Portage County Week 1 football previews
Crestwood at Rootstown
Last year, the Rovers got off to a sterling start at Jack Lambert Stadium before the Red Devils took over the final three quarters for a 28-7 victory. Rootstown returns the tools to be a tough, physical team once again, including RB Cody Coontz (169 carries, 836 yards, 9 TD last season) and linemen Tony Karp and Drew Nero. Crestwood, coming off a Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title, is full of young talent, with sophomores making up half of its roster, including QB Charlie Sommer and RB Nate Blasiole in the backfield. The Red Devils also have one of the area's better pass-catchers in WR Jonas Honeycutt.
Mogadore at Field
Last year, the Wildcats jumped all over a young Falcons team in the opening minutes. Field has grown up a lot since and big things are expected from senior QB Braxton Baumberger and sophomore RB Drexal McAmis as well as a solid front. Of course, Mogadore, which won a share of the Portage Trail Conference title and was the Region 21 runner-up last season, remains a very challenging foe, led by Ohio commit Mason Williams. While Williams is going to the Bobcats to play tight end, he'll presumably get plenty of carries after he broke out as a running back late last season. Add on an experienced quarterback in Zeke Cameron and the return of Tyler Shellenbarger on the line and Mogadore figures to be one of the area's best once again.
Cardinal at Garfield
The 2021 version of G-Men-Huskies was unusual, a rare Sunday high school football game due to a COVID-19 delay. Garfield dominated that game, 49-6, behind one explosive running play after another, many from Anthony Demma, who has since graduated. Still, the G-Men return plenty of talent, especially on the defensive end, where Carter Bates, Jesse Grace, Keegan Sell and Vinnie Grandizio should form one of the area's best linebacker corps.
Firestone at Roosevelt
Falcons-Rough Riders was supposed to be the first game on Roosevelt's brand-new turf, except that the turf wasn't quite ready on time so they played over at Ellet. Now, Firestone makes its trip to Roosevelt Stadium a year later, after the Rough Riders edged the Falcons 6-0 in their 2021 meeting. Both quarterbacks from last year return as Roosevelt's Donovan Daetwyler got a big-time college look over the offseason (from Kent State) while Firestone's Prince Winchester caused some issues with his feet in last year's contest (16 carries for 144 yards).
Lorain at Ravenna
The Ravens open the Joe Callihan era against a new opponent, a Titans team coming off a 1-10 campaign in which all 10 of its losses were by 25-plus points. Lorain's 2021 struggles were at least partially due to the team missing out on its entire 2020 campaign (COVID-19). The Titans thus figure to be significantly better this season, led by RB John Salamon, who also missed last season with an ACL and MCL tear. The Ravens, for their part, have no shortage of playmakers, including Pavel Henderson, Maykai O'Neal, Carlione White and M'kell Williams.
Aurora at Euclid
The Greenmen handled the Panthers in last year's opener, 63-21, but Euclid returns considerable talent, including T Myshaun Turner, who holds an Akron offer; WR Jamal Jefferson Jr., who received a Kent State offer; and DL Chase Smith, who tallied 13.5 sacks last season. Aurora graduated the vast majority of its starters from a season ago, including its entire defense, but the Greenmen have established a tradition that has proven remarkably impervious to graduation.
Southeast at Brooklyn
The Pirates visit a Hurricanes team that lost seven of their last nine games last season following a 2-0 start. (Brooklyn particularly struggled on offense, scoring 14 or fewer points in each of its last six games.) Southeast, meanwhile, is coming off a historic season in which it won its first eight games. The Pirates were hit hard by graduation but return a talented line for speedy do-it-all weapon Michael Phillips to wreak havoc behind.
Girard at Streetsboro
When the Indians and Rockets got together last year, they put up a whopping 105 points. (The teams were knotted at 35 before the Rockets scored the final 35 points.) While Streetsboro graduated a couple of its standouts from that night, including QB Maysun Klimak and RB Hunter Hopperton, the Rockets do return WR Preston Hopperton, who scored four touchdowns against the Indians, three in the second half. Meanwhile, Streetsboro spent much of the summer working on its defense, including bringing in new defensive coordinator Coular Clendenning. The Indians will certainly challenge that Rockets defense, as they did last year, with QB Nic Bengala and RB Michael Palmer returning after passing and running, respectively, for 1,000-plus yards last season.
Windham at David Anderson
The Blue Devils are trying to snap a streak of four straight losing seasons, including a 2-7 campaign last year in which they struggled to score (15.3 points per game). The Bombers should have no trouble racking up points with the return of QB Wyatt Hanshaw, WR Chase Eye, WR Lucas Churchill and RB Jack Eye, among an endless array of options, with the key to their season coming in the trenches, where Windham will lean on a number of younger players.
United at Waterloo
The Vikings have a tough Week 1 opponent as the Golden Eagles seek their third straight winning season after posting an 8-2 record in 2021. WR Grant Williams, returning to his natural position after playing quarterback the past few years, is a dangerous weapon for United, which also features a strong defense that allowed 12 points or fewer in its last six regular-season games in 2021. With the graduation of powerful Waterloo runners Mason Duncan and Bobby Makin, expect QB/LB Jayden Hakin (223 rushing yards, 61 tackles) to play an even bigger role on both sides of the ball. Moreover, Waterloo returns its entire offensive line from a season ago, particularly key given the Vikings' power scheme.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage County Week 1 football previews
