win against the Wildcats in the regular season. Senior quarterback Jacob Snow is back after missing games following an injury vs. St. Edward — which is not on the schedule this year — and Notre Dame recruit Brenan Vernon is back at defensive end to bolster Mentor’s chances for a bounce-back season.This will be Cleveland Heights’ last year in the Lake Erie League, but the Tigers have a handful of big nonleague tests with Brunswick , a trip to Strongsville and visit to St. Vincent-St. Mary .
Some of the area’s brightest underclassmen at defensive end will be in this one, including Cleveland Heights sophomore Brandon Caesar and Benedictine junior Kareem Jennings. Both teams also have strong offensive lines to make for bullish battles at the line of scrimmage.This could be the last time Hoban and STVM meet for a while on a football field, as they are not currently slated to play next year.
Two of the area’s top running backs, including Olmsted Falls’ Rocco Conti, and tackles will be on display.Neighboring rivals Stow and Hudson usually play for the Suburban League’s National Conference championship. That’s what happened last year with Stow’swin. The Bulldogs have a new coach in Martin Poder, who previously served as offensive coordinator on some of their best teams before leading Brecksville-Broadview Heights the last four years.