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With three weeks of games in the books, the high school football season kicks into a new gear tonight with the start of league play for a large majority of area schools.
Highlighting the week four slate is the 78th meeting between Mineral Ridge (3-0) and McDonald (1-2). The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier foes first met in 1927 and played through 1941. The series resumed in 1961, and the two schools have since met on an annual basis. Tonight's matchup marks the 62nd consecutive year for the rivalry, making this the longest continuous current series in Trumbull County.
McDonald leads the series 53-20-4. The Blue Devils currently own a nine-game winning streak in the rivalry, outsourcing the Rams 332-84 during the stretch.
"Records truly don't matter in a game like this," said Mineral Ridge coach Brian Shaner. "We try to downplay things, we try to keep this week as normal as possible but everyone in the community knows the importance of Mineral Ridge-McDonald.
"Our kids have done a great job this week with a business-as-usual approach, but you can't hide the fact that they really want this game."
Shaner believes the MVAC Scarlet Division will be "wide open from start to finish" this year.
"To me, Springfield is the top dog until someone proves otherwise," Shaner said. "Springfield, McDonald, and Western Reserve have always been the big three. Now you have Lowellville and their explosive offense. Jackson-Milton is on a roll. We're playing good football. It will be so interesting to see how things unfold over the next seven weeks."
Springfield (0-3) hasn't lost a league game since Sept. 21, 2018 when it fell to McDonald 20-17. The Tigers have since won three consecutive conference titles and own a 25-game conference winning streak. That run will be put to the test tonight when Springfield hosts Lowellville (3-0). The Rockets are averaging 51.3 points per game.
Jackson-Milton (3-0) also looks to remain unbeaten when it visits Western Reserve (1-2).
A year ago, Garrettsville Garfield (2-1) buzzed through seven Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier opponents in its first year in the league. The G-Men will now look to defend their title beginning tonight with a road game at LaBrae (0-3).
Last year, Garfield handed LaBrae its lone regular-season loss.
Last week, the G-Men had their 22-game regular season winning streak snapped with a 22-21 loss to Warren John F. Kennedy.
Brookfield (2-1) has won two straight since its opening week loss to Ursuline. The Warriors will look to win their third straight when they visit Liberty. The Leopards (0-3) are looking for their first win of the season.
South Range (3-0) will begin the defense of its Northeast-8 Conference title when it hosts Struthers (1-2).
The Raiders last lost a regular season game on Oct. 4, 2019 – a 35-34 overtime loss at Niles. They have since won 23 straight regular season games, including a 17-0 record in league play en route to two straight conference titles.
Girard (3-0) and Jefferson (3-0) will match undefeated records and high-powered offenses tonight in Jefferson. The Indians are averaging 44 points per game while the Falcons are scoring at a 47.3 points-per-game clip.
A fourth member of the NE-8 will look to remain perfect on the year when Hubbard (3-0) visits Poland (1-2). Meanwhile, Lakeview (2-1) looks for its first conference win since 2019 when it visits Niles (2-1).
Last year, United (3-0) won the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference with a 6-0 league record. Valley Christian finished with a 5-1 mark in the standings. However, the two teams didn't square off, as their week four matchup was canceled due to COVID.
On Saturday, VC (3-0) and United will match unbeaten records when the two teams meet in Campbell.
"Our kids are excited because we love to play good football teams and United is a great team and a great program," said Valley Christian coach Andy Hake. "This is a pretty great way to jump into this part of the season. Our kids love to compete.
"If you look at the schedule there are a ton of great match-ups throughout the area this week. We're going to see some great football from here on out. We just hope to stay in the mix of things the rest of the season."
The area's non-conference schedule is highlighted by a matchup between Austintown Fitch and Ursuline, who will match 3-0 records at Stambaugh Stadium.
The Irish lead the series 21-19-1.
Last year, Ursuline defeated Fitch 48-47 in dramatic fashion. The Falcons scored a touchdown with 31 seconds left in the game, then failed on a two-point conversion attempt. However, the Falcons recovered the ensuing onside kick, and had a 44-yard field goal attempt blocked as time expired.
Paul Brown Stadium will be the site of the 87th meeting between Warren G. Harding (1-2) and Massillon (2-1). The Tigers lead the series 58-25-3. Last year Massillon defeated Harding 49-46.