by High school football returns this Friday night, and all eyes will be on Stark County as the Northeast Ohio vs. America Showcase pits four Ohio powerhouses against some of the top programs from around the country.
The action kicks off Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon as the Tigers (#4 all-time in wins) take on the winningest program in high school football history, the Valdosta (GA) Wildcats. Both teams bring back fierce defenses, each led by a pair of senior Division I commits: Chase Bond (NC State) and Dorian Pringle (Bowling Green) for the Tigers, and Colorado commits Omar White and Eric Brantley for the Wildcats.
On Saturday, the action moves down the road to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton for a massive tripleheader. At noon, the two-time defending Division I Champions St. Edward Eagles will take on the Center Grove Trojans, winners of three straight Indiana 6A Championships. Led by Duke commit QB Tyler Cherry; the Trojans are just the first step in a grueling schedule for the Eagles as Casey Bullock (Davidson) and the squad look for a three-peat of their own. Bullock will be protected upfront by arguably the best offensive line in the state featuring Ohio State commits Deontae and Devontae Armstrong and Michigan commit Ben Roebuck.
The second game gets underway at 3:55 pm as the Archbishop Hoban Knights, runners up in Division II last season, square off with the Frederick Douglass Broncos, defending 5A Champions from Kentucky. While the departure of Mr. Football Lamar Sperling will mean some changes on the offensive side of the ball, the Knights return a dominant defense led by four senior Division I commits: Rickey Williams (West Virginia), Tysen Campbell (Central Michigan), Devin Bell (Miami (OH)), and Jordan Pritchard-Sewell (Holy Cross). The Broncos feature a slew of big-time prospects of their own, including seniors Jeremiah Lowe (Michigan), Zuri Madison (Arkansas), and Terrion Hicks (Northwestern).
The finale will be full of fireworks as Head Coach Ted Ginn Sr. and the Glenville Tarblooders take on the defending Virginia Class 4 State Champion Dinwiddie Generals. Coming off their first-ever state title, the Tarblooders made news this offseason with the commitments of Bryce West and Damarion Witten to Ohio State. Glenville also features two other senior Division I commits in Fred Johnson (Louisville) and Jermaine Agee (Army). Head Coach Billy Mills’ Generals are coming off a 65-point win in the state championship game and will be led by Harry Dalton, who currently holds 11 Power 5 offers.
All four monumental matchups will be broadcast live on Spectrum News 1 Ohio and the Spectrum News App. Tickets for each individual game are available at the links below. Be sure to follow @SportsKee1 on Twitter for full coverage of all four games.
Massillon vs Valdosta (GA)
http://massillonschools.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/281
St. Edward vs Center Grove (IN)
ohiofbshowcase.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/2
Archbishop Hoban vs Frederick Douglass (KY)
http://ohiofbshowcase.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/3
Glenville vs Dinwiddie (VA)
