FNTD: Week 3 Big Game Previews
CLEVELAND — Teams across northeast Ohio will be battling more than each other on Friday night during Week 3 of the high school football season.
Rain and wind are expected to be major factors as the games progress. Fox 8 Meteorologists are calling for heavy rain, wind and hail throughout the night.
An afternoon Senate League game was affected by the severe weather as the Glenville and John Marshall match-up was called with 4:33 to play in the third quarter. Glenville was deemed the winner as they led 47-0.
The Friday Night Touchdown show kicks off in Medina as the Hornets welcome the North Royalton Bears.
The Bears offense has been explosive so far this season, averaging 46 points per game. Quarterback Travis Tarnowski has accounted for 10 touchdowns through the first two weeks.
Highland has actually averaged more points per game than the Bears, 48.5 ppg, but the Hornets have gotten virtually all of their points on the ground.
In their 69 point outburst against Holy Name in Week 1, Highland got rushing touchdowns from five different players. Quarterback Bruce Kinsey leads an option attack that has explosive big play ability.
Over in Euclid, the Panthers welcome a Canton GlenOak team coming off a huge win over Massillon in Week 2.
GlenOak was far from perfect in their 26-24 win, turning the ball over four times, but their ground attack was punishing. The Eagles ran the ball 49 times for 236 yards.
Eagles Quarterback Reid Worstell has been very efficient this season in passing for 406 yards.
The Panthers enter the game at 1-1 after a 44-0 win over Cleveland Central Catholic last week.
Euclid’s secret to success is simple, run the ball. The Panthers will run it early, they will run it often and they will run it with all different personnel.
Expect tailbacks Juwan Ford and Melvin King to tote the rock often, with quarterback Rhyshon Johnson running the option to a tee. Euclid returns 15 starters from last year’s squad.
In Brecksville the Bees will be looking to save their season against a 2-0 Hudson team.
The Bees are scoring at a 35.5 ppg clip on offense, yet are 0-2 after 32-29 loss against Fremont Ross last week.
Tom Tupa Jr., has been everything he was advertised to be, averaging 413 passing yards and four touchdowns per game, while completing over 63-percent of his passes this year.
What Tupa is, Hudson sophomore quarterback Mitchell Guadagni hopes to be, and he’s off to a pretty good start.
After being placed in the starting role due to Ben Hart’s broken wrist, Guadagni threw for 172 yards, and a school record tying four touchdown passes in his first start.
The Friday Night Touchdown Game of the Week features two surprise teams off to perfect starts.
Chardon, and their infamous wing-T offense, rely heavily on the decision making of quarterback T.J. Benenati. The senior signal caller must decide in a split second whether to hand off or keep it himself, which he’s done on five trips to the end-zone this season.
Maple Heights and new coach Devlin Culliver are relying on defense so far this year in their 2-0 start. The Mustangs have allowed just 4 ppg this year.
Martez Butler has been solid at quarterback in leading the Mustangs offense.
Make sure to tune in to Fox 8′s Friday Night Touchdown for highlights from these games and dozens of others from around northeast Ohio. The show kicks off each week at 11:00 p.m. immediately following Fox 8 News.
