Week 10 breakdowns, predictions in Ohio high school football

Streetsboro (7-2, 5-1) at Tallmadge (5-4, 3-3)

• What to watch: The stakes couldn't be higher as the Blue Devils and Rockets meet for the first time in at least a half century (Ohio High School Football Database records go back to 1972). With a win (and a Norton victory over Cloverleaf), Streetsboro would claim its fourth league title of the Pete Thompson era (one it would share with the Colts and Panthers). The Rockets have already cemented a postseason berth as well. ... Streetsboro successfully bounced back from a heartbreaking Week 6 loss to Cloverleaf with three straight wins, most impressively shutting out Woodridge last week. The Rockets dominated on the ground, with 279 rushing yards to the Bulldogs' 31. Can their run defense stage a repeat? It will certainly be a challenge. Tallmadge's Angelo Gotto has been a force all year, including 24 carries for 159 yards and three scores last week against Field. ... Meanwhile, the Rockets' ground game has expanded as the season has progressed. Logan Fincham (209 carries, 1,299 yards, 22 TD) has been a bellcow all year while Noah Hodge is coming off his best performance of the season (five carries, 91 yards, two touchdowns against the Bulldogs).
• Who will win: Streetsboro 35-21

Field (2-7, 1-5) at Springfield (0-9, 0-6)

• What to watch: Both teams are desperate for a win. The Falcons have lost four straight and haven't won on the field since Week 2 (their Week 5 victory came via forfeit). The Spartans have lost 18 in a row dating back to last year's Week 1 victory over Waterloo. Springfield hasn't won a league game since 2019 (a 21-18 victory over Coventry). ... Points have come at a premium for both teams with the Falcons scoring eight points per game and the Spartans averaging 2.4. ... Keep an eye on Alex Williams, who had Field's lone score last week with a 95-yard kick return touchdown. Also watch for sophomore running back Will Henson, who had nine carries for 56 yards last week against the Blue Devils.
• Who will win: Field 35-7

Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Gray Tier

Garfield (9-0, 6-0) at Brookfield (7-2, 6-1)

• What to watch: This marks the final MVAC game for the G-Men before moving to the Greater Portage Athletic Conference in 2027. They've already clinched a share of this year's title, their fourth in six seasons in the MVAC. They would make their league championship outright — and likely lock up a first-round bye in the tournament — with a win over the Warriors. ... Garfield has won three straight against Brookfield, including last year's 49-14 victory. The Warriors managed to hold Ryder Cain to four yards per carry (10 carries, 40 yards) in that meeting. ... Cain is averaging well over twice that this season at 9.5 yards per carry (126 carries, 1,195 yards, 19 TD). That includes Cain turning 20 carries into 150 yards and four scores last week against Crestview with Collin McGranahan also running effectively (11 carries, 137 yards) against the Rebels. ... The Warriors have their own highly effective runner in Rico Smith (92 carries, 1,097 yards, 18 TD).
• Who will win: Garfield 35-21

Southeast (3-6, 3-3) at Liberty (8-1, 5-1)

• What to watch: Following a Week 6 loss to Garfield, Liberty got back to business, beating LaBrae and Champion by a combined margin of 76-6. Remarkably, the Leopards have held seven of nine opponents to single digits. Pair that defense with Dawaun Moody and it's a tough combo to beat. Moody is approaching 2,000 rushing yards as the regular season nears an end. Through nine games, he's run for 1,833 yards (12.9 per carry) and 33 touchdowns. ... Southeast, which has lost two straight games, will likely counter with a similar approach to the one Garfield used so successfully against Liberty — using a powerful ground game to eat up the clock and keep Moody off the field as much as possible.
• Who will win: Liberty 35-21

Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division

Crestwood (2-7, 1-4) at Chagrin Falls (6-3, 3-2)

• What to watch: The Red Devils and Tigers meet for the third and final time as CVC counterparts after splitting their last two meetings. Both are trying to shake off tough Week 9 losses, with Crestwood falling by 10 to Rootstown and Chagrin Falls losing by 30 to Conneaut. ... Will Flannery has surged for the Tigers, rushing for 132 yards in a one-point Week 8 win over Berkshire and tallying 132 yards (95 rushing, 37 receiving) in last week's loss to Conneaut. ... The Red Devils hope to shake off a tough day on the ground last week as Rootstown limited Crestwood to 107 rushing yards (3.96 per carry). Expect quarterback Michael Kalista (11 carries for 59 yards in Week 9) to continue to be a major playmaker for the Red Devils.
• Who will win: Chagrin Falls 27-24

Fairview (0-9, 0-5) at Rootstown (4-5, 1-4)

• What to watch: The Rovers hope to finish the year with back-to-back wins for the first time this season. They certainly left Mantua with momentum, finishing the night with 17 unanswered points after Crestwood took a 7-0 lead. Dual-threat quarterback Blake Mullaly continues to lead the way, including a whopping 261 rushing yards against the Red Devils, but the Rovers' line also deserves praise after generating serious push on offense and penetration into the backfield on defense. ... Fairview shouldn't be overlooked. Yes, the Warriors are 0-9, but four of those nine losses came against teams that are currently 8-1. Moreover, six of their nine losses came by two scores or fewer.
• Who will win: Rootstown 28-14

Suburban American

Copley (6-3, 3-3) at Aurora (4-5, 3-3)

• What to watch: The Greenmen hope to continue their positive stretch to end the season — coming off back-to-back wins over Brecksville and Barberton — and also avenge last year's close loss to Copley. ... Luke McGovern has been a spark since returning from injury, including three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown last week against Barberton. Running backs Carter Fitzgerald and Tommy Stenger have also been highly effective the last two weeks, including Fitzgerald's 190 rushing yards and three scores against the Magics. ... Copley hopes to shake off last week's 37-14 loss to undefeated Mayfield. Copley's other two defeats came by one-score margins — to Brecksville and Kenston. ... It makes sense that Copley has been in pretty much every game given the play of junior quarterback Dane Wininger, who has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,754 yards and 21 touchdowns (against just four interceptions). Fellow junior Noah Slattery (43 catches, 780 yards, 11 TD) has been a particularly lethal weapon for Wininger.
• Who will win: Aurora 35-28

Nonleague

Brush (6-3) at Mogadore (7-2)

• What to watch: The Wildcats, who have already clinched a home postseason game, are likely playing for a first-round bye when they host the Arcs. According to Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50, Mogadore's odds of a bye are 100 percent with a win over Brush and one percent with a loss. Part of the reason is major computer points are at stake when taking on a six-win Division II team like the Arcs. ... Brush is a hard team to read. The Arcs have played just two teams with a winning record and lost both of those games. They've been stingy on defense outside of yielding 45 points to undefeated Willoughby South, including holding Shaw and Lutheran East to a combined six points over the last two weeks. ... Mogadore is coming off an impressive win over another bigger school, topping Division IV Marlington by 18 points. The Wildcats amassed 296 rushing yards (9.25 per carry) in the win, including 140 from running back Kade Thomas and 83 from quarterback Maddox Smith with both stars additionally finishing with two rushing touchdowns.
• Who will win: Mogadore 28-21

Saturday, Oct. 24

Northern 8 Football Conference

Windham (4-5, 3-5) at Danbury (4-5, 4-4)

• What to watch: The Bombers hope to conclude their first year of a new era of eight-man football on a high note with a second straight win and a .500 record. Last week, Windham picked up its first road win of the year, topping Kennedy Catholic 44-18. That marked the second-lowest number of points the Bombers have given up all season (they held Sebring McKinley to 16). ... Scoring has rarely been an issue for Windham, which is averaging 39.3 points per game. Bryan Smithberger has passed for a whopping 1,549 yards with two receivers topping 450 receiving yards (Xavier Bruton and Dejuan Ramsey). Ramsey also has 662 rushing yards and has 16 total touchdowns (11 rushing, five receiving), while Alex Eye has run for 850 yards and 14 touchdowns. They should present quite a challenge for a Lakers team that has yielded 42-plus points in each of the last three weeks.
• Who will win: Windham 44-28

Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at jrosenblum@recordpub.com and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Week 10 breakdowns, predictions in Ohio high school football

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