St. Edward travels to New York to play nation's No. 1 team: High School Football Insider East
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In Northeast Ohio, Thursday night's Mentor-Solon game probably was the most anticipated regular-season matchup in the area this season.
But nationally, most folks are paying attention to Saturday and St. Edward's long-anticipated game against Don Bosco Prep (N.J.), which is ranked No. 1 in four national polls and fifth in another. St. Edward's rankings range from fifth (USA Today) to 17th (Rivals.com). The game is at 6 p.m. at Fordham University in New York City and it is not on TV, but St. Edward will have an audio webcast. A link can be found at sehs.net online.
Both teams are defending state champions, and Bosco sports a 39-game winning streak while St. Edward has won 21 in a row.
Quite a collection of talent will be on the field. Two five-star recruits face off in the trenches -- St. Edward offensive tackle Kyle Kalis and Bosco defensive tackle Darius Hamilton -- and they are among nearly a dozen seniors expected to be major-college recruits.
Both tackles are the sons of NFL linemen. Michigan recruit Kalis (6-5, 300) is Rivals.com's No. 4-ranked offensive tackle, and is the son of former Vikings lineman Todd Kalis. Hamilton (6-4, 245) is Rivals' No. 2 defensive end and the son of former Giants star Keith Hamilton. Darius has more than 30 college offers and is uncommitted.
Kalis is among five St. Edward linemen who have made college commitments, including guard Tyler Orlosky (West Virginia), tight end Sam Grant (Boston College), defensive end Darryl Render (Pitt) and defensive tackle Greg Kuhar (Northwestern).
St. Edward has been led by junior tailback Dwayne Aaron. A hidden strength is at wideout with senior Quincy Jones, who has an offer from West Virginia, and junior Anthony Young, the state 200-meter champion. Bosco counters with a pair of four-star cornerback recruits, Yuri Wright and Elijah Shumate, both of whom are uncommitted.
Wright also plays wideout along with four-star recruit Leonte Carroo (Rutgers) and they will be defended by a trio of stellar St. Edward DBs, safeties Solomon Warfield and Domenic Abounader and corner Kirkland Bryant.
Bosco also features LB Mike Strizak (Boston College) and offensive lineman Tyler Samra (Connecticut). Bosco's highly regarded juniors include defensive end Al-Quadine Muhammad (6-4, 225) and FB/DE Razohnn Gross (5-11, 217). Tailback Jabrill Peppers is considered one of the nation's top-rated sophomores.
Bosco is coming off a 33-22 win over rival Bergen Catholic, a traditional New Jersey power, and earlier beat Mission Viejo (Calif.) and Manatee (Fla.), both of which are top-40 teams nationally. Bosco came from behind to beat Bergen Catholic and Manatee.
More Bosco: St. Edward and Don Bosco are not scheduled to play next year, but the schools are discussing a possible rematch, possibly in Ohio. Don Bosco's most recent loss was at Cincinnati St. Xavier in 2008.
Record surprise: Willoughby South junior tailback Kareem Hunt was unusually sore Saturday morning, to say nothing of his shock when he read Saturday's newspapers.
Hunt says he didn't learn until then he had rushed for 415 yards the night before against Chardon, setting a Lake County record. According to a list compiled by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, it ranks as the 21st-highest rushing total in state history.
"I figured it was about a 300-yard game. It didn't feel like 400," Hunt said.
Hunt (5-11, 185) was well aware he had seven touchdowns, which also is a county record. He scored 44 points, including a two-point conversion.
Hunt had touchdown runs of 53, 40, 12 and 34 yards before his 77-yarder in the third quarter tied the game, 35-35. His TD runs of 14 and 30 yards in the fourth quarter won the game, 49-35, and kept South (4-2, 3-0) atop the Premier Athletic Conference.
The game was played in a cold wind and rain on Chardon's artificial turf. Hunt averaged 12.2 yards on 34 carries.
"It felt like I was in a zone," he said. "On one [touchdown], I don't remember which one, they had like five guys on me and somehow I was still running. I was trying to get as many yards as possible."
Hunt and the Rebels play host to Madison (5-1, 2-1) in a highly anticipated league game Friday night.
Always welcome: Some people in Northeast Ohio might not have open arms when LeBron James shows up, but that's not the case at St. Vincent-St. Mary.
With NBA contract talks stalled, James showed up at his alma mater Tuesday, threw on some football equipment, caught a few passes from quarterback Kevin Besser and held a chat with team members. James played two seasons of football at SVSM before focusing on basketball.
"It's always good when LeBron comes around," SVSM coach Dan Boarman said. "The kids like having him here. He's always welcome."
Baffled: Speaking of Besser, Boarman is surprised few colleges have shown an interest in the 6-3, 200-pound senior, whose play has the Irish undefeated and in fifth place in the Division III, Region 9 computer rankings. Besser has completed 67 of 96 passes for 1,135 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Game is moving: Poor field conditions at Kenmore's George Brode Field have prompted Akron school officials to move Saturday's football game between Buchtel and Akron North to Old Forge Field, which is located at 550 E. North Street in Akron. Kickoff remains at noon. Seems like a bad decision. No seating, no scoreboard and, more importantly, no public restrooms.
Attrition: It has been a long and unhealthy season at Revere, as injuries have decimated the roster. Coach Phil Heyn estimates he has lost 45 "man games" due to injuries, with 13 starters going down at one time or another. That includes wide receiver Anthony Manera and two-way end Jason Tretter, both gone for the year, and wide receiver/linebacker Mitch Ruetty, who has missed six games.
The loss of Tretter, a 6-7, 290-pound junior, left a big hole along both lines. Making matters worse, the team is playing what Heyn believes is the toughest schedule in school history. Opponents are a combined 28-8 (.778).
Catch 22: Even if Hudson beats Stow in Friday night's Northeast Ohio Conference River Division game, Explorers coach Ron Wright loses.
His son, Kyle Wright, is a sophomore place-kicker for Stow.
Ron Wright is just hoping Kyle's not put in a situation where he'll have to decide the game with a last-second field goal.
"If he'd happen to beat us, I'd never hear the end of it," his dad said.
Pam Wright, Ron's wife and Kyle's mom, was diplomatic when asked what side is she going to sit on during the game.
"I think I'll stand," Pam Wright said.
Ron Wright has additional concerns this week.
Starting quarterback David Nelson will be out again because of a kneecap injury while center Chris Meyer suffered a knee injury in last week's win over Garfield Heights and could be out 2-3 weeks. That's forced Jake Hart to move from left guard to center while Lee Idoine will see more action at left guard.
Defense picks up Wildcats: Mayfield's offense has sputtered as of late but the defense has been dependable.
Linebackers Vince Austin, Larry Pinto Jr. and Connor Murray teamed up for 38 tackles, including 10 for loss, six sacks and a fumble recovery, during last week's win over Brush.
"And [safety] Drazen Markovic has intercepted two passes in each of the last two games," Wildcats coach Larry Pinto Sr. said.
New attitude: If Twinsburg learned anything from its double-overtime loss at Stow in Week 4, it's nothing is a gimme.
"Stow played hard for all four quarters," said Tigers first-year coach Joe Schiavone, "and our kids realized they have to play that way, all the time."
Since then, Twinsburg has defeated Brush and Strongsville.
"Our defense is coming, and linebacker Myles Campbell and safety Michael Baker are a big reason for that," said Schiavone. "They've been awesome."
Opposites attract: Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin and Lake Catholic will bring different styles to Friday night's North Coast League Blue Division contest in Mentor. While the Lions (5-1, 1-0) will try to spread things out, the Cougars (5-1, 1-1) will go with their solid basics.
"We are polar opposites," said NDCL coach Byron Morgan, 224-100-3 during his 32-year career. "They want to maul you with their fists. I'm sure they will be blitzing us coming off the bus."
The Cougars come in after knocking Benedictine from the unbeaten ranks with a 30-6 win last Friday. They did it by running the ball for 282 yards, passing just once.
The Lions, who beat Padua, 32-14, have been throwing the ball all season out of various looks, from five-receiver spreads to two-back attacks. The Lions have scored 173 points, with junior quarterback Robbie Nash passing for 948 yards and nine scores.
"We're 99 percent out of the shotgun," said Morgan, whose club lost to Lake Catholic last year, 38-0. "We're pleasantly pleased where we are with the schedule we play. This league is like a playoff game every week and Lake Catholic is one of those teams that presents a huge challenge."
The Lions' lone loss was a 27-10 setback to undefeated Chagrin Falls in Week 2. They put together three shutouts after that and have allowed 68 points this season. Lake Catholic, which lost to Walsh Jesuit, 14-12, has given up 69.
By the way, because its field is unplayable after all the poor weather, NDCL has moved its final two home games to the Spire Institute in Harpersfield Township off the I-90 Geneva exit and Ohio 534. The Lions will host Archbishop Hoban on Oct. 14 and Benedictine on Oct. 21.
— Bob Fortuna, Joe Maxse, Tim Rogers, Tim Warsinskey
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