THE 10 BEST GAMES TO SEE IN THE AREA IN WEEK THREE
By Kyle Holsinger
The following are the ten best high school football games played by schools within the Heart of Ohio Sports coverage area in Week 3. These will be a weekly article that come out on Tuesdays.
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 is last week's article: https://heartofohiosports.com/high-school-football-week-2-top-10-local-games-to-watch/
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Bucyrus lost at Triad, 19-12; Cardington-Lincoln lost at Mohawk, 54-6.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Cardington-Lincoln won at Bucyrus, 36-28.
Intrigue: Bucyrus ran for 186 yards last week with Demaris Munn-Page being a big part of their offensive attack. Munn-Page had 253 all-purpose yards last week with 161 rushing yards and a TD, a 82-yard kick-six, and an additional 10 yards receiving.
One positive for the Redmen defense was that they held Triad to 89 passing yards.
Cardington-Lincoln was dominated last week by Mohawk. As they go into Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play, wins are going to be hard to come by. The Pirates will need to get a W this week if they want any shot of making the playoffs.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Sandusky lost at Fremont Ross, 21-14; Lorain won at Elyria, 47-13.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Sandusky beat Lorain at home, 30-23.
Intrigue: Sandusky’s Dale Johnson was 8-of-21 throwing the ball for 211 yards and two TDs, one to Amir Aaron and one to Makyveon Lately in last week’s defeat. They only mustered 38 rushing yards against rival Fremont Ross.
The Blue Streaks gave up 193 yards rushing last week.
Lorain QB Chase Davis was 11-of-20 passing for 187 yards passing with a couple TDs and an INT in Week 2. Senior WR Jairo Williams had seven receptions for 128 yards as well as 45 rushing yards and two rushing TDs in last week’s victory. Ocir Kimble rushed for 96 yards and a TD on nine attempts as well in the contest.
The Titan defense allowed just 20 yards rushing and intercepted two passes last week against Elyria.
When: Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Calvert lost to Monroeville at home, 23-9; St. Paul lost to Milan Edison at home, 41-2.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Calvert beat St. Paul at home, 35-25.
Intrigue: Calvert is led offensively by freshman Tucker Coleman. Coleman is 16-of-25 for 252 yards, two TDs, and two INTs this season. Cal Warnament has 239 rushing yards after two games with a couple TDs. Logan Demoss has four catches for 121 yards and John Schumacher has six catches for 84 yards on the season.
Demoss and Schumacher also lead the Seneca defense in tackles with 17 and 15, respectively.
St. Paul had 114 total yards in their lost last week to Edison. They 1-of-10 on third down conversions, and unfortunately fumbled twice to make things tougher against an already tough opponent.
The Flyers’ have faced a turbulent non-league schedule, but hope to land into Firelands Conference play with a win this week. It’d go a long way to seeing them make the postseason.
When: Saturday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m.
Last Week: Carey lost to Galion at home, 14-8; Lima Central Catholic beat Delphos St. John’s at home, 14-13.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Carey beat Lima Central Catholic at home, 28-14.
Intrigue: Carey QB Kyler Boes 8-of-23 passing for 82 yards and 4 INTs on the year. Eli Steen is the backbone of the offense with 205 yards rushing and a TD.
The Blue Devil defense is led by Dash Puckett and Mace Puckett, who have 18 tackles, 3.5 TFLs each after a couple games. Louis Watkins has 17 tackles with 5.5 TFLs.
Lima Central Catholic plays one of the toughest schedules in Division VII, and this week will not be any different. That being said, the Thunderbirds are going to have to claw their way into the Region 26 tournament and take every win they can get.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Fremont Ross beat Sandusky at home, 21-14; Perrysburg beat Marysville at home, 37-0.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Perrysburg won at Fremont Ross, 49-20.
Intrigue: This is one of the toughest opponents on Fremont Ross’ schedule this season. The only shot at a home playoff game that the Little Giants have is to knock off someone like the Yellow Jackets.
Perrysburg senior QB Josh Takats completed 10-of-21 passes for 212 yards and three TDs last week. Senior WR Dominick Woods had three catches for 110 yards and two TDs, and senior TE Tivan Bennett had five catches for 97 yards in the dominate win over Marysville.
The Yellow Jacket defense only gave up 47 yards passing and had one interception while only giving up 133 yards rushing.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Gibsonburg won at Seneca East, 56-34; Milan Edison won at Norwalk St. Paul, 41-2.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Edison won at Gibsonburg, 42-6.
Intrigue: Gibsonburg ran for 394 yards last week with sophomores Grant Smith and Reece Walby running for 195 and 134 yards, respectively.
The Golden Bear defense gave up 396 total yards, but did force four turnovers in Week 2. Walby had two interceptions to help the cause.
Edison downed the Flyers last week, gaining 320 offensive yards with 145 through the air and 175 on the ground for a fairly balanced attack.
The Chargers defense gave up only 5 passing yards and 114 total yards on defense.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Danville won at Utica, 24-14; Hopewell-Loudon won at Pleasant, 36-15.
Previous Meeting: First meeting.
Intrigue: Danville senior QB Jacob Hackman is 13-of-22 for 175 yards, one TD, and one INT on the season. Hackman also has 123 yards rushing on the year. Senior RB Aiden Burke has 305 yards rushing and three TDs so far in 2024. Freshman RB Cyren Wallace has 87 return, 55 rushing, and 12 receiving yards to be a top contributor to his team.
The Blue Devils defense is lead by senior MLB Joshua Byers, who has 27 tackles on the year. Blake Colopy has 17 tackles with 2 TFL for the Danville D.
Hopewell-Loudon’s Braylon Martinez is an all-around spark for his team’s offensive attack. Martinez has 188 kick return yards, 116 receiving yards, 98 rushing yards, and he’s 7-for-7 on PAT kicks. Quarterback Jacoby Ellis has thrown 23-of-34 passes complete for 354 yards, two TDs, and one INT. Jack Colatruglio has caught 11 balls for 223 yards and a TD. Kellen Frankart adds 65 passing, 46 rushing, and four receiving yards to his team’s offensive cause.
The Chieftains defense is led by Mason Reinhart, who 22 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble so far in 2024. Colatruglio leads the team with two INTs.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Perkins won at Parma Padua Franciscan 35-0; Rocky River won at Cleveland John Marshall, 42-14.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Perkins beat Rocky River at home, 59-28.
Intrigue: Battle of the Pirates!
Perkins’ Isaac Bunts has ran for 275 yards and seven TDs with 67 receiving yards in just two games. Quarterback Sam Schweinfurth is 27-of-39 for 383 yards, four TDs, and one INT. Braylon Collier has 10 receptions for 130 yards with three TDs. Collier is also averaging 43 yards per punt this season.
The Pirate defense hasn’t given up a single point and has only given up 94 yards total after two games this season. As a unit, they Perkins defense has had five interceptions so far.
After throwing five passing TDs last week, Rocky River junior QB Ryan Taylor is 33-of-46 passing for 457 yards with eight TDs and one INT. Taylor also has 74 yards rushing and a rushing TD to boot. Junior RB Joey Disalvo leads the team in rushing with 105 yards on 18 attempts. Senior WR Cameron Bulkowski has 13 catches for 187 yards and 3 TDs. Senior Josh Mommers has six receptions for 92 yards and two TDs.
Defensively, Mommers leads the team with 16 tackles, one TFL Ben Kuhnen has eleven tackles and two TFLs.
When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Southview won at Toledo Waite, 41-6; Findlay lost to Lima Senior at home, 35-31.
Previous Meeting: Sept. 1, 2023; Findlay won at Southview, 49-14.
Intrigue: Southview gained 335 yards in Week 2, 249 of which were on the ground. The Cougars were only in a third down scenario on offense thrice the entire game. They did give up two fumbles however.
The Cougars defense only gave up 66 rushing yards to Waite last week, and has only given up six points all season.
Findlay’s Israeal Moore 141 receiving yards, 51 rushing yards, and a 93-yard kick-six to give a jolt to the offense in the Post-Montgomery era.
The Trojan defense gave up a touchdown with less than 20 seconds remaining last week to come up short. I think they will be sufficiently motivated to do better in Week 3.
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.
Honorable Mention - East Cleveland Shaw @ Tiffin Columbian…Welcome to Tiffin, Cardinals.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next week!
