The Ohio high school football regular season closed Friday night with league titles and playoff positioning on the line across the Akron area, highlighted by Highland’s 13-10 win at Hudson that clinched the Suburban League National Conference championship in the Hornets’ first year in the big-school division.
Highland, which entered the night 8-1 overall and unbeaten in conference play, edged a Hudson team that entered 7-2. In the night’s other Suburban League National showdown, Nordonia controlled the second half to rally past Wadsworth 42-33, handing the Grizzlies a second straight loss to close the regular season.
Norton rolled past Cloverleaf 42-7 and Streetsboro beat Tallmadge 28-14, results that left Norton, Streetsboro and one other Metro Athletic Conference rival in a three-way tie at the top of that league. Woodridge topped Cuyahoga Falls 37-7 in the first football meeting between those two schools, and Northwest beat Manchester 28-21 in a loss that cost the Panthers ground in the Principals Athletic Conference race.
Elsewhere in the Akron area on Friday, Walsh Jesuit beat Trotwood-Madison 35-8, Kenston edged Barberton 43-42, Aurora beat Copley 28-24, North Royalton outlasted Stow 43-42, and Lake beat Green 14-10. Cleveland Benedictine defeated St. Vincent-St. Mary 32-7, Mayfield beat Twinsburg 44-19, Solon beat Medina 29-21, Mogadore beat Brush 28-22, CVCA routed Elyria Catholic 42-7, Canton South beat Coventry 55-6, Field beat Springfield 42-7 and Brecksville beat Revere 28-7.
Week 10 was the final week of the regular season, with the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs set to begin next week. Friday’s results settled conference championships and helped determine which Akron-area teams earn home games, byes and favorable seeds when the postseason brackets are finalized.
Several area teams also played Saturday games to close the weekend, including Buchtel’s City Series matchup with East. Coaches and players across the region now turn their attention to the playoff pairings, where one loss ends the season.
For Highland, the conference title caps a statement first season in the Suburban League’s National Conference. For everyone else, Friday night was the last chance to build momentum before the win-or-go-home portion of the Ohio high school football calendar begins.