Week 4 breakdowns, predictions in Ohio high school football

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Here's our look at every Week 4 high school football game in Portage County:

Thursday, Sept. 10

Aurora (1-2) at Mayfield (3-0)

  • What to watch: The Greenmen hope to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the start of the 2017 season, when they lost their first three but then won six of seven to make the postseason. A win won't come easily against the undefeated Wildcats, who have outscored their first three foes 129-36. ... Mayfield is averaging 43 points, led by Brody Colello. Colello's junior season already includes turning 18 carries into 191 yards and two touchdowns at Elyria Catholic. ... Aurora is hoping to get its offense going after scoring 13 and 14 points, respectively, the past two weeks against Riverside and Tallmadge. Junior quarterback Matthew Huth and senior receiver Luke Hilditch both flashed big-play potential against the Blue Devils.
  • Who will win: Mayfield 31-21

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Friday, Sept. 11

Metro Athletic Conference

Norton (3-0, 0-0) at Streetsboro (2-1, 0-0)

  • What to watch: This has been the premier game in the Metro Athletic Conference for years. Either the Panthers or Rockets have won at least a share of every Metro championship since 2018, dating back to when it was the Portage Trail Conference's Metro Division. ... Both teams can be expected to lean heavily on their star running backs. Norton's Jason Beverly ran for 258 yards and three touchdowns last week against Marlington while Streetsboro's Logan Fincham ran for three touchdowns and 150 yards in his team's victory over Alliance.
  • Who will win: Norton 35-28

Roosevelt (2-1, 0-0) at Tallmadge (2-1, 0-0)

  • What to watch: The Rough Riders and Blue Devils have both emerged as potential breakout teams this year after finishing 5-5 and 3-7, respectively, in 2025. Roosevelt's signature win came in Week 1 when it rallied to beat Twinsburg on the road. Tallmadge's moment came last week when it knocked off Aurora after losing to the Greenmen every year they were in the Suburban American together. ... Both teams have gotten huge contributions from newcomers. Rough Riders junior quarterback Kingston Bryant, who previously played at Twinsburg, completed 15 of 26 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns last week against Ellet and had three second-half touchdown passes against the Tigers in Week 1. Blue Devils junior running back Angelo Gotto, who previously played for his dad (longtime head coach Tony Gotto) in Barberton, had what ultimately proved to be a game-winning 44-yard touchdown run against the Greenmen.
  • Who will win: Tallmadge 35-28

Springfield (0-3, 0-0) at Ravenna (2-1, 0-0)

  • What to watch: The Ravens hope to shake off a peculiar loss in which they ran twice as many plays as Niles McKinley and dominated yardage 413-254 but still lost a heartbreaker. ... Mark Miller continues to be one of the stories of the season for Ravenna, including two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and 146 rushing yards against the Red Dragons. ... The Spartans have lost 12 in a row dating back to last year's opener. Springfield has particularly struggled to score, with 12 combined points in three games.
  • Who will win: Ravenna 35-7

Field (1-2, 0-0) at Woodridge (3-0, 0-0)

  • What to watch: The Bulldogs have a number of dangerous weapons, including running back Jon Tyree and tight end Carter Maxa. Woodridge's defense might be most dangerous of all, including a Kai Jones pick six as part of its upset of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy last week. The Bulldogs have held all three of their opponents to 20 points or fewer. ... That could pose a challenge for the Falcons, who scored 30 points against Ellet but were held to a combined seven points in their other two games. Expect Field to lean on dual-threat quarterback Mason Ford.
  • Who will win: Woodridge 28-7

Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Gray Tier

LaBrae (2-1, 0-0) at Garfield (3-0, 0-0)

  • What to watch: Two dangerous offenses collide in the G-Men's Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Gray Tier opener. Garfield has scored at least 37 points in every game this season, averaging 366.7 rushing yards. Ryder Cain (37 carries, 436 yards, four TDs) has been a powerful runner while Collin McGranahan has made waves as a runner (24 carries, 275 yards, six TDs) and a passer, forming a nice connection with Nate Baczkowski (four catches, 177 yards, three TDs). Shut out by McDonald last week, the Vikings scored 40-plus points in each of their first two games. Ty'Meir Boyd is an electric playmaker for LaBrae, including three rushing touchdowns in the third quarter alone against Pymatuning Valley.
  • Who will win: Garfield 42-21

Southeast (0-3, 0-0) at Newton Falls (2-1, 0-0)

  • What to watch: All three of the Pirates' losses have come by two touchdowns or fewer and Southeast actually held leads against Cuyahoga Falls and Rootstown. The Pirates boast a number of dangerous runners, including Alaunte Massrock and Bruce Nelson. ... The big challenge is they have to face another dangerous dual-threat quarterback this week. Last week, Cuyahoga Falls' Waseem Mustafa had 223 rushing yards, 103 passing yards and three touchdowns against Southeast. This week, the Pirates must contend with Tigers quarterback Chace Clonch, who has completed two-thirds of his passes (with five touchdowns and a single interception) and is averaging 12.6 yards on 38 carries (479 yards).
  • Who will win: Southeast 28-21

Northern 8 Football Conference

Windham (2-1, 1-1) at Holgate (2-1, 1-1)

  • What to watch: The Bombers and Tigers both enter on two-game winning streaks. Both boast dangerous offenses. Holgate's Weiand Stalnaker ran for 195 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2 while Windham's Alex Eye ran for 226 yards and two touchdowns last week. Both also can air it out, with Mateo Gomez racking up 244 passing yards and four touchdowns in the Tigers' Week 2 win while Bryan Smithberger tossed a 65-yard touchdown pass to Dejuan Ramsey last week.
  • Who will win: Holgate 42-35

Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division

Kirtland (2-1, 0-0) at Rootstown (2-1, 0-0)

  • What to watch: The powerhouse Hornets have been challenged this season, from a two-point win over Poland Seminary to last week's 21-point loss to Perry. That said, Kirtland is still pretty darn tough. The Hornets' weapons include Tommy Caimi, who ran for 238 yards in that win over the Bulldogs, and an offensive line that returned everyone from last year's state title team. ... The Rovers, meanwhile, have asked quarterback Blake Mullaly to run it more this season, including 25 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns in last week's win over Trinity.
  • Who will win: Kirtland 35-14

Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier

Western Reserve (1-2, 0-0) at Waterloo (1-2, 0-0)

  • What to watch: Keyshawne King continues to be a highlight for the Vikings, including 12 carries for 228 yards and two touchdowns in last week's loss to Lisbon David Anderson. ... The challenge for Waterloo is trying to come up with stops. After holding Springfield to a field goal in Week 1, the Vikings have surrendered 94 points over the last two weeks. ... Like Waterloo, Western Reserve is trying to snap a two-game skid. The Blue Devils have a powerful duo to lean on through the air in quarterback Dominic Krut (28-of-48 passing, 458 yards, eight TDs, no interceptions) and wide receiver Jayden Goddard (14 catches, 286 yards, five TDs).
  • Who will win: Western Reserve 35-21

Nonleague

Malvern (1-2) at Mogadore (2-1)

  • What to watch: Maddox Smith and the Wildcats had a great bounce-back performance in Week 3 against Dalton, with the senior quarterback completing 14 of 21 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Mogadore continues to be multi-faceted offensively, including Smith's ability to run and pass, Smith's multiple receiving threats (led by Collin Hendrickson and Kade Thomas) and Thomas (37 carries, 224 yards, five TDs) emerging as a strong inside runner. ... Malvern has its own considerable weapons, including 6-foot-4 quarterback Jaxon Jones and running back Luke Thomas, who scored all four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) last week for the Hornets. ... Their main challenge has come on the defensive end, as they're yielding 39 points per game. ... Mogadore scored 28 unanswered points to win last year's meeting after Malvern jumped out to a 14-0 lead.
  • Who will win: Mogadore 35-28

Independence (2-1) at Crestwood (0-3)

  • What to watch: The Red Devils hope to shake off a tough start to the season, in which they've been outscored 110-35 while facing a brutally tough schedule — Mogadore (third in Region 25, per Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50), Garfield (seventh in Region 17) and Mineral Ridge (sixth in Region 21). ... Independence (ninth in Region 25) has leaned hard on Maverick Durden the last couple of weeks, with the senior absorbing 15 carries apiece against Crestview and Rootstown for a combined 163 yards and three touchdowns. ... Nick Hess and Chris Mory have similarly emerged as leading ball-carriers for Crestwood, combining to run the ball 20 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns last week against Mineral Ridge.
  • Who will win: Crestwood 28-24

Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Week 4 breakdowns, predictions in Ohio high school football

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