AKRON, Ohio — It's hard to believe, but the final week of the Ohio high school football season is here, and there will be plenty of big matchups this Friday as area schools make the push for the playoffs.
Of those matchups, none will be bigger than the one taking place at Dowed Field in Akron, where unbeaten Archbishop Hoban will host 8-1 St. Edward in a battle of arguably the two best programs in Northeast Ohio. This marks the third consecutive Week 10 matchup for what has become a budding rivalry, and this year's showdown not only has state implications, but national ones, as well.
Let's start with the Eagles, the two-time defending Division I state champions. Despite an earlier Week 5 loss to Massillon Washington (during which they were without starting quarterback Casey Bullock), Tom Lombardo's squad once again finds itself littered across the national rankings:
- SBLive/Sports Illustrated: No. 13
- High School Football America: No. 16
- CalPreps: No. 23
- BlueStar Media: No. 23
- MaxPreps: No. 24
As always, St. Ed has a bevy of talent, including an offensive line with two Ohio State commits (twin brothers Deontae and Devontae Armstrong) and another going to Michigan (Ben Roebuck). The defensive line is just as good, led by Notre Dame prospect Loghan Thomas and Northwestern commit Troy Regovich.
But when it comes to Division I recruits, perhaps only Hoban has been able to match St. Edward over the years, and 2023 is no exception. Four-star senior William Satterwhite is headed to Tennessee, and O-line teammate Sam Greer is getting a hard look from OSU despite only being a sophomore. Ditto for junior linebacker Eli Lee, who anchors a stifling defense which includes Rickey Williams (West Virginia commit), Tysen Campbell (Central Michigan), Devin Bell (Miami of Ohio), and more super sophomores in Elbert Hill and two-way standout Payton Cook.
That elite defense has been the key to the Knights' success as they seek their first unbeaten regular season since winning their most recent D-II state title in 2020, and as far as the national polls go they are currently slotted 22nd in the country by High School Football America. Overall, the team has outscored its eight opponents 310-60, including a 39-0 victory over 8-1 Akron East and a 57-7 shellacking of rival Walsh Jesuit, also 8-1.
Since this matchup became an annual affair in 2020, St. Edward owns a 2-1 record, with none of the prior games being decided by less than 11 points. Last year's 41-20 triumph was Archbishop Hoban's only loss of the year before falling in the D-II championship game to Toledo Central Catholic.
Last month's St. Ed game against Massillon was also a nationally-ranked showdown. The 9-0 Tigers remain rated as high as 13th in America's polls with their massive rivalry battle against Canton McKinley looming this Saturday.