MANSFIELD, Ohio — Ohio high school football royalty will come to town Friday when Canton McKinley invades Mansfield Senior’s Arlin Field.
It’s the first regular season meeting in Mansfield since 1959.
Senior High and McKinley renewed their rivalry last fall with the Bulldogs holding on for a 28-21 win in Canton. McKinley owns a 10-4-1 lead in the all-time series, which dates to 1938. In seven visits to Arlin Field, the Bulldogs are 4-2-1, but have been outscored 123-114.
Canton McKinley (0-1) at Mansfield Senior (1-0)
Canton McKinley opened the season with a 42-14 loss to defending Division III state champ Akron Hoban. McKinley quarterback Dominique Robinson has verbally committed to Miami of Ohio, while safety Reggie Corner Jr. is headed to the University of Akron and linebacker Kadeem Trotter will play for Syracuse. Senior High’s Jornell Manns sat out last week’s game at Big Walnut with a shoulder injury. He is questionable for Friday’s game. Manns has offers from a handful of Division I schools, including Penn State and Kentucky. Brian Benson rushed for 174 yards and three TDs in last week’s win at Big Walnut and is on pace to become the program’s career rushing leader.
Shelby (1-0) at Lexington (1-0): The Minutemen stunned the Whippets with a 34-20 win at W.W. Skiles Field last fall. Lex defensive back Tony Gerrell picked off a pair of Brennan Armstrong passes, returning one 85 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. Both teams opened with convincing wins last week. Shelby quarterback Brennan Armstrong ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more in the Whippets’ 49-7 win over Madison. Meanwhile, A.J. Nickoli and Cade Stover provided the fireworks as Lex stopped Ontario 24-6.
Crestview (1-0) at Hillsdale (1-0): The last time the Cougars and Falcons met was in the opening round of the Division V playoffs in 2009. Hillsdale won that meeting 33-23 at Crestview. Cougars’ coach Dan Mager was the longtime offensive coordinator at Hillsdale under Tom Williams before taking over at Crestview last fall. The Falcons opened the season with a resounding 53-7 win at Mapleton. Hillsdale led 29-0 after the first quarter and 46-0 at the half. The Cougars beat Northmor 27-6 on an emotional night at Crestview. The game was dedicated to the memory of Walker Ramsay, who died unexpectedly in May after suffering a seizure. Ramsay would have been a senior member of the team this year.
Clear Fork (1-0) at Ontario (0-1)
The Colts got off to a superb start last week, pounding backyard rival Fredericktown 42-7. Coach Dave Carroll’s team did it with defense, limiting the Freddies to just 75 yards total offense and four first downs. Meanwhile, Clear Fork ripped off 453 yards, including 387 on the ground. Quarterback Thomas Staab was the big threat, throwing for 66 yards but rushing for 149 more, and accounting for three total touchdowns. Ontario exploded on its first snap of the season, with quarterback Trevian Jordan faking a handoff and zipping through the middle of Lexington’s line for a spectacular 66-yard TD dash. But that was it for the Warriors, offensively, in a 24-6 loss to the Minutemen. Still, coach Chris Hawkins has a long history of turning around programs, and he was pleased with his team’s defensive effort, particularly in the second half.
