NEO High School Football Week 3: Top teams fall and a new No. 1

Week 3 of high school football in Northeast Ohio has completely turned the football scene on its head. Two of my top three teams lost in Week 3, changing the landscape of high school football in Northeast Ohio. Beyond those surprises, we also saw some spectacular individual performances.

So with that, let’s take a look at what happened in Week 3 of the high school football season in Northeast Ohio.

NEO High School Recaps: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3

Notable Scores from Northeast Ohio

Cincinnati St. Xavier 59 Mentor 13

St. Joseph Regional (N.J.) 22 St. Edward 20

St. Ignatius 41 Valley Forge 0

Benedictine 28 Holy Name 0

Midview 49 Amherst 10

Berea-Midpark 41 North Ridgeville 21

Archbishop Hoban 27 Youngstown Ursuline 0

Avon 41 North Olmsted 40

Mayfield 31 Garfield Heights 6

Glenville 20 Cleveland Heights 7

Maple Heights 34 Eastlake North 9

Nordonia 38 Dover 7

St. Vincent-St. Mary 10 Lake Catholic 7

Brecksville 22 Brunswick 16

Bay 34 Fairview 17

Stow 42 Firestone 16

Aurora 31 Twinsburg 14

Elyria 33 Shaw 0

Bedford 41 John Adams 0

Perry 27 Madison 26

Solon 50 St. Thomas More Catholic 7

Hudson 31 North Canton Hoover 7

Strongsville 49 Brush 14

Highland 21 North Royalton 7

Recap of the Top Matchup of the Week

Mentor falls to Cincinnati St. Xavier 59-13

One of the most surprising outcomes of the early season was Cincinnati St. Xavier’s trouncing of my former No. 1 team, Mentor. The game was never really close. St. Xavier got out to a fast start, leading 21-0 after the first quarter. The game was all but over at halftime when the Bombers went into the locker room with 45-6 lead over the Cardinals. The high-powered Mentor offense was stymied by St. Xavier’s defense, only mustering a total of 130 yards in the game. The St. Xavier offense was unstoppable, totaling 467 yards and scoring on every possession in the first half except for one. It was a crushing defeat for the former No. 1 team that won a shootout versus St. Ignatius the previous week.

Best Performance

Berea-Midpark beats North Ridgeville 41-21

Berea-Midpark moved to 3-0 on the season by beating previously undefeated North Ridgeville. The Titans were able to run the ball very well, scoring five touchdowns on the ground. The backfield duo of quarterback Nick Gassman and running back Shawn Epps scored two touchdowns apiece, with Epps leading the team with 145 yards. But the most impressive part of the win was the Titans defense. North Ridgeville star running back Demario McCall is tough to handle, but the Titans defense did a pretty good job in the victory. McCall scored three touchdowns in the first half, but was shut out in the second half. He also only mustered a total of 100 yards rushing in the game. Berea-Midpark added to its great season with another good win this week.

Biggest Surprise

Mentor falls to Cincinnati St. Xavier 59-13

Mentor’s loss to Cincinnati St. Xavier is not a huge surprise, but the way that they got completely crushed by the Bombers was. Mentor came into the week as my No. 1 team in Northeast Ohio, coming off a great win over St. Ignatius. But, their performance this past weekend was a complete 180 from that victory over the Wildcats. The Cardinals offense was shut down, scoring only 13 points in the game and mustering only 130 yards of total offense. It was a complete surprise to me that the Mentor Cardinals could be slowed down that much and blown out by such a big margin.

Best Individual Performance

Nick Best, Bay

Bay is 3-0 on the season after beating Fairview 34-17 behind the dominant running of Nick Best. The running back rushed 20 times for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the game. His scores came from four yards, 67 yards, and 80 yards in the victory. Best also plays on defense for the Rockets. Bay is a rising team in Northeast Ohio behind the talented running back/linebacker.

Top 10

10. Glenville (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 10

Past Week: Defeated Cleveland Heights 20-7

Next Week: vs John Marshall on Friday

Glenville got back on track this week, beating Cleveland Heights 20-7. This week, the Tarblooders begin their cruise through the Cleveland Senate League, which they have dominated over the last decade. Glenville remains No. 10 in my rankings this week.

9. Avon (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 8

Past Week: Defeated North Olmsted 41-40

Next Week: vs No. 2 Midview on Friday

Avon continued their undefeated season with a nail-biter win over North Olmsted in three overtimes. A missed extra point by North Olmsted in the third overtime was the difference. Avon slips down one spot to No. 9 in my rankings.

8. Mayfield (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 9

Past Week: Defeated Garfield Heights 36-6

Next Week: vs Willoughby South on Friday

Mayfield saw another strong showing by running back Michael Canganelli in their victory over Garfield Heights. Canganelli rushed 21 times for 206 yards and four touchdowns. Canganelli and Mayfield’s dominant performance earns them a one-spot raise to No. 8 this week.

7. Archbishop Hoban (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 7

Past Week: Defeated Youngstown Ursuline 27-0

Next Week: vs Toledo Woodward on Friday

Archbishop Hoban continued their undefeated roll this week with a win over Youngstown Ursuline. OSU running back commit Todd Sibley rushed 31 times for 154 yards and a touchdown in the win. Hoban remains at No. 7 in my rankings this week.

6. Berea-Midpark (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 6

Past Week: Defeated North Ridgeville 41-21

Next Week: vs Amherst on Friday

Berea-Midpark had one of the more impressive performances this week in beating North Ridgeville. The Titans were able to hold Demario McCall and North Ridgeville to just 21 points. Berea-Midpark holds steady at No. 6.

5. St. Ignatius (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 3

Past Week: Defeated Valley Forge 41-0

Next Week: at St. Joseph Prep (PA) on Saturday

St. Ignatius had another easy win this week, beating Valley Forge 41-0. The Wildcats schedule gets harder later in the season, and that will really show how good they are this year. St. Ignatius falls down two spots to No. 5 this week, getting passed by two undefeated teams.

4. Mentor (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 1

Past Week: Lost to Cincinnati St. Xavier 59-13

Next Week: vs Euclid on Friday

Mentor had the biggest drop in my rankings after they were trounced 59-13 by St. Xavier. The Cardinals looked completely different this week after winning a big game versus St. Ignatius in Week 2. The Cardinals’ loss moves them to No. 4 in my rankings this week.

3. St. Edward (2-1)

Last Week Ranking: 2

Past Week: Lost to St. Joseph Regional (NJ) 22-20

Next Week: vs Cincinnati Elder on Saturday

St. Edward lost their first game of the season when they traveled to New Jersey to play St. Joseph Regional Prep. The Eagles lost a close game to one of the better high school teams in the country. The Eagles move down only one spot to No. 3 with their close loss this past week.

2. Midview (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 4

Past Week: Defeated Amherst 49-10

Next Week: at No. 9 Avon on Friday

Midview was dominant once again this week behind their star quarterback Dustin Crum. Crum threw four touchdowns and rushed for one in their 49-10 victory over Amherst this week. This week will be their first real test, when they travel to play No. 9 Avon. Midview’s big win moves them up to No. 2 in my rankings this week.

1. Benedictine (3-0)

Last Week Ranking: 5

Past Week: Defeated Holy Name 28-0

Next Week: at University School on Saturday

Benedictine is my new No. 1 team in this week’s rankings. The Bengals continued their undefeated season with 28-0 shutout win over Holy Name. Benedictine has an explosive offense with stars in both the rushing and passing game. The Bengals have had big wins already this season, with more tough matchups against the likes of Lake Catholic and Archbishop Hoban coming later this season.

Top Matchup Next Week

No. 2 Midview at No. 9 Avon

Dustin Crum and No.2 Midview travel to No. 9 Avon this week in one of the bigger matchups of the week. The matchup pits two of the best quarterbacks in the area in Midview’s Dustin Crum and Avon’s Jake Sopko. The true test will be whether Avon’s defense can slow down the dominant offense of Midview. Quarterback Dustin Crum has been shredding defenses with both his arm and legs. The game will be an offensive shootout, but I believe Midview will pull away with the win.

All stats come from Cleveland.com