Brecksville-Broadview Heights' football team (6-3, 4-2) has had its share of peaks and valleys. Friday night was a major peak with a 21-14 victory that not only bumped visiting Avon Lake into a three-way tie for first place in the Southwestern Conference with Amherst and Olmsted Falls but also snapped its winning streak at seven.
Brecksville-Broadview Heights' football team (6-3, 4-2) has had its share of peaks and valleys.
Friday night was a major peak with a 21-14 victory that not only bumped visiting Avon Lake into a three-way tie for first place in the Southwestern Conference with Amherst and Olmsted Falls but also snapped its winning streak at seven.
Senior tailback Matt Galland was the standout, rushing for 218 yards, while quarterback Tom Tupa completed seven of 11 passes for 65 yards. Three of those receptions went to Tyler Tarnowski for 59 yards.
The Shoremen (7-2, 5-1), ranked No. 13 in The Plain Dealer, had Ronnie Willoughby account for 10 receptions for 182 yards from quarterback Troy Toy, who connected on 17 of 35 passes for 212 yards.
Avon Lake was one of seven teams in The Plain Dealer's Top 25 poll to lose Friday.
Glenville 40, John Hay 0 The Tarblooders (9-0, 6-0), ranked No. 1 in the area and in the Division I state poll, clinched their 13th consecutive Senate Athletic League title with their third straight shutout, fourth overall. Quarterback Cardale Jones completed eight of 13 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, that being a 6-yarder to Shane Wynn. Wynn caught five passes for 66 yards while linebacker Richard Dowdley accounted for seven tackles for Glenville, fourth in the ESPN and 11th in USA Today.
Maple Heights 40, Lorain 7 Senior quarterback Shaq Washington was 16-of-21 passing for 192 yards and two touchdowns as the Mustangs (9-0, 3-0), ranked fourth in the area and fifth in the Division II poll, moved one win from an unbeaten regular season and an outright title in the Lake Erie League Erie Division. Washington also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown. Andre Stubbs had 133 yards of total offense and scored on a 15-yard run.
Lake Catholic 24, Archbishop Hoban 3 Senior tailback-linebacker Richie Sanders returned from injury and the defense flexed its muscles once again. Sanders ran for two touchdowns as the Cougars, ranked fifth in the area and sixth in the Division II state poll, improved to 8-1, 4-0 North Coast League Blue Division. They limited Hoban to a second-quarter field goal and have surrendered just 24 points in their past six wins.
Mentor 42, Cleveland Heights 21 The No. 6-ranked Cardinals (6-3, 3-0) clinched at least a tie for the Lake Erie League Lake Division crown when Mike Korecz rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Mitch Trubisky passed for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
Avon 20, Fairview 7 It was a struggle, but the visiting Eagles (9-0, 6-0), ranked 10th in the area and second in the Division II state poll, moved closer to an undefeated regular season and an outright West Shore Conference crown. Avon scored on the opening drive as junior running back Mark Holkenborg ran in from 1 yard and the score didn't change until the fourth quarter when quarterback Cody Schroeder threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Matt Eckhardt.
Twinsburg 30, Stow 14 The 11th-ranked Tigers (8-1, 3-1) rebounded from last week's loss to Hudson to stay in the Northeast Ohio Conference River Division title race behind Aaron Macer's 124 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. He also passed for 76 yards. Tailback John Barton chipped in with 67 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Hudson 21, Cuyahoga Falls 14 The Explorers (3-6, 3-1) stayed in a first-place tie in the NOC River Division thanks to Ben Gedeon's 99 rushing yards and a touchdown and David Nelson's 90 yards passing.
Elyria 21, Lakewood 7 Jumarr Lewis scored on runs of 7 and 5 yards, the latter score giving the Pioneers (4-5, 3-1) the lead for good in the second quarter and kept them tied for first place in the NOC River Division.
Aurora 60, Harvey 28 The Greenmen (8-1, 6-0), ranked 12th in the area and 11th in the Division II state poll, clinched at least a tie for the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division championship behind tailback-safety Nick Sivillo, who ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns and also mustered six tackles. Linebacker-fullback Brian Wells was in on nine tackles, caused a fumble and also had a 2-yard touchdown run. Harvey quarterback Kaleb Coffee completed 32 of 46 passes for 445 yards, two touchdowns and also ran for a pair of touchdowns. His favorite target was Justin Rice, who grabbed 18 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown.
Olmsted Falls 17, Amherst 14 Brennan Laird's 27-yard pass to Zack Ferster sealed the victory when the Bulldogs (6-3, 4-1) upset the 14th-ranked and previously unbeaten Comets (8-1, 5-1) as both teams moved into a first-place tie in the SWC with Avon Lake.
Chagrin Falls 42, Orange 22 The Tigers (8-1, 5-1), ranked No. 17 in the area and 13th in the Division IV state poll, remained in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division title race as Marc Geraci accounted for 75 yards in receptions and a touchdown to go along with 57 yards rushing. Jack Hinman added 87 yards on the ground and touchdown runs of 3, 11 and 13 yards.
Elyria Catholic 28, St. Peter Chanel 24 The Panthers (8-1, 3-1), ranked 20th in the area and 10th in the Division IV state poll, needed a late fourth-quarter drive to avoid the NCL White Division upset and sealed at least a tie for the title. Quarterback Danny Reaser, who made good on 22 of 32 passes for 216 yards, connected on one of his two touchdown passes with 27 seconds left in the game with the clincher being a 20-yarder to Conor Voreis. Reaser completed 4 of 5 passes to account for 60 yards in the final drive.
Mayfield 17, Brunswick 14 The Wildcats (5-4, 1-3) scored their biggest win of the season in the NOC Valley Division upset over host and No. 21-ranked Brunswick (5-4, 2-2). Tyler Anderson's 21-yard field goal with 1:05 left in the game capped the winning drive, which was keyed by Carlos Cruzado's seven carries and 29 yards.
Strongsville 55, Nordonia 41 The 22nd-ranked Mustangs (6-3, 3-1) had Iowa recruit Ray Hamilton catch three touchdown passes and Matt Bianco run for four touchdowns en route to the NOC Valley Division victory.
Manchester 49, Tuscarawas Valley 18 The Panthers (9-0, 6-0, ranked No. 24 in the area and second in the Division IV state poll, clinched at least a tie for the Principals Athletic Conference crown thanks to the duo of Mark Noble and Cort Logan, who combined for 169 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Madison 45, Eastlake North 7 Josh March scored five touchdowns in the Premier Athletic Conference romp. March carried the ball 28 times for 207 yards, helping the Blue Streaks (6-3, 3-1).
Collinwood 42, Lincoln West 0 The Railroaders (3-6, 3-4) earned their first shutout of the season as Jamal Nash did it on both sides of the ball. The senior quarterback connected on 8 of 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and also had seven tackles from his linebacker position. Safety James Fortner added four tackles and four interceptions, good for 161 yards and two touchdowns as Collinwood accumulated 277 yards in total offense.
John F. Kennedy 34, East Tech 12 Marcus Martin had touchdown receptions of 4 and 20 yards from quarterback Trevon Williams when the Eagles (6-3, 5-2) cruised to the SAL win.
Harding 44, Shaker Heights 17 Demond Hymes had touchdown runs of 4 and 11 yards when Harding (7-2, 2-1), ranked 13th in the Division I state poll, prevailed in the Lake Erie League Lake Division game.
Euclid 38, Bedford 0 It was the Panthers' (4-5, 3-1) third straight win but first shutout of the year as tailback Chuck Bradford rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns to lead the LEL Lake Division victory. Junior quarterback Benny Walker clicked on 4 of 8 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
East Liverpool 29, John Marshall 20 Quarterback Tamaine Chappell was 11-of-19 passing for 298 yards and two touchdowns and he also rushed for 67 yards when the Lawyers (5-4) were defeated in the nonleague road game.