Both teams need a come-back to stay unbeaten for the “Holy War.” St. Ignatius came from 15 points down to beat hosting St. Xavier 32-21.

By BRYANT K. KIZER
High School Beat Writer

1. St. Ignatius (9-0) the Wildcats expand their winning streak to 15 games as they beat Cincinnati St. Xavier 32-21, last Saturday.  St. Xavier is the last team to beat them on Oct. 22, 2011. The Wildcats take on unbeaten #2 St. Edward, Saturday at Lakewood Stadium.

2. St. Edward (9-0) the Eagles came from 21 points down to beat hosting Archbishop Moeller 49-42. The Eagles take on unbeaten #1 St. Ignatius, Saturday at Lakewood Stadium.

3. Willoughby South (9-0) behind Kareem Hunt’s 271-yard and four touchdown performance, the Rebels beat hosting Riverside 40-14. The Rebels host Eastlake North, Friday. The Rebels have won the last eight meetings.

4. Mentor (8-1) the Cardinals beat visiting Strongsville 54-7. The Cardinals host Twinsburg, Friday.

5. Canton McKinley (8-1) the Bulldogs drubbed hosting Boardman 53-14. The Bulldogs take on hosting Mass. Washington (8-1), Saturday.

6. Aurora (8-1) the Greenmen blanked visiting Harvey 63-0. Aurora at Kenston, Friday.

7. Canton GlenOak (8-1) beat hosting North Canton Hoover 33-20. The Eagles, who are the only team to beat both Canton McKinley and Mass. Washington, host Mass. Perry, Friday.

8. Warren G. Harding (8-1) the Raiders won their eighth straight by beating visiting Bedford 8-0. The Raiders at Lorain, Friday.

9. Glenville (7-2) the Tarblooders blanked Lincoln West 45-0. The Tarblooders will take on John Adams Friday at Bump Taylor.

10. Cleveland Heights (7-2) the Tigers beat visiting Lorain 41-13. The Tigers host Shaw, Friday.

11. Euclid (6-3) Panthers edged hosting Maple Heights 28-20. The Panthers host Warrensville Heights, Friday.

12. Chagrin Falls (8-1) Tigers edged visiting Orange 22-13. The Tigers at Perry, Friday.

13. Shaker Heights (7-2) the Red Raiders edged visiting Garfield Heights 34-27. The Red Raiders visit Normandy, Thursday.

14. John Hay (7-2) the Hornets sting Collinwood 34-12. The Hornets, who have clinched a berth for the D-III playoffs, will take on East Tech, Thursday at Collinwood.

15. Kirtland (9-0) nipped hosting Beachwood 20-18 in overtime. The Hornets visit Independence, Friday.

John F. Kennedy 14, John Adams 8

Freshman running back Derron Hookfin ran for over 130 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as the John F. Kennedy Fighting Eagles edged their neighborhood rivals, the John Adams Rebels, 14-8 last night at Collinwood.

Hookfin’s 5-yard touchdown run with 3:43 remaining in the fourth and a two-point conversion helped the Eagles (5-4, 5-2 in the Senate) 14-8 lead.

The Rebels (4-5, 4-2) drove the ball all the way down to the Eagles’ 5-yard line, thanks to two defensive pass interference calls with 10 seconds left. However, with no timeouts left, they could not stop the clock.

The Eagles has a chance to play for the City Championship against co-Senate champ Glenville in two weeks. John Hay, the other co-champ, will be playing in Division III state playoffs in that same week.

The Rebels will close out the regular season next Friday against Glenville at Bump Taylor.

Brush 48, Parma 12

In other game, running back, Davari Gill, had four touchdown runs as Brush clinched at least a share of the Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division title with a 48-12 victory over the hosting Parma Redmen. Gill had touchdown runs of 19, 3, 1 and 1. Quarterback Stephen Shorts had a 47-yard fumble recovery for six points and he threw a touchdown pass. The Arcs (6-3, 4-0) led 35-6 at the half. The Arcs can win the division outright with a victory over visiting Garfield Heights, Friday.

Cleveland Heights 41, Lorain 13

The Cleveland Heights Tigers took care of business last night as they beat visiting Lorain 41-13, as running back Cornelius Gamble had five touchdown runs.  The Tigers (7-2, 4-2 in the Lake Erie League) came into the contest in ninth place in the Division I, Region I state playoff rankings. The top eight teams qualify for the state playoffs.  They trailed North Olmsted 16.1 to 14.85. North Olmsted blanked hosting Amherst Steele 22-0. In the seventh spot, is Austintown Fitch, with 17.77. They beat visiting Uniontown Lake 28-6.

The new computer polls are listed on Tuesday afternoon.

The Tigers finished the regular season against rival Shaw (5-4). North Olmsted has a winnable match-up against rival and hosting Olmsted Falls (1-8).  Austintown Fitch has visiting Cardinal Mooney (3-5).

Key games this week –

Week 10 has two themes – “Rivalry Week” and “Playoff Clinching Week.” A lot of teams will continue after week 10 and some will go home. Here is a brief list of key games.

Shaw (5-4) at # 10 Cleveland Heights (7-2) – Friday 5 p.m.

This is a huge rivalry and a possible playoff berth in hand. The Tigers entered week nine just a few points away from the eighth and final spot in the Division I, Region I state playoff poll. It will be very difficult for the Tigers to earn a spot. Shaw has won three in a row.

Kizer’s pick – Cleveland Heights 30, Shaw 21

Mass. Washington (8-1) at #5 Canton McKinley (8-1) at Paul Brown Stadium – Saturday 7 p.m.  – How tight has this rivalry been? Both teams have split the last ten games. Massillon Tigers (8-1) have won seven in a row as they have qualified for D-I, R-2 state playoffs. They began week nine in second place. The top four teams will host the first-round of the playoffs. The Bulldogs (8-1) also have clinched, but they entered fifth. But Nordonia, who occupies the fourth place, lost to Highland last week. Each team’s lone loss came from Canton GlenOak (8-1).

Kizer’s pick – Canton McKinley 28-22.

#1 St. Ignatius (9-0) vs. #2 St. Edward (9-0) – Saturday at Lakewood Stadium, 7 p.m. Both teams need a come-back to stay unbeaten for the “Holy War.” St. Ignatius came from 15 points down to beat hosting St. Xavier 32-21. The Wildcats, who have clinched the D-I, R-I playoffs, have won 15 in a row. The Wildcats have occupied the top spot in the state playoff poll, but they slipped to number two. The Eagles, who’s last regular season loss was to the Wildcats, occupy the top spot in the D-I, R-I state playoff poll. The Wildcats have won the last two, and last season both were 20-17. They have also won the last six out of seven.

Kizer’s pick- Wildcats 35-34 in OT.