NEO High School Football Playoff Week 4: St. Edward rolls, plus championship game picks

The Ohio high school football state championships are finally here with two teams in each of the state’s seven divisions fighting for the championship trophy. This past weekend saw some great matchups between many worthy teams. But, the weekend cut the field to just two teams in each division. There were close games like Kirtland versus Grandview Heights and blowouts like St. Edward versus Stow. One of my favorite weekends of the year is nearly here with a lot of fun high school football action to come from Columbus.

So, let’s take a look at what happened in Week 4 of the high school football playoffs along with previewing my picks for the seven championship games.

NEO High School Recaps: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Playoff Predictions | Playoff Week 1 | Playoff Week 2 | Playoff Week 3 | Playoff Week 4

Ohio High School Football Playoff Scores

DIVISION I

No. 1 St. Edward 45 No. 2 Stow 7

No. 3 Huber Heights Wayne 28 No. 1 Cincinnati Colerain 21

DIVISION II

No. 1 Massillon Perry 10 No. 5 Hudson 7

No. 1 Cincinnati La Salle 49 No. 2 Perrysburg 28

DIVISION III

No. 1 Archbishop Hoban 33 No. 3 Zanesville 21

No. 2 Toledo Central Catholic 21 No. 3 Trotwood-Madison 13

DIVISION IV

No. 1 Columbus Bishop Hartley 26 No. 1 Middletown Fenwick 14

No. 1 Steubenville 28 No. 5 Youngstown Ursuline 0

DIVISION V

No. 3 Canton Central Catholic 17 No. 1 Milan Edison 14

No. 3 Coldwater 36 No. 1 Wheelersburg 6

DIVISION VI

No. 1 Kirtland 13 No. 3 Grandview Heights 9

No. 1 Maria Stein Marion Local 34 No. 2 Defiance Tinora 10

DIVISION VII

No. 2 Mogadore 35 No. 1 Danville 21

No. 3 Fort Recovery 35 No. 1 McComb 14

Best Performance

No. 1 St. Edward beats No. 2 Stow, 45-7

No. 1 St. Edward showed their top billing this past weekend trouncing No. 2 Stow 45-7. The game was never close with the Eagles taking a commanding 38-0 lead at halftime. The defense for St. Edward suffocated Stow’s usual high-powered offense. The defense held Stow to just 110 total yards and a total of seven first downs. Stow’s star running back Jayson Gobble had no running room, rushing for only 22 yards on 12 carries. The Eagles offense was just as impressive as its defense. In just a half, Eagles quarterback Jimmy Keefe completed 14 of 16 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Cole Gest rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Both players did not play in the second half. The Eagles offense had 342 total yards on their way to another championship game birth. St. Edward will face Huber Heights Wayne for the second straight championship game this coming weekend.

Best Individual Performance

RB Todd Sibley, Archbishop Hoban

Archbishop Hoban received a clutch performance from their star running back, Todd Sibley, who helped them advance to their first state championship game appearance. Sibley, an Ohio State commit, rushed 19 times for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Sibley scored both touchdowns in the third quarter, helping Hoban to extend their halftime lead to a then 26-7 lead. He was responsible for the team’s only offensive touchdowns of the game.

Last Week’s 5 Big Game Picks Results

St. Edward over Stow RIGHT

Huber Heights Wayne over Colerain RIGHT

Hudson over Massillon Perry WRONG

Archbishop Hoban over Zanesville RIGHT

Steubenville over Youngstown Ursuline RIGHT

Overall Playoff Prediction Record: 8-7

State Championship Game Picks

Division I: St. Edward vs. Huber Heights Wayne

My Pre-Playoff Pick: Huber Heights Wayne

My Game Pick: Huber Heights Wayne

St. Edward Player to Watch: RB Cole Gest

Huber Heights Player to Watch: QB Messiah DeWeaver

Division II– Massillon Perry vs. Cincinnati La Salle

My Pre-Playoff Pick: Cincinnati La Salle

My Game Pick: Cincinnati La Salle

Massillon Perry Player to Watch: RB Keishaun Sims

Cincinnati La Salle Player to Watch: RB Jeremy Larkin

Division III– Archbishop Hoban vs. Toledo Central Catholic

My Pre-Playoff Pick: Benedictine

My Game Pick: Toledo Central Catholic

Archbishop Hoban Player to Watch: RB Todd Sibley

Toledo Central Catholic Player to Watch: RB Michael Warren

Division IV– Columbus Bishop Hartley vs. Steubenville

My Pre-Playoff Pick: Steubenville

My Game Pick: Steubenville

Columbus Bishop Hartley Player to Watch: RB Quri Hickman

Steubenville Player to Watch: RB Johnnie Blue

Division V– Canton Central Catholic vs. Coldwater

My Pre-Playoff Pick: Coldwater

My Game Pick: Coldwater

Canton Central Catholic Player to Watch: WR/CB John Colangelo

Coldwater Player to Watch: QB Jack Hemmelgarn

Division VI– Kirtland vs. Maria Stein Marion Local

My Pre-Playoff Pick: Maria Stein Marion Local

My Game Pick: Maria Stein Marion Local

Kirtland Player to Watch: RB/DB Joey Bates

Maria Stein Marion Local Player to Watch: RB Aaron Nietfield

Division VII– Mogadore vs. Fort Recovery

My Pre-Playoff Pick: Warren John F. Kennedy

My Game Pick: Mogadore

Mogadore Player to Watch: RB Austin Williams

Fort Recovery Player to Watch: RB Will Homan

All stats come from Cleveland.com