Round 3 for the Cleveland area saw one parochial power roll to the Region 1 final, while another was upset in a double-overtime thriller. Here are the results from the weekend in high school football:
Division I
Region 1
No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward 33,
No. 5 Euclid 0
Much like its win over Mentor, St. Edward just proved to be too much for its opponent to handle.
This time, though, it was the defense that carried the Eagles.
In rain, wind and generally miserable conditions, St. Edward limited Euclid’s offense to 112 yards rushing on 50 carries. The Panthers were shut out for the first time all season.
Meanwhile, the Eagles’ Cole Gest ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries to help a St. Edward team that realistically only needed one of those scores to triumph. It might need more next week, when the Eagles face the multitalented Bulldogs of Stow-Munroe Falls in the Region 1 final at 7 p.m. Saturday at Parma Byers Field.
Division II
Region 4
No. 2 Perrysburg 50,
No. 4 Cleveland Glenville 19
Perrysburg had a wildly productive offense even before Friday night’s game against the Glenville Tarblooders.
Glenville’s mistakes didn’t help its cause, either.
The Tarblooders turned the ball over five times and struggled mightily to stop the Yellow Jackets’ offense, which scored four times on plays 42 yards or greater. An interception of quarterback Marcus Drish in the third quarter was the final blow, leading to another Perrysburg touchdown that put the game out of reach for the Tarblooders, who finish their season at 11-2.
Division III
Region 8
No. 2 Toledo Central Catholic 31,
No. 1 Cleveland Benedictine 30 (2 OT)
In a stunning turn of events, the highly touted Benedictine Bengals will not be playing for even an appearance in the state title game, coming up short at least a week earlier than most expected.
It was a win-or-go-home call that ultimately sent the Bengals packing.
In a back-and-forth game between two familiar foes, Benedictine head coach Joe Schaefer faced a fork in the road, and took the path less traveled, but with the greater reward. His players didn’t find that holy grail on the one shot they had, as receiver Justin Layne’s running pass attempt rose much too high for intended receiver Shawn Lozada, and Benedictine’s two-point conversion attempt failed in double overtime.
It was a crushing end to the Bengals’ 24-game winning streak, coming weeks earlier than they had hoped. Toledo Central Catholic, on the other hand, redeemed itself for an opening-week loss to Benedictine on national television, and also happened to secure a trip to the Division III final four, where the Irish will face Trotwood-Madison.
Division VI
Region 19
No. 1 Kirtland 34,
No. 6 Cuyahoga Heights 13
The Redskins of Cuyahoga Heights saw their memorable season come to a painful end against conference rival Kirtland, which completed the daunting task of defeating the same team twice in one season.
Joey Bates rushed for two touchdowns and recovered a fumble on defense that proved to be a pivotal early point of the game, leading to a Kirkland touchdown and 13-6 halftime lead.
Windy conditions did the Redskins no favors, while the Hornets scored three times in the second half to pull away for a 21-point victory.
Kirtland will face Grandview Heights (12-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Madison Comprehensive High School.
