OHIO — Akron Hoban and Cleveland St. Ignatius are both very familiar with state titles. The Knights have won five, all coming since 2015. The Wildcats claim 11 crowns, second-most of any Ohio school.
Hoban and St. Ignatius are both very familiar with so-called “Holy Wars,” which is used to describe their rivalries with fellow Catholic schools Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (Hoban) and St. Edward (St. Ignatius).
Lately—much to the delight of high school football fans—they’ve become more familiar with one another, and that match up headlines the Ohio High School Athletic Association Game of the Week on Spectrum News 1 (in northeast Ohio).
For the fifth time since 2017, the two will meet in the regular season, with the Wildcats winning three of the previous four, including last year’s 33-27 contest. The lone win for the Knights was in 2018 (21-14).
Once again, these two will be contention to add more hardware to the school trophy case. St. Ignatius is off to a 3-0 start, which includes a triple-overtime win over Mentor. The Wildcats are ranked fifth in this week’s Associated Press Division I high school football poll.
The AP ranks Hoban second in Division II and is 4-0, although they’ve only played one school from Ohio (Cincinnati Withrow) to date. The Knights have been consistent, scoring between 43 and 49 points in all four wins, while allowing 20 or fewer.
Among the players to watch in this contest is senior Hoban running back Lamar Sperling, who is committed to play at Buffalo next season. Juniors Jacqai Long (Hoban quarterback) and A.J. Spellacy (St. Ignatius) are also generating interest at the next level.
In central Ohio, Hilliard Darby (2-2) travels to Lancaster (0-4). The Panthers began the year with tough losses to Olentangy Orange and Hilliard Bradley by a combined six points, but since have rallied for wins over Westerville South and Hilliard Davidson.
The Golden Gales have struggled, but that may have something to do with their level of competition. Their four opponents (Pickerington North, Marysville, Olentangy and New Albany) have a combined 12-4 record.
This series has been interesting over the years, with Lancaster owning a 5-4 overall edge, including a wild, five-overtime triumph over Darby back in 2004 (69-68). However, in the four meetings since 2007, it’s been the Wildcats clawing to the top, with the most recent affair a 21-7 win in 2019.
Darby hasn’t had a losing season since 2009, and is led by linebacker Ben Marsh, who has pledged to play at Ball State next year.
Lancaster reached the post-season in each of the last two years. It’s the second season on the Gales sideline for Bryan Schoonover, who replaced long-time legend Rob Carpenter.
In southwest Ohio, the Eastern Cincinnati Conference is in the spotlight, with Lebanon (1-3) heading to Loveland (0-4).
The Warriors are coming off a solid, 41-0 victory over Little Miami, and their three losses (Springboro, Milford & Anderson) are by a combined eight points. The Tigers have also faced Anderson and Milford in the early part of the season.
Since 1999, Lebanon leads the series 11-2, including wins in the last six dating back to 2014. The most recent Loveland win was memorable, though. While fans may not recall that 49-7 score, they’ll definitely remember the Tigers’ state championship in 2013.
It’s all part of a big night of high school football, with all three games beginning live at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News App.
Other big games to keep an eye on in week five include Moeller vs. St. Xavier in Cincinnati, Lakota West visits Princeton, Massillon hosts St. Edward, a battle of undefeated teams in Canfield and Chaney, and Northmont at Centerville.
