CLEVELAND — It's one of the biggest matchups of the weekend, and 3News will be there.
Friday's showdown between Suburban League and Summit County rivals Hudson and Nordonia will be the latest edition of the WKYC High School Football Game of the Week. The two teams have just one loss between then, and enter not just with conference title hopes but state championship aspirations, as well.
Let's start with the unbeaten Explorers, whose 45-0 win last week over Brecksville-Broadview Heights was punctuated by a phenomenal effort from running back Ian Ludwig (231 yards, four touchdowns). Tommy Ricard anchors a strong offensive line, and the defense is allowing less than seven points per game.
Nordonia also began the season unbeaten before falling to Wadsworth last Friday 41-14, throwing the Suburban National Conference race into flux. The Knights will look to recover behind talented senior quarterback Joey Palinkas, who has thrown for 13 TDs and run for four more.
This year, 3News will be presenting our Game of the Week during "What's Next" every Friday night, and you have the chance to pick where we travel. We'll announce our four nominees during "Sports Tonight" on Sunday evening and open the voting until noon on Thursday. Our crew will then head to the winning game on Friday, with Nick Camino showcasing expanded highlights of all the action at 11:20 p.m.
More high school sports headlines:
- Cleveland schools report details fight that led Labor Day weekend Collinwood-Shaw football game being played without fans
- Painesville Riverside snaps Chardon's 31-game winning streak with 21-7 win in WKYC High School Football Game of the Week
- Former Canton McKinley football coaches dismissed from federal lawsuit alleging they forced player to eat pizza
- LOOK: Bronny James makes recruiting visit to Ohio State, dons Scarlet and Gray basketball jersey
