Author: Don Engelhardt

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 9 – Post…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 9 – Post Cornerstone Christian; Preview of the Warren Harding Game

Massillon (7-1) lost to Cornerstone Christian, TX (5-2), 35-28.  This week Massillon travels to Warren Harding (4-4).  Last season the Tigers topped the Raiders, 42-10.

Other scores:

• 7th Grade (8-0): Defeated Canton, 38-20.  Season complete.
• 8th Grade (6-1): Defeated Canton, 34-6.
• Freshmen (1-6): Lost to Akron Buchtel, 16-6.  Plays at home against Warren Harding on Thursday, October 15, at 6:00.
• Junior Varsity (2-5): Lost to Avon, 14-6.  Plays at home against Warren Harding on Saturday, October 17, at 10:00 am.

Review of the Cornerstone Christian Game

Massillon’s 7-game winning streak was erased by Cornerstone Christian, the No.  24 team in Texas, by the score of 35-21.  The major difference in the game was Warriors’  speed advantage that resulted in more big-gain plays than the Tigers.  The score was tied at 14 apiece entering the fourth quarter and 21 apiece with just over five minutes remaining, but Massillon could not answer Cornerstone’s next score on account of penalties and a dropped pass.  The Tigers running game was stifled throughout, but quarterback Rasmus Haines contributed with a season-high 250 yards passing and two touchdowns: 24 yards Gio Jackson Jr. and 73 yards to Deontay Malone.  Running back Savior Owens also scored a TD from 12 yards out.  Massillon’s defense seemed out of sync, while being hampered with several starters unavailable for the game and the previous week’s cancellation of the match with Farrell, PA.

Ironically, in the past few weeks Cornerstone beat Massillon, who beat Lakewood St. Edward, who beat St. John’s College, DC, who beat Cornerstone.  All of these teams are high in the national rankings.

“We took a loss last week,” said Massillon Head Coach Nate at the weekly Booster Club meeting.  “I’m really proud of how hard the guys played.  It (Cornerstone) was a really good team.  They have really good players.  We have really good players.  We had a chance to win in spite of the mistakes.  A lot to build off of.  A loss is the greatest teacher.  We have a lot to learn from that game.  Overall, the effort was there.  We didn’t out-physical them.  But we had a chance to win.  Give Cornerstone credit.  They were the better team last Friday.

Moore also praised the punt team, saying that they provided good protection for the punter.  He also thought that the Tigers handled the size mismatch on the lines well.

The guest speakers were offensive lineman Davionne Floyd and defensive back Chayce White.

Floyd – A sloppy night.  Shot ourselves in the foot.  But we need to move on.  Warren’s defensive line has some size.  As long as we do our jobs, we’ll be OK.

White – We had a lack of focus during the game.  All of us weren’t there.  Just not enough.

Preview of the Warren Harding Game

Warren scores to date:

• Canton McKinley (7-1): 0-33 L
• Youngstown (2-5): 20-12 W
• Massillon Perry (3-5): 34-7 W
• Massillon Jackson (6-2): 37-44 L
• Youngstown Ursuline (5-3): 7-40 L
• Toledo Scott (1-7): 52-0 W
• Boardman (1-7): 33-14 W
• Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (5-3): 3-24 L

Harding is a Division II program that competes in the All-American Conference.  Over the past five years they have compiled a record of 28-29, including 3-6 last year.  Four times during that period they qualified for the playoffs, where they have a 3-4 record.  Massillon has played Warren more than any other opponent, with the exception of Canton McKinley, and lead in the series 62-25-3.   The Raiders return 8 starters on offense and 6 on defense, including defensive back Matt Richardson (3^rd Team All-Ohio) and offensive lineman Zayvion Smith (HM All-Ohio.  In last year’s game Makhai Brogden rushed 8 times 27 yards and Richardson caught 2 passes for 36 yards.

“They have a lot of good players,” said Moore.

Offense – Good sized line, averaging 6′-2″, 297 lbs.  All are either 6′-2″ and 6′-3″, with the lightest weighing 270 lbs.  The best lineman is senior right tackle and returning starter Michael Wade (6′-3″, 310).  The quarterback is senior James Jones (6′-3″, 215).  Jones was a backup last season.  His numbers are 68 of 127 (54%) for 937 yards (13.8 ave.) and 9 touchdowns.  The best player on offense is junior running back Makhi Brogdon (5′-10″, 195).  To date he has rushed 93 times for 536 yards (5.8 ave.) and 5 touchdowns.  The leading receiver is senor Matt Richardson (5′-10″, 175), a 2-year returning starter, who has caught more passes than the rest of the receiving corps combined, with 38 receptions for 607 yards and 5 TDs.  A spread offense team, the warriors employ a lot of different formations.  They will line up in a lot of heavy set, 13-personal, formations and then add in some empty sets and 10-personal alignments.

Defense – The odd-front line also has good size averaging 6′-1″, 250 lbs.  The best lineman is senior Zayvion Smith (6′-5″, 275), a 2-year returning starter.  He has four tackles for loss.  Three of four linebackers return from last year, led by junior outside linebacker Asa Burch (6′-5″, 235), who is a potential Power-4 recruit.  Through eight games Burch has recorded a team-high 65 tackles and 10.0 tackles for loss.  The best player in the secondary is Richardson, a 2-way player.

On special teams, senior Jeron Edmonds excels in kicking and punting.  Twenty-five of his 31 kickoffs have gone into the end zone.  He averages 35.2 yards per punt.  And he was good on a 47-yard field goal.

Go Tigers!

Massillon’s Unbeaten Streak Halted by Texas Team

Massillon’s Unbeaten Streak Halted by Texas Team

Massillon’s 7-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt when visiting Cornerstone Christian, from San Antonio, Texas, left town with a 35-21 victory.  Although the Warriors finished with a slim edge in total yards, they used their speed advantage to simply make more big plays than the Tigers.

Massillon running backs Savior Owens and Gary Yeager were stifled throughout most of the game.  That put quarterback Rasmus Haines in the spotlight.  In spite of facing a fierce rush on nearly every attempt, he managed to throw for 250 yards and two touchdowns.  But it was the penalties that were the real culprit.  Time and again, good gains were brought back on account of holding.

On the other side of the ball, the Tiger defense seemed out of sync.  Perhaps it was not playing a game the week before on account of the Farrell, PA, forfeit.  Or it might have been that several key starters were not available, resulting in some backups in the game and some regulars playing out of position.  Regardless, most evident was that the tackling was certainly not up to par.  But much credit must also go to speedy Cornerstone running back Jaylen McKane.  He accounted for most of his team’s 208 rushing yards, in addition to scoring three touchdowns, two of the breakaway, long-run variety.

Massillon must now regroup and get comfortable with personnel changes, while they prepare for the home stretch against Warren Harding and Canton McKinley.

The Tigers received the opening kickoff and drove to the Warrior 16.  But they were stopped on downs and missed on a 33-yard field goal attempt.

On Cornerstone’s first try they went right to the air, throwing a 15-yard pass from quarterback Seth Schuler to Isaiah Regge to the right sideline.  Only, the Massillon cornerback missed on the tackle, allowing the receiver to take the ball to the endzone on a 72-yard score.  The PAT was kicked by Christopher Valasquez.

On the Tigers’ third possession they drove 53 yards for a score, when Owens, who was doing most of the work up to that point, raced 12 yards around the left side of the line for a touchdown.  Mateo Herrera’s PAT tied the score at seven apiece.  That’s the way the first half ended, but not before the Warriors had driven to the Massillon 12, only to be thwarted by multiple penalties.

Massillon received the second half kickoff, but disaster struck when Haines’ attempt at a center screen went awry and was intercepted.  The end result was a 14-yard TD run by McKane.

Not to be outdone, the Tigers came right back. It began when Deontay Malone returned the kickoff to the Massillon 49.  Owens did score from the 24 yardline several plays later, but the TD was called back due to a holding penalty.  However, on fourth down from the 24, Haines lofted a perfect rainbow into the endzone to a double-covered Gio Jackson Jr. for a touchdown, tying the score once again.

In the fourth quarter McKane first got off a long run to the Massillon 11 and then scored his second TD on a fourth down run from the three.

Only, the Tigers once again came back.  Haines, after being flushed from the pocket at his own 27, scrambled to his right and found Malone slightly open near the middle of the field.  Haines then fired a desperation pass to a leaping Malone.   Malone then shed two potential tacklers before racing to the endzone to finish off a 73-yard touchdown pass for the tying points.

But not to be outdone, Cornerstone threw another sideline pass to Regge, this time from quarterback Rogan Parson, the cornerback whiffed once again and the Warriors had a 50-yard TD to go up 28-21 with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

The Tigers did manage to move to the Cornerstone 47, but multiple holding penalties killed the drive.

The Warriors then finished it off with a meaningless touchdown when McKane scored his third TD on a 53-yard run.

 

Statistics (Mass-Corn)
First Downs: 17-14
Rushing: 108-209
Passng: 250-191
Total: 358-400

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Senior Night.  Brayton Feister (18) and Brydon Feister (8)

National Anthem.

 

Rasmus Haines (13) hands the ball to Savior Owens (1)

Worth Hirning (62), Savior Owens (1), Marcus Garner (60)

Savior (1) Owens scores.

Deontay Malone (6), Aamir Jones (81)

Micah Walker (78), Landon Barnhart (72), Davionne Floyd (52), Rasmus Haines (13)

James Gatsios (61), Savior Owens (1), Marcus Garner (60)

Deontay Malone (1) catching a pass and then scoring.

Braylon Gamble (5), Da’Shun Williams (84), Anthony Hoover (25), Geovonni Vinson (24)

Anthony Hoover (25) making the tackle.  Joe Karder (94), De’vaughn Williams (23), Braylon Gamble (5)

 

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 8 – Cornerstone…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 8 – Cornerstone Christian Preview

Massillon (7-0) defeated Farrell, PA (4-2), 1-0. Farrell decided to forfeit the game a few weeks ago rather than play, citing “injuries.”  In the Harbin system, the Tigers will be awarded points for each Farrell win.  This week Massillon hosts Cornerstone Christian, TX (4-2).  Last season the Tigers came out on top, 45-20.

Other scores:

• 7th Grade (7-0): Defeated Akron Buchtel, 32-0.  Plays at home against Canton on Tuesday, October 6, at 5:00, at PBTS.
• 8th Grade (5-1): Defeated Akron Garfield, 28-8.  Plays at home against Canton on Wednesday, October 7, at 6:00 pm, at PBTS.
• Freshmen (1-5): Did not play.  Plays at home against Akron Buchtel on Thursday, October 8, at 6:00.
• Junior Varsity (2-4): Did not play.  Plays at home against Avon on Saturday, October 10, at 10:00 am.

The guest players were senior safety Braylon Gamble, senior defensive lineman Joe Karder and senior offensive lineman Landon Barnhart.

• Gamble – We all know what happened last year (against Football North following an open date).  They matched up well against St. John’s College last week (St. Edward defeated St. John’s by one point).  They are not the same team we played last  year.  This is a good team and we need to be ready.
• Karder – Monday practice was good.  They are bigger, but we are faster.  We’re not afraid.
• Barnhart – We need a good week of practice.

Preview of the Cornerstone Christian Game

Cornerstone scores to date:

• Autonoma de Neuvo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico: 62-21 W
• IMG Academy, FL (National No. 1) (6-0): 10-59 L
• Center, TX (Texas No. 709) (0-5): 51-14 W
• Parish Episcopal, Dallas, TX (Texas No. 108) (5-2): 42-16 W
• Lake Travis, Austin, TX (Texas No. 40) (2-1-1): 48-35 W
• St. John’s College, DC (D.C. No. 1) (5-1): 28-35 L

Cornerstone continues to build their program, apparently with goal of achieving the status of a national power.  Last year they finished 6-4, while their 5-year record is 25-25.  The Warriors return six lettermen on offense and five on defense.  Included in that group is running back Jaylen McKane, who rushed 13 times for 48 yards and a TD against Massillon last year.  He also caught six passes for 61 yards.  Also back is safety Elijah Fayall, who recorded eleven tackles and has committed to Arizona.

“This is a great matchup for this week,” said Massillon head coach Nate Moore.  “They return some good players from last year.  A really good team.  Well coached.  The style is a little different.  Wide open on offense.  Lots of spread.  We had a good Monday.  We need to keep that moving.”  In the state of Texas the Warriors are ranked No. 24 by maxpreps.com and No. 26 by hsratings.com (computerized ranking system).

The offense aligns mostly in spread, some with tight end, some empty.  They play two quarterbacks: senior Seth Shuler (6′-3″, 205), who is primarly a passer, and senior Rogan Parson (6′-1″, 200), who likes to run the ball.  The running back, junior Jaylen McKane (5′-9″, 190), is perhaps the best player on offense.  He is extremely fast, can break tackles and is someone Moore calls, “twitchy.”  He is a threat every time he touches the ball.  According to Moore, the entire receiving corps is athletic and fast.  The Tigers have faced some really big lines this year, but this one is simply monstrous, averaging 6′-5″, 321 lbs.  Included in that are a couple of tall bookend tackles in junior 4-star recruit Jaistrorm Knight (6′-9″, 340) and senior Joseph Games (6′-10″, 385).  “It will be a great challenge for our defense,” said Moore.

The Cornerstone defense shows four linemen and three linebackers, but the preferred alignment is 4-2-5.  The strength of the unit is the line, featuring senior Ahzan Bacote (6′-3″, 270).   Moore said he is a good as anyone the Tigers have faced this year.  Across the line, it averages 6′-3″, 255 lbs.  Behind are a couple of really good linebackers in senior Dominique Moore (6′-1″, 215) and senior Malcolm Carter (6′-0″, 200).  Both play downhill.  But they don’t seem to blitz a lot.  The Warriors return both starters from last year at safety.  The secondary uses a lot of man-to-man coverage, with some cover-3.

The kicker is good and they have a good return team.

Go Tigers!

 

 

Massillon Defeats Farrell, Pennsylvania, Team by Way of Forfeit

Massillon Defeats Farrell, Pennsylvania, Team by Way of Forfeit

Farrell is one of the more successful small-school programs in Pennsylvania.  In fact, last year they posted a record of 12-3 and advanced to the state finals in Class 2A (Class 6A is the highest).  In addition, they have lost just 14 games over the last five years.  Perhaps, in an attempt to test the waters, they elected to schedule a game against the nationally-ranked Tigers.

However, a few weeks ago Farrell backed out of the game citing, according to media releases, a number of injuries.  Possibly, the reason was the expectation of injuries that might arise in a game of that level, given their lack of depth.  Regardless, the game was canceled and later ruled as a forfeit in Massillon’s favor, by the official score of 1-0.  The implications are as follows:

• Massillon’s record improves to 7-0, while Farrell’s falls to 4-2.
• Massillon’s historical number of wins improves to 975.
• In terms of Harbin points, Massillon will receive the full benefit of each Farrell win, both those already earned and those going forward. However, given that Farrell is equivalent to an Ohio Division VII team, the benefit will be minimal.  That’s because the Tigers will gain just 3.5 points in the first level and just 3.5 points in the second level for each Farrell win.  Fortunately, Farrell is predicted to have a record of 7-2 by the end of Harbin point counting.

Next week Massillon will host Cornerstone Christian, Texas (4-1), a team that the Tigers defeated last year, 45-20.  However, the Warriors continue to build their program and are much improved this time around.

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 7 – Post-Football…

2026 Booster Club Report – Week 7 – Post-Football North

Massillon (6-0) defeated Canada Football North (3-2), 31-8.  The game this week against Farrell, PA, has been forfeited in Massillon’s favor.  The score will be registered as a 1-0 win.  Next week the Tigers will host Cornerstone Christian, TX (4-1).

Link to the Football North Game Story

Link to the Football North Game Statistics (later)

Other scores:

• 7th Grade (6-0): Defeated Youngstown United, 50-8.  Plays at home against Akron Buchtel on Tuesday, September 29, at 5:30.
• 8th Grade (4-1): Defeated Youngstown United, 21-6.  Plays at home against at Akron Garfield on Wednesday, September 30, at 6:00 pm.
• Freshmen (1-5): Lost to Football North.  Plays at home against South Range on Thursday, October 1, at 6:00.
• Junior Varsity (2-4): Lost to Football North, 34-14.  This week’s game against Farrell, PA, has been canceled.

Review of the Football North Game

In yet another hard-fought game, Massillon used a strong defense along with big plays on offense to upend Canada Football North, 31-8.  It was historical win No. 974, which is ranked No. 2 in the country.  Throughout the game, each team’s running backs had little success on the ground, aside from some big gainers by Savior Owens.  But Massillon was just that good defensively with their front-7, particularly brothers Brayton and Brydon Feister.  In the air, Tiger quarterback Rasmus Haines had enough completions to move the chains.  However, the greatest difference between the two teams was the Tigers’ ability to finish drives.  In fact, after failing to advance on their first two, they scored on each of the next five.

Massillon head coach Nate Moore had praise for all three aspects of the Tigers’ performance.  “We had a lot of good play on Friday,” he  said.  Got a lot of good film.

Special teams – Good coverage on kickoffs.  Almost returned a kickoff to the end zone.  Mateo Herrera converted a 27-yard field goal and booted several kickoffs into the end zone.

Defense – “Pretty good job against the run all game.  This was a problem has year.”  Had praise for Brydon Feister, who was in on several quarterback sacks.  “He is so strong.”  Maxheimer had a great game.

Offense – Quarterback Rasmus Haines was instrumental in the win with his ability to audible at the line to give his team the best advantages.  He also received his first Division 1 offer: Miami of Ohio.  Gio Jackson Jr. had a big game.  Savior Owens had some big runs.  Great blocking was provided by Da’Shun Williams.

The players were off on Monday, while the bye week gives them a chance to heal up.

Go Tigers!

Big Play Massillon Upends Canada’s Football North

Big Play Massillon Upends Canada’s Football North

It was another hard-fought game for the Tigers.  That, after coming off a big win over Lakewood St. Edward the previous week.  This time it was against a very athletically talented Football North team, one that came into this one averaging 41 points a game had handily defeated Massillon last year.  But the Tigers had more in the tank this time around and pulled away with a convincing 31-8 victory, aided several big running and passing plays.

Throughout the game, each team’s running backs had little success on the ground, aside from a few big gainers by Savior Owens.  Massillon was just that good defensively with their front-7, particularly brothers Brayton and Brydon Feister.  Meanwhile, North stacked the box and pulled the safeties up to help their cause.  In the air, Tiger quarterback Rasmus Haines had enough completions to move the chains.  In contrast, North quarterback Brandon Bailey was very accurate early, but struggled in the second half when Massillon tightened up the coverage.  However, Baily was a very good scrambler and ended up accounting for most of his team’s rushing yards.

The biggest difference, then, was the Tigers’ ability to finish drives.  In fact, after failing to advance on their first two, they scored on each of the next five.

Massillon took the opening kickoff and immediately lined up in an empty backfield set.  But they failed to gain a yard after two incomplete passes and a run for no gain.  North responded and moved right down the field, advancing from their 25 to the Massillon 14.  But a Deontay Malone sack off a corner blitz on fourth down ended the threat.

After an exchange of punts, the Tigers finally found the end zone when Haines escaped a strong pass rush by sprinting to his right and found Da’Shun Williams wide open at the back of the end zone for a 16-yard score.  Mateo Herrera’s kick made it 7-0, midway through the second quarter.  The play that set it up was a 46-yard bomb from Haines to Gio Jackson Jr. that moved the ball to the North 13.

North again moved effectively down the field.  Then, on fourth down from the Tiger 45, they attempted an innovative play involving consecutive backward passes to a pair of running backs.  Only, the second back could not find an open receiver and had to eat the ball.

Two minutes before halftime, Massillon scored again on a 43-yard run by Owens.  In this one, he broke through a pile of defenders, juked out a lone defensive back and sprinted to the end zone.  Score 14-0.

North opened the third quarter with a bang.  On the first play, Bailey connected on a 42-yard pass to the Tiger 32.  He then used his legs to will his team into the end zone for a score, which came at the end of an 11-yard scramble.  Interestingly, North went for two and converted it with pass from Bailey.  Score: 14-8.

Only, the threat didn’t last long.  On third and nine from the 21, Owens took a dump-off pass in the backfield from Haines.  He appeared to be initially bottled up by four defenders, but he broke free to the right as Da’Shun Williams took out two defenders on the edge, turned the corner, picked up a block from George Rivera, and was gone on a 79-yard touchdown pass.  Score 21-8.

Following a North punt, Massillon drove to the opponent 14 and was good a Herrera 27-yard field goal, after just missing connection on a 3^rd down TD pass.  Score 24-8.

If there was ever a chance for North to get back in the game, it was squashed when on the first play Bailey fumbled the ball away at end of a quarterback draw.  A 28-yard pass to Jackson Jr., a 17-yard run by Owens and a 7-yard TD run by Owens was all it took to put the game away.  Final score: 31-8.

Massillon (6-0) is off next week since Farrell, PA, elected to forfeit the game.  The Tigers will return to action the following week against Cornerstone Christian, TX.  North (3-2), heads to Beacon Hill, VA, next week.  Later they will travel to both St. Edward and Cleveland St. Ignatius.

Photos by Marlene Kanipe

Gio Jackson Jr (21) catching the long bomb.

Chayce White (0)

Brayton Feister (18) with the sack; Brydon Feister (8)

Savior Owens (1) looking for running room; Marcus Garner (61)

Da’Shun Williams with the touchdown catch; Savior Owens (1)

Savior Owens (1), Landon Hose (22), Da’Shun Williams (84), Deontay Malone (6)

Mateo Herrera (7) kicking the field goal.

Savior Owens (1), Davionne Floyd (52), Gio Jackson Jr. (21), Rasmus Haines (13).

Savior Owens (1) scoring.

Pass reception by Gio Jackson Jr. (21); Landon Barnart (72).

Rasmus Haines (13) retrieving the high snap; James Gatsios (61), Marcus Garner (60).

Players with the formation boards.  Kadrian Alexander (91), Jeff Riley (14), Greg Corsale (16), unknown (?2)

 

Top Games for Week 6

Top Games for Week 6

Canada Football North (3-1) at Massillon (5-0) – Massillon defeated Lakewood St. Edward last week, 23-21 to remain undefeated.  They also own wins over Cleveland Glenville and NFL Academy-Europe.  North lost to Glenville in Week 3, 37-21.  Last year North defeated Massillon, 34-2.

St. John College, D.C. (4-0) at Lakewood St. Edward (4-1) – St. Edward is coming off a hard-fought 23-21 loss to Massillon.  This week they are right back into the fire against St. John, the No. 1 team in D.C.  St. John has victories Maryland No. 4 Archbishop Spalding (21-18) and Florida No. 6 West Boca Raton,(15-14).  St. John played Massillon in 2023, losing 28-7.  Next week they host future Massillon opponent Cornerstone Christian, TX.

Akron Hoban (1-4) at Walsh Jesuit (5-0) – Hoban finally got on the win track last week with a 19-14 victory over North Carolina No. 10 Cardinal Gibbons.  Have they turned the corner?  Walsh owns wins over Medina Highland (4-1), Toledo Central Catholic (4-1) and Cleveland St. Ignatius (3-2).

Berea Midpark (4-1) at Avon (3-2) – If high-scoring Midpark can solidify their defense this week they have a chance to upend Avon.  Midpark has a loss to Brunswick.  Avon lost to Cleveland St. Ignatius (3-2) by one and Upper Arlington (4-1) by 21.

Toledo Central Catholic (4-1) at Lumen Christi, MI (5-0) – Toledo is No. 1 in Region 6 and hopes to hold onto that ranking with a win over a team from up north.  They are favored by 17.

Detroit Catholic Central (4-0) at Toledo St. John’s (3-2) – Perhaps a tall order for St. John’s against the No. 1 team in Michigan.  Last Week Detroit defeated Toledo Central Catholic, 45-14.

Columbus DeSales (4-1) at Columbus Watterson (5-0) – This is a battle of two contenders in Region 7.  DeSales lost 20-17 to a good Cleveland St. Joseph team.  Watterson owns a 35-13 win over Cleveland Glenville.

Upper Arlington (4-1) at Hilliard Bradley (4-1) – The two best teams in this Ohio Capital Conference division will battle it out.  Upper Arlington defeated Avon 43-22, but lost to New Albany, 28-21.  Bradley looked terrible in a 32-7 loss to Big Walnut, but has since won four straight.

Big Walnut (5-0) at Ironton (5-0) – The first real test for Big Walnut.  But, don’t let records fool you.  Big Walnut could roll in this one.

Cincinnati St. Xavier (2-3) at Cincinnati Elder (5-0) – It’s GCL week with the 4-team conference in full action.  St. X lost 30-15 to Cincinnati Moeller last week.  Elder is a contender for the Division I state title and should win big.

Cincinnati Moeller (3-2) at Cincinnati LaSalle (3-2) – A Moeller win sets up a big Moe vs. Elder game next week.  However, LaSalle may be surging after last week’s 27-14 victory over Hamilton Badin (4-1).

Cincinnati Princeton (5-0) at Lakota East (4-1) – A good match against two top-level teams in the Greater Miami Conference.  Both have played Lakota West, with Princeton winning 27-24 and East losing, 48-18.

Lebanon (4-1) at Kings  (3-2) – Two upper echelon teams in the ECC.  Both have played Cincinnati Anderson.  Lebanon lost 52-13 in Week 4 and Kings lost 49-33 last week.  It remains to be seen how good Cincinnati Winton Woods (4-1) is.  They beat Kings, 35-0 and will play Anderson in Week 9.

Indianapolis Cathedral (3-2) at Trotwood Madison (4-1) – An intriguing matchup for independent school Trotwood.  Cathedral’s losses were to two excellent teams in Ben Davis and Loyala.  They also beat Cincinnati St. Xavier, 30-21.  Trotwood lost 27-9 in the opener to Toledo Central Catholic, but beat a good Springfield team, 25-9.  Should be a good one.