2026 Week 8 (Ohio & Pennsylvania)
I hadn’t really thought of other options. I knew Thursday would be a doubleheader in Cleveland. With the North Eastern Ohio Education Association Day on Friday, many games were bumped forward to Thursday. Including afternoon games around Cleveland. And one such game was at a new stadium that had just opened at JFK. John F. Kennedy High School located near Lee Rd had closed and moved to a new campus a mile or so west on Miles Ave.
The school had moved quite a few years ago, but the new stadium was just opened this season. Also, on Thursday night there were a couple of games nearby. One being at Warrensville Heights, and another at Bedford. I had been to Bedford before. And I had seen Warrensville Heights earlier this year at Cleveland Central Catholic. But I had never been to Warrensville Heights. And like JFK, they had recently rebuilt the campus. Relocating it from the west to east side of their property. The football field maintained the same location with some modern upgrades.
Friday, then, was going to be another doubleheader. First at Cupples Stadium for Allderdice and Perry, while the night game was going to be at Sto-Rox. A stadium I had long planned to go to for a game, but had kept putting it off. One time, years ago, I had another such doubleheader planned but went to Elizabeth-Forward as the Pittsburgh City League game had ended earlier than expected. I wasn’t going to be so lucky this week.
Saturday, then, had a lot of options. But a clear favorite was Trinity High School in Garfield Heights was hosting a home game against Brooklyn. I had never seen Brooklyn play. Though I had always planned for them as a night game as part of a Cleveland doubleheader with a game at John Marshall earlier in the day. But those plans never worked out.
Trinity plays their home games at Cuyahoga Heights High School’s Ralph P. Adams Stadium. In the past, I had seen them play a home game back when they hosted games at Bedford. And since moving to Cuyahoga Heights, most of their home games are on Friday nights. All except this one. And I finally found a good chance to see them.
Pennsylvania lacked any afternoon games. And New York had no night games. With the afternoon game planned, I had several options for night games. Southington Chalker was hosting an 8-man game against rival Windham at 6pm. Valley Christian had a home game against United from Hanoverton at 7pm in Mineral Ridge. They had moved their home games there after previously playing at Poland, Campbell Memorial, and Liberty briefly. Cardinal Mooney also had played for some time away from Stambaugh Stadium at Joe Lane Stadium. But I had only been to Mineral Ridge once for a Mineral Ridge home game. And United would be a new team for me to see.
The other option was Fairport Harding. I had seen them once on the road at Buckeye Central. But never at home. Though I learned they didn’t play in Fairport Harbor, instead were playing their home games now at Perry. And that would make an even longer drive on Saturday night to get home. And nearly the same drive from Cuyahoga Heights as a trip to Mineral Ridge.
On Thursday afternoon, I headed west to Cleveland. A regular route at this point, following US422 to OH711 to OH11 to OH82 around the Warren Bypass back to US422. Following that to I-480 to the Miles Rd exit. Which is also OH43. It’s only a mile or two down the road to the new school. It’s a great new campus built for the high school. So much better than the old, concrete, cramped school located on Harvard.
I had seen JFK for the first time last year at Stow-Munroe Falls. A completely one-sided game against JFK. This time they were hosting the East Tech Scarabs. A team I’ve seen many times before, including at JFK’s old field when they played the now defunct Whitney Young team. And also saw them host Akron North earlier this season. And my 4th time overall seeing East Tech.
I got some photos of the front of the school, and then drove around the north side to get to the football stadium. It’s a beautiful stadium, though there’s some scaffolding that was still up in front of the pressbox. Funded by CMSD and the City of Cleveland, it’s different in that the field and scoreboard lacks all the Cleveland Browns signage and logos. The turf is bright, with vibrant blue endzones to match the blue scoreboard. With JFK in one endzone and EAGLES in the other. The field lacks lights, which is common in Cleveland as most games are played in the afternoon. I got to meet another local reporter for the Cleveland area: WYTOT, aka What You Think Of That sports, that operates on Instagram.
#39 – Cleveland JFK v. Cleveland East Tech
East Tech had a small roster on their sideline to start the game. And it affected the game as it progressed. Some injuries plagued them. As JFK slowly built upon their lead. Winless on the year, JFK reached a running clock in the fourth quarter. And won via a well deserved shutout, 36-0.
Cleveland JFK Shuts Out East Tech, 36-0 (PHOTO GALLERY)
With the game over, I made my way back to my truck, and had over an hour to get to Warrensville. A scant 2.9 mile drive east along Harvard Ave. Taking me right past the old JFK campus. But first, I decided to get something to eat. Along Lee Road, there was some fast food, and I at first was going to get Burger King. But with it in the northeast corner, meant getting out of the lot would take longer. So, I went into the Taco Bell. There were more unique food spots in the area, but time was a potential issue. I still wanted to get to the night game early. That wouldn’t be a problem later.
Over on Northfield Rd, which is also OH8, it’s just a short drive a few blocks south to the high school. I once again got photos of the marquee, and then drove around the back of the school to the field. The crowd was very thin when I got there and parked very close. Ate my Luxe Box, and then got situated to go into the stadium.
Warrensville Heights, like many urban and suburban stadiums, operated a metal detector. Got in, and checked out the field. WYTOT was there again, and we talked pregame. Before an announcement was made that the officials were late arriving and the game would be delayed until at least 7:20pm.
This made rushing to the game fruitless. But, it was a beautiful night. This was my second time seeing Warrensville Heights, both this season. Garfield Heights, I had seen just once before. That was a home game loss at their Charles A. Blaugrund Field against Muskegon (MI).
#40 – Warrensville Heights v. Garfield Heights
This game started just like the earlier game. Garfield Heights was a clear favorite. And they made the most of it. Going up, 26-0 with 6:49 left in the first half. And this one seemed destined for a running clock in the second half.
Until Warrensville Heights found the endzone on a long TD. The two traded touchdowns in the third quarter, but Garfield Heights just couldn’t get to 30 points. The Tigers returned a fumble for a TD, and cut the lead to 32-19. Making a once one-sided game a bit intriguing.
But then Garfield Heights scored twice in the third, to go up 44-19. Just one touchdown away from the running clock. But the fourth quarter would drag on, scoreless. Giving the visitors the 44-19 victory.
Garfield Heights outlasts resilient Warrensville Heights team, 44-19 (PHOTO GALLERY)
The game ended around 10:15pm. Which was much later than I would have liked. The drive home was slow and tired. It was a long day and I had been up late Wednesday night. I took I-480 southeast toward Streesboro and OH14. Stopping twice for dollar hot dogs at Sheetz. Then continued down OH14 to I-76 to I-80 to I-680 to US422. A quite familiar route. I stayed up getting the photos finished from the games. And finally went to bed around 8am.
On Friday afternoon, I was up, and got ready for the drive south. Getting some sweet tea before heading out. This time, with Pittsburgh on the agenda, it was back on US422 east to Pennsylvania around New Castle to I-79 in Portersville. I-79 south with a slight detour around an accident blockage near Cranberry, taking US19 south to merge back onto I-79 south of the accident. And I-279 to I-579 across the Veterans Bridge through downtown to Sixth Street and Forbes to the Armstrong Tunnel and the 10th Street Bridge.
I was earlier this week than last week. But, the accident had delayed my arrival a bit. I parked in the stadium lot, and luckily had one full spot in the salt barn to myself.
Perry was hosting Allderdice. My 8th time seeing each team. I had just seen Allderdice in Week 7, and Perry was one of my first road trips ever. Taking a school bus trip to a Greenville road game to what was then called South Stadium. A horribly one-sided game in favor of the Commodores. These were the 2nd and 3rd most games I’ve seen of a Pittsburgh City League team. Perry Traditional Academy, as they’re formally known, were a powerhouse at one point in the City League. Though since consolidating down to six teams, their prospects haven’t been as good. Allderdice, meanwhile, is one of the biggest schools in the City League.
#41 – Perry v. Allderdice
Turns out the roster I had for the Dragons was again not correct. So, some of my updates were wrong. The game started with the two teams trading second quarter touchdowns, and a 6-6 tie. In the third, Perry conceded a safety, to trail 8-6. But the fourth quarter, like last week, had a lot of excitement. Perry took the lead on a 35 yard touchdown pass. Before Allderdice answered with a short touchdown to tie the game. The two point conversion failing to break the deadlock, 14-14. But with 1:04 left, Allderdice found the endzone on a 6-yard run by Kayne Dillard. And were able to secure the win, 22-14.
Allderdice beats Perry, 22-14 with last minute TD (PHOTO GALLERY)
The game had taken so long from the very eventful fourth quarter, that I didn’t even wait for the handshake line. I had made my way up to the steps to the parking lot so I could duck out as soon as the game ended. Got to my car, and then headed out Carson Street past FNB Stadium toward McKees Rocks. Carson Street goes from PA837 to PA51 at the West End Bridge, and then abruptly turns left before crossing the bridge into McKees Rocks. A cluttered, mashup of street grids on hill near the Ohio River. Following Chartiers to Singer, and then a back street to the field. Parking in the south endzone’s lot, I was there five minutes prior to kickoff. And the only entrance was in the far northeast corner. Uphill. and then once in the stadium back downhill to the field.
The stadium was much older and run down than I had thought. With the school dominating the west and north endzone views. There is no visitor stands. As home and road fans are confined to the eastern stands. And there was plenty of room as neither team brought much of a crowd. I had always put off games at Sto-Rox due to their parking situation. But it seems like many others have done the same thing. There was a very small crowd for Sto-Rox, and Brentwood had barely brought more.
Getting in to the field, I walked down to the endzone and setup shop. The game kicked off, but I was still getting setup. Kickoff happened, and I finally got my first tweet of the game out. And then had two touchdown come down to my end of the field. This was my second time seeing Brentwood. The first time I saw them was a win over Springdale at home in Brentwood. I had seen Sto-Rox four previous times. Three losses at Heinz Field. And a fourth loss at Fort Cherry in 2016.
#42 – Sto-Rox v. Brentwood
Early on, this game looked out of hand. Brentwood came out early with two touchdowns. And Sto-Rox struggled. The second quarter was different, as Sto-Rox quickly found the endzone and the quarter ended scoreless until halftime. Brentwood led, 14-8. But the third quarter, Sto-Rox scored early, but Brentwood returned the kickoff to retake the lead. And Sto-Rox came back quickly to take their first lead of the game, by a slim 22-21 lead.
After extending it to 30-21 on a 32 yard run with 2.4 seconds left. It seemed like they’d go into the fourth quarter with all the momentum. But a lot can happen in 2.4 seconds. A short kickoff, a penalty forcing an untimed down, and Gavin Lewis scored again for Brentwood, to cut the deficit to 30-28. There was a lot of back and forth in the fourth. A fumble by Brentwood in the redzone led to a fourth down by Sto-Rox from inside their own redzone. And they went for it. Up two. And they didn’t make it. However, Brentwood immediately turned the ball over again.
It was at the very end of the game, that Brentwood carried by Gavin Lewis, scored on a ten yard run to go up 34-30 with 28.1 seconds left in the game. On the final drive, Sto-Rox got a short gain on first down, and then went downfield on a pass. A penalty gave Sto-Rox a shorter field for a hail mary attempt. And the pass to the endzone was broken up. Giving Brentwood the 34-30 win.
Brentwood Wins, 34-30 on last minute TD over host Sto-Rox (PHOTO GALLERY)
After the game, they opened the south gate, and I left with my truck back to Singer where it turns into Pine Hollow Road, heading west to Coraopolis Rd, back to OH51 as it winds along a small ridge near the hairpins on I-79. Continuing through Coraopolis, to University Blvd, which was infamously named Beers School Rd. And then going to Cardello Pizza to get a hoagie.
After that it was back to BL-376, to I-376 just before the toll road started, and back onto PA51 into Ohio where it turns into OH14. Then, OH165 from Unity to OH164 near North Lima, and on to I-680 and home. I stayed up late enough to get the photos done. Finishing sometime around 6am.
With a 2pm game, I had a little extra time in the morning. My daughter was going with me for the day. As the weather was going to be decent and she wanted to come with.
So, I left from Youngstown via I-680 to I-80 to I-76. Getting off onto OH14 coincidentally. Taking OH14 to Streetsboro. Staying on I-480 just past Trinity High School to the Transportation Blvd exit. Then OH17 down through the Cuyahoga Valley, to Canal Rd and up East 71st St north to the school.
We got there about an hour before kickoff. Getting a parking spot right along the fence down the lot from the stadium.
This was my first time at Cuyahoga Heights for a game. And first time seeing Brooklyn. But not my first time seeing Garfield Heights Trinity. Twice I saw them play home games at Bearcats Stadium in Bedford.
The stadium sits on one side of the field. On a hill from the lot behind the school. Going downhill toward I-77. It looks nice, but the stadium itself feels old. An old concrete stadium with lights high above the field. As they’re mounted high above the top row of seats on tall poles. Across the field a large banner on the fence in red spells out “Home of the Red Wolves”.
#43 – Garfield Heights Trinity v. Brooklyn
Trinity was a big favorite in this game. 41-14 was the initial projection. And at first, it seemed like this game was destined for a running clock. Trinity jumped out to a 22-0 first half lead. Just one score away from a running clock.
But they just couldn’t quite get there. Brooklyn finally found the endzone midway through the third quarter. And on the final play of the quarter, found it again on a 32 yard pass. Cutting the deficit to 22-16.
Brooklyn had all the momentum. And then they didn’t. Jaiylin Jackson broke out on a long TD run, to extend the lead back to two scores, 28-16 early in the fourth. But Brooklyn was not going to be defeated that easily. They scored on a 34 yard pass to make it a 4 point game with 7:28 left.
Trinity went downfield, eating up the clock. Going all the way into the redzone before being held to a 4th and long from about the 16 yard line. Going for it, a pass to the front left corner of the endzone was picked off, and ran back 100 yards for the touchdown. Giving Brooklyn the first lead of the game, overcoming a 22 point deficit. A two point try made it 32-28. But there was still time. Trinity moved downfield. Taking chunks of yards and setting up a 4th and 1 from the 4 yard line. Time ticking down, there was under 30 seconds left. And Trinity ran up the gut, only to be stymied by the Brooklyn Hurricanes defense. A kneel down was all it would take to end the game. With Brooklyn winning the upset, come-from-behind victory, 32-28.
It was amazing having seen so many great games the past two weeks. Both games at Cupples were last minute games. Plum overcame a 24-0 fourth quarter deficit to take the lead, only to lose it on a kickoff return. And then last night, Sto-Rox was down 14-0 to take a 22-21 lead, and a 30-28 lead late in the game. Only to give it up on a late touchdown, to make it 34-30. And now another comeback. From 22-0 at the half with a 100-yard pick six for the winning points with a redzone stand on 4th down. Just an incredible string of games.
With the back and forth in the second half, there was less time available between games. I had considered giving up the Valley Christian game to cover the Southing Chalker-Windham game. As it started at 6pm. But that would be a straight shot driving to it. While, I promised my daughter McDonald’s between games.
So, after the game, we backtracked up from the Cuyahoga Valley to I-480 and followed that to Twinsburg. Stopping for McDonald’s and Sheetz. Continuing east on I-480 through Streetsboro to Ravenna, and another quick stop at the Sheetz. Before heading east along I-76 to Mineral Ridge. The school and field sit just north of I-80 about a mile or so.
Now, like the afternoon game, this was projected to be a one-sided game. And this one was a one-sided game. A Battle of Eagles, the United Golden Eagles were 5-1, while the Valley Christian Eagles were 1-6 and it was projected to be 47-6 for the Golden Eagles. United is from outside Hanoverton, just west of Lisbon.
This was my fourth time seeing Valley Christian play. The first two were home games when they played at Poland. And a road game at Sebring McKinley as part of an 8-man interclass game. This was my first time seeing them at Mineral Ridge.
At first, I drove past the school, not realizing you couldn’t get to the field from the north. So, it was back to the south entrance, and found a spot in the grass. After walking it, it was over to the field to get ready for the game. At the time, the forecast for rain was showing it would start middle of the night.
#44 – Youngstown Valley Christian v. Hanoverton United
This game started a bit sluggish. Valley Christian and United traded early possessions, before United finally scored late in the first frame, on an 8-yard run.
It was after this score, I got the notification that rain was imminent. And I had already felt a few drops. I did not bring my rain gear into the stadium. So, we left for the truck and got my camera’s rain hood and left my other camera behind. As I didn’t have a second rain hood. Also picked up an umbrella for my daughter. And got back into the stadium just before United scored their second touchdown of the game. Early in the second quarter.
United added three more touchdowns, to go up 35-0 at the half. Ensuring the start of the second half would be with the running clock. The rain itself was minimal, but the remnants of Hurricane Isaias had arrived early to northeast Ohio. And knowing my luck if I didn’t have the rain hood it would have been a deluge.
The third quarter saw another United touchdown. From a player I didn’t have on my roster. The fourth quarter started with Valley Christian finally finding the endzone on a 4 yard run. And then a 35 yard field goal. Just as their last touchdown, I did not have the roster number for the kicker on my list.
But despite that, I spent a good few minutes trying to find it. The running clock was moving swiftly, and the game ended just a couple minutes after I had tweeted out the field goal score.
United won and moved to 6-1, thanks to a 45-7 victory. Fairly close to their 46-7 projection.
Hanoverton United crushes Valley Christian, 45-7 on Saturday Night (PHOTO GALLERY)
After the game, it was a very short drive home. But a detour to Walmart was in the works. Stopping in Austintown, before heading over on Mahoning Ave to OH11 to I-680 to US422.
I got to watch the tail end of the Guardians Game 5 win over the White Sox. And watched Fresno State host Boise State while doing my photos and writing up the game recaps.
On Friday, I had been informed that the Ashtabula Edgewood-Pepper Pike Orange game had been postponed due to an accident that involved the Orange team bus. And the game was being played Sunday at 4pm at Edgewood. I had considered attending it. But the rain was still not letting up by the time I would have had to leave. And I would be expecting rain that was forecast to taper off throughout the game. I also had plans to watch the Browns game at home, and my daughter was promised pizza. We could have gotten pizza on the road, but there was also the specifics.
I had just seen Pepper Pike Orange earlier this season for the first time when they hosted Lutheran West. And I had been to see a game at Edgewood when they hosted Ashtabula St. John. Though the game was projected to be close, and it was, I opted to pass on it. Instead, watching football in the living room. Even if the Browns fan a new and devastating way to lose.
STATISTICS
I added two new teams to my list. With Brooklyn and Hanoverton United. As well as four new stadiums. At Cleveland JFK, Warrensville Heights, Sto-Rox, and Cuyahoga Heights.
For the weekend, I drove 450 miles. And spent just $45 on food. I did not buy gas over the weekend. As I had started with a full tank and still had a hundred miles left after I arrived home Saturday night. Of that $45, most of it was at Cardello Pizza, with $23 for two hoagies to take home.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
2026 Statistics (after Week 8):
44 Games
84 Teams
33 Stadiums
11 States
33 New Teams
22 New Stadiums
1773 different teams
587 different stadiums
1688 total games
NEXT WEEK
My Week 9 is entirely up in the air. I plan to be out west. And it’s too early to decide what games I could possibly do. So, it will be a later decision.
For more, and larger, photos from this week, click HERE.
For photos from previous weeks and seasons, visit http://www.flickr.com/sykotyk/sets/