhnle completed 10-of-16 passes for 223 yards and a TD in their previous game. J.J. Green also completed 5-of-6 passes for 55 yards and a TD. Their top receivers were Bryce Davie (three catches for 103 yards); Kaden Legando (three for 32 yards and two two-point conversion catches); Davon Johnson (three for 29 yards, one TD); and Levi Jackson (two for 56 yards).
Jackson was also the Pirates’ leading rusher with 38 yards and a TD on seven touches. JoJo Moore carried the ball six times for 22 yards and two TDs.
On defense last week, Sam Oprazadek led the team with nine tackles and a sack in last week’s victory. Boden Ballinger had six tackles, a forced fumble and recovery, a blocked PAT, a defensive TD, and 0.5 sack. Davie also returned an interception for a TD.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Blue Devils won at Utica, 39-13; and the Eagles lost at Seneca East, 28-12.
Previous Meeting: Nov. 13, 1998; Monroeville beat Danville in the Region 21 semifinals at Wooster Follis Field, 56-42.
Intrigue: According to Drew Pasteur’s Ohio Fantastic 50 website, Danville is one of the most improved teams in Division VII and the entire state as a whole. They also have one of the toughest schedules in Division VII so performing well is definitely key if the Blue Devils want to make a deep playoff run.
Pasteur has Danville as the top-rated team in Region 27. Although Marion Local is a heavy favorite for the state title, Danville is given a small chance at winning the Division VII crown.
Monroeville is coming off of two losses to start the season—losing on the road to McComb and Seneca East. Although there’s a chance that the Eagles can earn a playoff berth with five wins, they could be sitting at home on Week 11 so every game counts. Danville is likely going to be Monroeville’s toughest opponent this season.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Silver Knights won at Licking Heights, 34-21; and the Tigers won at Carey, 21-17.
Previous Meeting: First meeting.
Intrigue: Bishop Ready has opened the season with a couple wins by 13 or more points, but Galion is likely the toughest opponent on the Silver Knights schedule. A win would garner Ready a lot of computer points and thus all but guarantee a playoff berth. A loss wouldn’t discount the Knights from the playoffs though.
Galion came back from behind to beat Carey on the road last week after a tough road loss in Week 1 to St. Marys Memorial. As you can gather from their first two opponents, the Tigers have one of the toughest schedules in all of Division V.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: The Chieftains won at Huron, 37-0; and the Eagles lost at Fairfield Union, 20-14.
Previous Meeting: First meeting.
Intrigue: Hopewell’s Kellen Frankart tallied three rushing TDs and a two-point conversion last game. Brody Brickman scored on a 15-yard pass from Jacoby Ellis while also scoring on an 85-yard run.
Colonel Crawford’s Roen Thew completed 12-of-23 passes for 187 yards and two TDs while rushing for 88 yards on 17 attempts. Thew’s top target was Parker Weithman—who made six receptions for 84 yards and a TD.
On defense, Trey Bruner, Carson Rader, Patrick Troiano, and Weithman each had seven tackles in the loss. Thew had six tackles and one TFL.
AREA HONORABLE MENTION - Ontario (2-0) @ Tiffin Columbian (2-0); Wynford (1-1) @ Upper Sandusky (1-1); and Waynesfield-Goshen (1-1) @ Elgin (2-0).
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Crestview beat Cortland Lakeview at home, 34-14; United lost to Mineral Ridge at home, 31-28.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 5, 2025; Crestview won at United, 34-7.
Intrigue: Crestview junior QB Braydon Meier completed 11-of-22 passes for 133 yards and three TDs while also rushing for 52 yards on two carries in last week’s win. Meier’s top target was junior Hayden Davis—who had five receptions for 78 yards and two TDs.
Trevor McElhaney rushed for 134 yards on 19 carries.
On defense, Bo Julian made 10 tackles and a pass breakup a week ago. Junior Owen Finley had six tackles, two PBUs, and an INT. Shane Bacon made seven tackles, and Dylan Stoffer had three tackles, one sack, and a PBU.
United had nine first downs, 235 total yards with 191 yards on the ground and 44 through the air in last week’s loss.
The ground game was led by QB Tom Brown’s 106 yards on 19 carries and M’Kyan Haynes’ 73 yards on 13 touches. Brown was 2-for-5 passing for 44 yards, one TD, and one pick. Kota Shasteen (40 yards) and Jordan Kidder (four yards) each had a reception.
Defensively, the Eagles gave up 15 first downs, 368 total yards with 244 passing yards and 124 rushing yards last week. They also had eight penalties for 61 yards.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Avon lost to Gibsonia (PA) Pine-Richland at home, 48-18; Upper Arlington beat Delaware Olentangy Berlin, 24-0.
Previous Meeting: First meeting.
Intrigue: Avon QB Trevor Sykora completed 14-of-28 passes for 93 yards, one TD, and three INTs. Michael Colburn had eight rushes for 65 yards and a TD. Fin Jerdonek made four receptions for 54 yards and a TD.
Defensively, the Eagles gave up 48 points—allowing Pine-Richland’s QB to run for 124 yards and two TDs while also passing for 86 yards and another TD.
Upper Arlington had dominated their first two opponents by a score of 64-7. They’ve performed about as well as any team in the state considering the opponents were Olentangy and Olentangy Berlin.
The Golden Bears have gone 69 games without allowing an opponent to score 40 or more points, and 28 games since an opponent has scored 30 or more points.
Pasteur has Upper Arlington as the favorite to win Region 3. That’s the best chance of any team in Division I winning their region at the moment. The Golden Bears also stand at a 13-percent chance of winning the Division I state title—second only to Lakota West’s 15-percent.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Lake beat Youngstown Boardman at home, 27-0; Rocky River won at Cleveland John Marshall, 63-0.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 5, 2025; Lake defeated Rocky River at home, 34-28.
Intrigue: Lake QB Wyatt Jones went 7-for-14 passing for 88 yards and a TD.
Ty DeGeorge carried the rock 17 times for 139 yards and three TDs to go with five catches for 49 yards.
The Blue Streak defense gave up 159 yards while intercepting Youngstown Boardman three times. Two interceptions were by Mitch Wise while Marquel Skillern snagged the other.
Rocky River junior QB Carter Atwater was 7-for-9 passing for 214 yards and four TDs last week. Senior receivers Danny Berg (68 yards, one TD), Tristin Hughes (38 yards) and Chase Smalley (10 yards, one TD) each had two receptions. Hughes was the team’s leading rusher when his only rush went 35 yards to the house.
Defensively, the Pirates’ Jackson Greear had three tackles, three TFL, and one sack in their last game. Bryant Hurt had three tackles and two TFL. Joey Loomis, Kevin O’Donnell, and Charlie Pullar each had four tackles.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Tri-Valley lost to Granville at home, 24-21; Clinton-Massie lost to Coldwater at home, 14-6.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 5, 2025; Tri-Valley beat Clinton-Massie at home, 35-0.
Intrigue: Tri-Valley QB Stone Spiker was 7-of-17 passing for 133 yards in last week’s loss. Lucca Gargasz grabbed three balls for 97 yards.
This will be one of the tougher opponents the Scotties will face this year.
On the other side of that, this will also be the toughest test remaining on Clinton-Massie’s schedule.
Clinton-Massie gained 16 first downs and 235 yards in last week’s loss. On the ground, the Falcons amassed 203 yards while gaining 32 through the air.
Ty Martin gained 104 yards on 18 runs while Brady Gray rushed for 66 yards on 18 carries.
Brody Webb completed 4-of-6 passes for 32 yards while also rushing for 23 yards. Webb’s primary receiver was Cash Burton—who had two catches for 13 yards. On defense, Burton also had an interception.
The Falcon defense gave up eight first downs and 242 total yards—153 rushing and 89 passing yards.
Kicker Jace Horner made a 25- and 20-yard field goal respectively in the game.
When: Fri. Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Kirtland won at Poland Seminary, 36-34; Perry won at Chagrin Falls Kenston, 45-12.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 5, 2025; Kirtland beat Perry at home, 44-24.
Intrigue: Kirtland’s Tommy Caimi rushed for 238 yards and two scores last week. The Hornets rushed for 412 yards and passed for 24 yards for 436 total offensive yards.
The Hornets’ defense gave up 339 rushing yards and 59 passing yards for 398 total defensive yards.
Perry senior QB Nate Trefzger was 7-for-13 passing for 191 yards and two TDs. Classmate Brody Krantz caught three passes for 79 yards and two TDs.
This is a rivalry game between teams that have state aspirations.
CENTRAL - Grove City (2-0) @ Hilliard Bradley (1-1)
EAST - Brookfield (2-0) @ Toronto (2-0)
NORTHEAST INLAND - Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (1-1) @ Macedonia Nordonia (2-0)
NORTHEAST LAKE - Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (1-1) @ Gates Mills Hawken (2-0)
NORTHWEST - Ashland Mapleton (1-1) @ Crestline (1-1)
SOUTHEAST - Jackson (1-1) @ Wheelersburg (1-1)
SOUTHWEST - Union City Mississinawa Valley (0-2) @ Bradford(1-1)
Hopefully, everyone has a healthy, competitive, and sportsmanlike weekend!
