Here's a recap of the second round of the Ohio high school playoffs, focusing on the Northeast Ohio area:
Cleveland area
Division I
No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward 34, No. 8 Mentor 10 (Region 1)
In another meeting of Cleveland-area powerhouses, the St. Edward Eagles (11-1) used a 21-point fourth quarter to blow a 13-10 game wide open. Running back Cole Gest’s second of two touchdowns (210 yards on 26 carries) began the scoring explosion, a welcome turnaround from mistakes earlier in the game that ended more promising drives.
Mentor came within 13-10 in the third, but stalled offensively, resulting in a 1-of-12 conversion rate on third down.
St. Edward will face No. 5 Euclid (10-2) Saturday at Parma’s Byers Field.
No. 5 Euclid 49, No. 4 Westerville Central 24 (Region 1)
Euclid was trailing in the second. It didn’t last very long.
The Panthers (10-2) scored two touchdowns before halftime, seized momentum and rode it to a rout. Euclid’s Chris Collins scored two touchdowns in the third as the Panthers advanced to face top-seeded St. Edward on Saturday.
No. 2 Stow-Munroe Falls 24, No. 7 Solon 15 (Region 1)
As detailed above, Stow kept its undefeated season alive despite an outstanding defensive effort by Solon, which held star running back Jayson Gobble to 65 yards in the first half before exploding for 92 yards and two scores to clinch the game in the second half.
Division II
No. 4 Cleveland Glenville 27, No. 1 Grafton Midview 14 (Region 4)
Battling strong winds, the Tarblooders kept the ball on the ground for much of Friday night, grinding out a win over the top-seeded Middies. Junior running back Demerius Goodwin led the rushing attack, gaining 174 yards on 34 carries.
Marcus Drish’s 59-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Davis was one of the few air triumphs in the game, which gave Glenville an early 10-0 lead.
Glenville will face No. 2 Perrysburg at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Huron High School.
No. 2 Perrysburg 48, No. 3 Avon 21 (Region 4)
An air campaign that resulted in 408 yards and six touchdowns from quarterback Trevor Hafner propelled Perrysburg to a blowout victory over the Avon Eagles on Friday night.
To add to his importance to the win, Hafner also returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown. The quarterback found a reliable friend in teammate Noah Lenz, who hauled in 19 passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns as the passing attack was insurmountable for an Avon team that entered the game with a 10-1 record.
The Eagles came within six points of tying the score early in the third, but Hafner’s accuracy was too much for Avon.
Division III
No. 1 Cleveland Benedictine 31, No. 5 Bay Village Bay 10 (Region 8)
Quite possibly one of the most talented teams in Northeast Ohio, Benedictine (12-0) continued its rampage through Region 8, dominating Bay Village Bay for the Bengals’ 24th straight victory. As if its offensive talent and speed wasn’t enough, Benedictine’s defense limited Bay to 116 yards.
Quarterback Brian Schoeffler completed 13 of 20 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the win, but it's a total team effort for the Bengals week in and week out.
Benedictine is a force with which to be reckoned, a task for which Toledo Central Catholic will be responsible on Friday.
Division IV
No. 3 Mantua Crestwood 40, No. 7 Parma Heights Holy Name 26 (Region 11)
The Crestwood Red Devils continued their dream season with a resounding victory over Holy Name, thanks in part to running back Logan Thut’s 170 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Not to be forgotten, senior A.J. Foulkes churned up 101 yards on the ground and scored three times as the Red Devils grabbed a sizable lead early and outlasted a Holy Name team that would not go down easily. The Green Wave managed to cut the deficit to seven points in the fourth, but could get no closer.
