Here's our look at every Week 2 high school football game in Portage County:
Garfield (1-0) at Crestwood (0-1)- What to watch: The rivals meet for the first time since 2019 when the G-Men edged the Red Devils by a point. Crestwood proved it could play physical in a scoreless first quarter at Mogadore. That will certainly be necessary when taking on Garfield's powerful ground game. Indeed, the G-Men ran for 372 yards in their Week 1 win over Warren JFK with three runners topping 80 yards (Devin Bates, Ryder Cain and Collin McGranahan), led by Cain's 181 yards on 15 carries. The Red Devils struggled to score against the Wildcats, but perhaps unlocked something late when quarterback Michael Kalista broke free for a 79-yard touchdown run. Their task won't be easy against a loaded G-Men defense that features a stellar linebacker corps headlined by Bates, Cain and Logan Sell.
- Who will win: Garfield 28-14
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Mogadore (1-0) at Canton Central Catholic (0-1)- What to watch: The Wildcats bounced back in 2025, shaking off a .500 season with an 11-2 mark. They carried that momentum into 2026 with a highly impressive opening performance against Crestwood, including holding the Red Devils to a handful of first downs entering the fourth quarter. On the offensive side, quarterback Maddox Smith passed for 143 yards and ran for 59 and fellow senior Kade Thomas made an impact all over the field, even showing an ability to run between the tackles after typically excelling at receiver in the past. The Crusaders, coming off a 1-9 season, fell by 35 to Perry in their opener, but it's worth noting they typically play an excruciating schedule (including opening with the Division II Panthers). Moreover, the Crusaders returned 25 letterwinners, including dual-threat quarterback Brock Bourquin and running back Kenny Stroud.
- Who will win: Mogadore, 28-21
- What to watch: A year ago, the Falcons fell in a heartbreaker to the Orangemen, as Ellet recovered its own fumble in the Field end zone for the game-tying touchdown. Alex Williams, who had a touchdown catch last year against Ellet, and Andrew Phillip, who had key catches of 22 and 31 yards, return as leading figures for Field. The Orangemen's returning starting quarterback, Demetrius Halsell, lost one of his top weapons in Brandon Knowles, who now plays for Wittenberg University, but he has the electric Trey Carter by his side. Carter, who had a touchdown catch last year against the Falcons, was sixth in the 200 meters at last year's state meet.
- Who will win: Ellet 31-28
- What to watch: Down a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, the Vikings rallied to top Springfield for their first win since the final week of the 2024 season. That same season, Waterloo actually started 2-0 with wins over Springfield and Leetonia. Can the Vikings do it again? They certainly have an all-around star in Keyshawne King and an intriguing new quarterback in Sayid El-Qawlaq with the two connecting for the team's lone score against the Spartans. Meanwhile, the Bison fell by 36 to Richmond Heights in Week 1 and have won just once since the start of the 2023 season.
- Who will win: Waterloo 21-7
- What to watch: After trailing 13-0 at halftime, the Rovers rallied to victory behind a tremendous defensive performance, shutting out Southeast in the second half. In addition to Rootstown's outstanding defense, coach Tom Hannan proved he wasn't kidding when he said he was going to run his quarterback more in 2026. Blake Mullaly capitalized, turning 10 carries into 71 yards and a touchdown. This is the Rovers' first time playing the Blue Devils since the seventies when they squared off several times with their last meeting (in 1978) ending in a tie. Independence dropped this year's opener 56-7 to Columbia, which has been a powerhouse in recent years (including knocking Mogadore out of the tournament in 2024).
- Who will win: Rootstown 31-14
- What to watch: One great thing for the Ravens about winning their first opener since 2020? The chance to go 2-0. There's a lot to be excited about for Ravenna, starting with Mark Miller's three-touchdown performance in a 28-7 win over Field. The Ravens were no less impressive on defense, limiting the Falcons to just over two yards per carry and 1 for 8 passing. Meanwhile, the Invaders are trying to bounce back from a 52-6 opening loss to Holy Name.
- Who will win: Ravenna 35-14
- What to watch: After dropping their opener for the first time since 2022, the Rockets hope to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2018. There were positives to take from Streetsboro's 28-20 opening loss to Copley, which figures to be one of the better teams in the Suburban American, including senior running back Logan Fincham's 27 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown. Fincham was also one of three Rockets players to record two tackles for loss alongside Jerry Benci and Jaxson Fedor. A week ago, Manchester gave up 186 rushing yards on nine carries (including two touchdowns) to Kentucky commit Tristin Hughes in a 28-7 loss to Rocky River.
- Who will win: Streetsboro 31-21
- What to watch: The Rough Riders picked up one of their biggest wins in years when they upset Twinsburg on the road. Roosevelt's comeback win included three second-half touchdown passes from new quarterback Kingston Bryant. The Rough Riders have now won six straight openers. The issue has been Week 2. Roosevelt has lost 14 straight Week 2 games to an assortment of opponents that includes heavy hitters like Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and Stow-Munroe Falls. Winning in Week 2 won't be easy given Elijah Fitch turned 17 carries into 121 yards and two touchdowns in South's opening 34-0 win over Cuyahoga Falls.
- Who will win: Roosevelt 28-24
- What to watch: The Greenmen face the Beavers for the first time since 2022 and 2023 when Riverside swept their two-game series led by quarterback Mikey Maloney (now at Mount Union). The Beavers again boast a dual-threat quarterback in Bo Brandehoff. While Riverside lost its opener to Steubenville, Brandehoff had his moments, passing for 95 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 57 more yards. Aurora, which had a rare postseason miss in 2025 largely because it lost three of its first four, hopes to follow up on an encouraging and exciting win over Stow-Munroe Falls last week. The fun included Aidan Samelko's 112 rushing yards.
- Who will win: Aurora 35-28
- What to watch: The Bombers and Wildcats both look to shake off frustrating Week 1 losses. Both were painful as Chalker led Stryker 22-6 at the half and Windham led Plymouth 20-12 early in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats, last year's eight-man state runner-up, are certainly a dangerous team led by senior Vince Delvecchio, who had three first-half touchdowns to build that lead. The Bombers also boast an electric senior playmaker as Dejuan Ramsey was highly effective in Week 1.
- Who will win: Chalker 35-28
- What to watch: The Pirates absorbed one of the tougher losses of Week 1, falling to rival Rootstown in a game they led 13-0 at halftime. There was a lot to like though as Southeast's offense functioned very well at times, including four players topping 35 rushing yards (Alaunte Massrock, Bruce Nelson, Nathanael Rivera and Tyler Shaw) and three topping 20 passing yards (Lucas Hixon, Drake Longgood and Shaw). Of course, Grand Valley has plenty of momentum after Luke Giddings and Caden Rowland had three touchdowns apiece in a 47-14 win over Brooklyn.
- Who will win: Southeast 35-28
Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at jrosenblum@recordpub.com and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Week 2 breakdowns, predictions in Ohio high school football
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