Stark County area's high school football games to watch | What to know about Week 4

Three Stark County teams arrive to Week 4 of the Ohio high school football season still unbeaten. The trio — Canton South, Marlington and Massillon — all play home games Friday. Also unbeaten in the area are Green and Malvern, and each of those two play road games. Green's road game, at Jackson, is the Federal League opener for each and one of our top five games to watch this week. Learn more about that game, as well as the rest of Friday night's games from around the area.

Here's a look at this week's games:

5 OHSAA high school football games to watch this Friday around Stark County

Green (3-0) at Jackson (2-1)

What to know: The Bulldogs and Polar Bears carry some momentum into this Federal League opener at Fife Stadium. Green, which can match its win total from all of last season with a victory Friday, is the league's only undefeated team through three weeks of the season. Jackson won a thriller vs. Mayfield in Week 2 and then shut out Stow 34-0 last week. ... The Bulldogs' new 3-4 defense has allowed only 27 points through three games. Meanwhile, Green's offense got going in last week's 41-14 win at Tallmadge. First-year starting QB Samino Manson had his best game, throwing for 280 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 15-of-27 passing. He added 60 yards on six carries. Jarrett Taylor caught two TDs. Antonio Martin, who had 107 yards of total offense, caught one TD and ran for another. Zach Baglia caught one TD. ... Sophomore QB Lucas Ecrement is the engine of Jackson's offense, already throwing for 814 yards, 10 TDs and no interceptions this season. He also ran for a pair of TDs last week. Ecrement has several dangerous playmakers to target, led by seniors Kyle Benson and Anthony Fuline and junior Jamahl Phillips. ... These teams have produced some drama the previous two years. Green beat Jackson 29-28 last year, winning on a 2-point conversion pass to Baglia with 44 seconds left. It is the Bulldog's only win against the Polar Bears since joining the Federal League in 2015. The year before, Jackson held on for a 21-20 win when it blocked a 25-yard field goal try on the game's final play. ... Jackson leads the all-time series 13-5.

This week's football power poll: Stark County-Area High School Football Top 5 Power Poll after three weeks of 2023 season

Canton McKinley (2-1) at Perry (2-1)

What to know: Defending Federal League co-champion McKinley makes the short trip to Wakefield Stadium to open league play against Perry, and strangely that might be an advantage for the Bulldogs. The road team has won five straight in this series. ... McKinley is difficult to beat when QB Keaton Rode plays like he did last week in a 24-14 win at Dublin Coffman. He threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another 59 yards on 10 carries. The senior also made a 31-yard field goal and all three of his PAT kicks. ... Perry's defense has progressively improved this season, led by two-way linemen Mike Millin and Carson Gidcumb. It will be tested by an explosive McKinley offense that had four plays of 35 yards or more in a three-possession span last week, highlighted by Keith Quincy's 63-yard catch-and-run for a TD. Quincy also snagged a red-zone interception in the second half as the Bulldogs protected a 17-14 lead. ... Perry's wing-T has produced 648 yards and 11 TDs rushing, led by four TDs each from Ryder Hartshorn and Marcellys Harris. QB Austin Mattox has completed nine passes for 181 yards on the season, with 102 of those yards coming in last week's 42-6 win against Euclid. ... McKinley RB Nino Hill missed last week's game for disciplinary reasons and has been available for only half of the team's 12 quarters so far this season. The Bulldogs got good contributions on the ground from RBs Stephon Thomas and Shaukeer Hatcher, along with Rode, last week. ... Perry beat McKinley 38-28 last year, scoring the game's final 21 points, for its only Federal League win of the previous two seasons (1-11). The Panthers have won seven of the last nine against McKinley. The all-time series is tied 11-11.

North Canton Hoover (2-1) at Louisville (1-2)

What to know: One of the oldest rivalries in Stark County tees it up for its 101st edition. This is Hoover's first game away from North Canton this season. ... Vikings QB Carson Dyrlund has thrown for four touchdowns and run for four touchdowns. Three of Dyrlund's TD passes went to senior Mason Ashby in last week's 56-0 win against Cincinnati Dohn. ... Louisville QB Owen Burick has thrown for 605 yards, four TDs and three interceptions on 46-of-81 passing. Braiden Hershey has been his favorite target with 11 catches for 142 yards and two TDs. The Leopards yielded six sacks in a 26-14 home loss to Northwest last week, a game they led in the third quarter. ... Sophomore LB Chase Lukens leads the Hoover defense with 26 tackles, including 22 first hits. Bryce Roach has five sacks, while Drew Ziarko has four. ... Louisville's Cooper Rice picked off three passes last week. ... Dyrlund ran for 103 yards and two TDs in Hoover's 34-8 win vs. Louisville last year. Hoover has won three straight and six of the last seven against Louisville. But the Leopards lead the all-time series against North Canton 56-39-5.

Massillon (3-0) at Elkhart, Ind. (1-2)

What to know: The Massillon Tigers remain perfect and hope to continue that on Friday night when they host the Elkhart Lions out of Indiana. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two. ... Massillon is coming off another dominating victory over Mansfield last Friday. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 135-34 this season. ... While the Tigers' passing attack remains a work in progress with the two quarterbacks, Jalen Slaughter and DaOne Owens, they remain consistent in running the football, averaging 285.7 yards a game. Owens is the Tigers' top rusher with 371 yards and four TDs. Massillon RB Peytton Mitchell had his second straight 100-yard game last week, going for 113 on 17 carries vs. Mansfield after rushing for 127 yards on 12 carries the previous week vs. GlenOak. Mylen Lenix and Ja'Meir Gamble have also seen time in the backfield and have been effective. ... Elkhart beat Hammond (Ind.) Morton last week to gain its first win after an 0-2 start. The most notable player to watch might be junior edge rusher Mariyon Dye (6-foot-5, 235 pounds). He is a three-star prospect with nine college offers, including Cincinnati, Tennessee, and three Big Ten schools. ... A win over the Lions could set up momentum for next week when two-time defending Ohio Division I state champion St. Edward returns to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Orrville (1-2) at Canton South (3-0)

What to know: Two of the five teams that shared the 2022 PAC-7 championship meet in the conference opener. After losing to Orrville 38-35 last year, South needed to beat Northwest in Week 10 to gain a share of the title. The Wildcats’ last 3-0 start came in 2021, the team’s final season in the Eastern Buckeye Conference. The offense — led by QB Poochie Snyder, WR Tavon Castle and RB Xion Culver — is in midseason form. South is averaging 42.3 points a game. Head coach Matt Dennison is hoping his defense can rise up this week. The Wildcats allowed 530 total yards in last week’s 35-27 win over Sandy Valley. They are allowing 35.6 points a game. Orrville beat Springfield 50-6 last week for its first win of the season. The Red Riders lost their first two games to Wooster and West Holmes by a combined six points. QB Sawyer Hamsher threw for 146 yards and a touchdown and ran for 96 yards and two TDs in last year’s win over South.

Other Week 4 Stark County-area high school football games

Lake (2-1) at GlenOak (1-2)

What to know: The Blue Streaks begin their defense of last season's Federal League co-championship, while the grind continues for the Golden Eagles. ... Lake looks to put all three phases together for the first time this year. After scoring 42 points in a Week 2 win at Boardman, it was the Lake defense rising up in a 17-14 win at home against Brecksville last week. Celton Dutton, who made eight tackles on defense, kicked a 23-yard field goal to win it in double overtime. LB Charlie Christopher had 14 tackles for his third straight game of double-digit stops. DE Ryan Lippe totaled three sacks as Lake held the Bees to 233 yards of offense. ... Life hasn't been easy for GlenOak, which lost to heavyweights Massillon and Fitch the previous two weeks by a combined score of 91-10. The Golden Eagles totaled 329 yards of offense and were 9-of-29 passing in the two losses. ... Senior Avantae Burt gained 110 yards of offense to lead GlenOak vs. Fitch. ... Senior Nate Baker has rushed for 330 yards in two games since the Blue Streaks moved him to tailback. He's averaging 5.9 yards a carry. ... Lake junior QB Noah Kubasky, who committed to play baseball for Kansas State this week, rushed for a touchdown while throwing for 141 yards and a pick on 9-of-13 passing last week. ... Lake has won five straight against GlenOak and leads the all-time series 20-16.

Chaney (1-1) at Marlington (3-0)

What to know: Marlington won four games combined the last two seasons. First-year head coach Joe Cardinal can match that total with a victory this week for the Dukes. It would be the first time since 2019 Marlington has won more than three games in a season. … Marlington has not started a season 4-0 since 2016. The Dukes posted a perfect 10-0 regular season record that year. … Marlington QB Bryson McCord has shown great decision-making and has yet to throw an interception this season. He is 49-of-87 passing for 720 yards with eight TDs. … Marlington DB Ty Knoch is a dangerous ballhawk. Knoch has three interceptions over the last two games, in addition to making plays as receiver and return man. … Chaney reached double digits in the win column last year (10-2) for the first time since 2001 and returned 18 letterwinners this season. … The Cowboys have a dual-threat QB in Matt Jones. Jones has run for two TDs in each of Chaney’s two games. … The Cowboys lost their opener 14-13 at Akron East, didn't have a game in Week 2 and beat Boardman 21-13 last week.

Tuslaw (2-1) at CVCA (2-1)

What to know: The Tuslaw Mustangs are coming off back-to-back blowout wins. It's the first time since 2019 the Mustangs have won two straight games. ... Joey Medure powered Tuslaw in its win last week with 157 yards rushing and two TDs on 19 carries. Spiros Smith added two TD runs and a TD catch last week. ... CVCA is coming off back-to-back wins over Roosevelt and Woodridge. CVCA is led by its one-two punch, Logan Scranton and Joey Kopec. The running back duo combined for 282 rushing yards and four TDs last week. ... Tuslaw is seeking a 3-1 start for the first time under coach Matt Gulling. Tuslaw must stop the run and remain consistent with its rushing attack to get there.

Salem (0-3) at Central Catholic (1-2)

What to know: The Crusaders hope to even their record in the first of back-to-back games against Eastern Buckeye Conference teams. They will play their first road game of the season next week at Alliance. Last week’s 35-6 win over Richmond Heights was a shot in the arm Central needed. It also was a history-making night for Dan Boron. The senior became the first player in Crusaders history to rush for two touchdowns, catch two TD passes and return a punt for a TD in a game. Boron has had a hand in 60% of the touchdowns Central has scored this season. His three TD catches and two TD runs lead the scoring. After giving up 75 points the first two games, the Crusaders defense regrouped against the Spartans. Salem hopes to build momentum before EBC play starts in two weeks. The Quakers are coming off a 28-0 loss to East Liverpool and have been outscored 107-26 this season.

East Canton (0-3) at St. Thomas Aquinas (0-3)

What to know: One of these teams will earn a long-awaited win. For St. Thomas Aquinas, the wait has been really long. The Knights have lost 19 straight games since a third-round playoff defeat to Springfield in 2020. They have been outscored 123-14 this season. First-year head coach Kevin Henderson is still optimistic about the Knights. “We are growing and developing each week,” Henderson said after last week’s 42-6 loss to Mineral Ridge. We have some things we have to fix and some things that we still have to work on. But we will get there.” East Canton’s offense has moved the football the past two weeks. The defense, however, has struggled throughout the season. The Hornets gave up a season-high 52 points last week against Southern and are allowing 42.7 points a game this season.

Minerva (0-3) at Sandy Valley (2-1)

What to know:  The final tuneup for Sandy Valley before the Cardinals kick off Inter-Valley Conference play next sweek. Head coach Brian Gamble wants to see how well his team regroups following Sandy Valley’s first loss, a 35-27 defeat to Canton South. The Cardinals played well and led early in the second half before the Wildcats rallied. Nick Petro is one of the best quarterbacks in the area. The Sandy Valley senior has thrown for 576 yards and four TDs and rushed for a team-leading 514 yards and five TDs. Petro threw for 264 yards and a score and ran for 237 yards and two TDs against South. Chapin Greer has been a force on Sandy Valley’s defense. He has a team-best 5.5 sacks in three weeks. Minerva has lost 22 straight games since ending the 2020 season with back-to-back wins over Rootstown and United. The Lions held a lead in the second half of their Week 2 game against Crestwood before losing 36-21. They lost to Edison 40-7 last week.

Fairless (1-2) at Triway (1-2)

What to know: The non-conference season was a bit of a struggle for Fairless. However, the two-time defending champion Falcons enter the week knowing a win will give them a jump-start in the PAC-7 race. A rejuvenated running game helped Fairless break into the win column last week at Claymont. QB Carson Colucci and RB Anthony Stutler combined for 169 yards rushing and four TDs in the 35-33 victory. Colucci leads the Falcons in rushing with 269 yards and four TDs. Fairless’ Hunter Lantzer may emerge as one of the top linebackers in the PAC-7. He has three double-digit tackle games to start the season and leads the Falcons with 45, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. Triway also earned its first win of the season last week, 17-14 against Waynedale. It also was the first win for head coach Cody Kelly, a former Titan. Triway played Luke Starr and Luke Snowbarger, a Wooster transfer, at quarterback last week.

Northwest (1-2) at Manchester (0-3)

What to know: Sophomore QB Tyler Pappas stabilized the offense for Northwest in a victory over Louisville last week. Pappas entered with Northwest trailing 7-0 before halftime and helped lead Northwest to a 26-14 victory. That included a stretch of helping Northwest score 19 unanswered points in the second half. … Connor Satterfield is everywhere for Northwest. Expect him to be the featured ball carrier and is always a threat to record double-digit tackles at linebacker on defense. ... Manchester has lost 14 straight games dating back to 2021. … The Panthers have allowed 37 or more points in all three games. … Manchester has scored just 13 points in back-to-back games after its 37-30 loss in double overtime to Carrollon.

Ellet (0-3) at Alliance (2-1)

What to know: Alliance looks to rebound from its first loss of the season. … Alliance QB Brendan Zurbrugg (Oklahoma) is a threat to throw or run. Zurbrugg is 48-of-69 passing for 475 yards with one TD and one interception. He has run for 316 yards and three TDs this season. … Ellet has scored just 22 points this season in losses to Indian Valley, Tallmadge and Medina Buckeye.

West Branch (2-1) at Ridgewood (3-0)

What to know: To say the West Branch offense is high powered might be an understatement. Joey Jackson set a single-game scoring record for West Branch with six touchdowns in Week 3. Jackson has caught 28 passes for 401 yards and six TDs this season. … West Branch QB Beau Alazaus is closing in on 1,000 yards passing. Alazaus is 74-of-119 passing for 839 yards with 10 TDs and three interceptions. … Boston Mulinix is averaging 7.4 yards per carry for West Branch, rushing for 327 yards and three TDs on 44 carries. … Ridgewood is off to a fast start again. The Generals are 3-0 for the eighth consecutive year. The last time Ridgewood failed to start a year 3-0 was 2015. … The Ridgewood is allowing just nine points per game and is coming off a 13-0 win over Carrollton. ... West Branch defeated Ridgewood 38-14 a year ago.

Garaway (3-0) at Carrollton (1-2)

What to know: Carrollton faces an unbeaten team for the third straight week after falling 13-0 at Ridgewood last Friday. This time, it's Garaway, which beat the Warriors 35-0 in Game 4 last year … Garaway, Carrollton's second straight opponent from the IVC, has outscored its foes 106-18. The Pirates are on a roll under 23rd-year head coach Jason Wallick, having posted 10-0 regular seasons in 2021 and '22. … Garaway QB Brady Geiber came out hot Friday against West Muskingum, going 9-of-11 for 198 yards in the first half. … Carrollton is home this week and next week (Akron Garfield) before opening EBC play at home against Marlington (3-0).

Malvern (3-0) at Tusky Valley (3-0)

What to know: When Malvern mauled Tusky Valley 41-7 last year, the teams emerged with records of 4-0 and 0-4. Now both teams are 3-0. "Talk about a team that's vastly, vastly improved," said Malvern head coach Matt Chiurco. … Tusky Valley turned heads with a 45-14 rout of Fairless in the home opener. A grinding 39-24 win at Martins Ferry puts the Trojans in position for their first 4-0 start since 2001, midway through Dale Martini's 16-year run as head coach. … QB Cole Clements has given Tusky Valley strong senior leadership along with John Leffler, Colton Selinsky, Logan Mckinney, Virgil Myers and others. Bruising brothers Dylan and Ben Congdan help set a tone in the trenches. "All over the field I can point to guys who have taken the bull by the horns and stepped up and made plays," head coach Greg Dickerhoof said. … Malvern got to 3-0 by outlasting Harrison Central 22-20. "Our effort was tremendous," Chiurco said. "The good news is we're 3-0. I don't think we've played to our potential yet." … The Hornets led 233-35 in passing yards and trailed 218-100 in rushing yards. Dylan Phillips provided seven catches for 121 yards and two TDs. Sophomore Julius Gore (6-1, 205) is emerging as a big back who can run.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Week 4 Ohio high school football games to watch in Stark County