CLEVELAND, Ohio — Records were set for teams and the state in Week 8 of the high school football season.
Some teams, such as Keystone, won their first OHSAA football playoff game in school history.
Individuals, such as Hudson kicker Jake Vidmar, entered the state record books. Vidmar tied an OHSAA record Friday night by hitting his 111th straight extra point.
Another kicker, Bryce Kightlinger of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, converted four onside kicks to help his team’s road win against Perry in the Division IV playoffs.
Others stepped in for unavailable teammates, such as Aurora’s 41-24 win vs. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin that came without eight starters.
Then there’s Medina’s mammoth 35-31 win against top-seeded St. Edward in the Division I, Region 1 quarterfinals.
Week 8 brought a variety of memorable performances. Check them out below:
• Drew Allar, Medina: The Bees' junior quarterback threw for 262 yards, including three touchdown passes to Luke Hensley in their 35-31 upset of Division I, Region 1 top seed St. Edward at Elyria.
• Jaheim Atkinson, Elyria: In a 51-48 regular-season loss at Berea-Midpark, Atkinson ran 29 times for 217 yards and three TDs.
• Michael Bevington, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy: A senior quarterback and third-year starter, Bevington scored five times. All five came on rushing TDs, as Bevington ran 39 times for 121 yards in CVCA’s 55-28 win Saturday at Perry in the Division IV, Region 13 playoffs.
• Caden Bomback, Firelands: In a 21-20 win Saturday at Napoleon in Division IV, Region 14, Bomback converted all three of his extra points and sent all four of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. He also scored on a 6-yard TD pass in the third quarter from Kyle Ransom that gave the Falcons a 21-14 lead. Napoleon’s best chance to tie the score came with 10:16 left, as a botched extra point turned into a failed two-point conversion pass.
• Dorian Boyland, Medina: The senior running back rushed for a career-high 156 yards and two TDs on 17 carries Friday to lead Medina’s 35-31 win Friday against St. Edward.
• Alec Buehner, Padua: A senior, Buehner rushed for 227 yards and two TDs on 33 carries to spark Padua’s 28-9 win vs. Rocky River in the Division III, Region 10 playoffs.
• Riley Coughlin, Mentor: The senior rushed for 170 yards and two TDs on 22 carries in the Cardinals' 31-14 win vs. Stow in Division I, Region 1.
• Donald Crawford, Firelands: The long trip to Napoleon, which is 113 miles west of Firelands in Toledo, didn’t wear down the Falcons. Instead, Crawford’s 119 yards with a first-quarter TD on 19 carries helped Firelands wear down Napoleon for the Division IV playoff victory.
• Victor Dawson, Archbishop Hoban: Dawson scored Hoban’s first three touchdowns Friday on first-quarter runs to start a 63-0 rout of Kent Roosevelt. The Knights rushed for 293 yards as a team.
• Luke Devins, Berea-Midpark: In a 51-48 regular-season win vs. Elyria, Devins threw for 434 yards and five TD passes with no interceptions. He completed 23-of-34 attempts, finding fellow juniors DeAngelo Borders eight times for 132 yards and Jack Arnold five times for 139 yards. Devins also ran for a TD, scurrying 43 yards on three rushing attempts.
• Joey Dostall, Mayfield: The senior took 31 handoffs for 185 yards and four TDs, sending Mayfield past Nordonia with a 55-31 win that sets up a Division II playoff rematch with Hoban.
• Gage Duesler, Avon Lake: The senior running back took off on a 64-yard TD run in a 30-7 Division II playoff win vs. Wadsworth and finished with 149 yards on 23 carries.
• Ryan Evans, Hudson: The Explorers' 42-0 shutout of Bedford in the Division II, Region 5 playoffs came with Evans picking off two passes. The junior helped Hudson hold Bedford to just 119 yards, including 84 yards through the air, a week after the Bearcats' Raymell Hester set a school record by completing 12-of-14 passes for 360 yards.
• Vincent Ferrante, Chardon: The Hilltoppers' leading tackler again had a team-high 10 tackles in their 49-14 Division III, Region 9 win vs. Warren Howland. Ferrante also broke up two passes and had four tackles for loss.
• Chase Fortkamp, Wickliffe: Fortkamp started Wickliffe with two rushing TDs and finished with four in the Blue Devils' 41-0 win Saturday against Smithville in the Division VI playoffs. Fortkamp finished with 203 yards on 17 carries.
• Dom Grguric, Walsh Jesuit: A senior, Grguric scored three times in Walsh Jesuit’s 49-14 Division II playoff win Friday vs. Garfield Heights. Grguric hauled in three receptions for 105 yards and two TDs and added a punt return to score.
• Kenny Grobolsek, Brookside: The Cardinals' junior running back rushed for 226 yards and four TDs on just 17 carries in a 42-26 regular-season home win vs. Oberlin.
• David Hamrick, Brunswick: The junior safety intercepted Canton McKinley’s Elijah Wesley in the final 30 seconds of the first half to prevent a Bulldogs score. Brunswick left Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium with a 27-14 win, and Hamrick’s interception preserved a 10-point lead at the half. He has eight interceptions in seven games this season.
• Bryce Kightlinger, CVCA: The Royals' senior kicker converted four of his seven onside kick attempts, as teammates pounced on his precise plays during Saturday’s 55-28 win at Perry. Kighlinger kicked twice more in the fourth quarter with a touchback and another blast that Perry did not advance past the 20-yard line.
• Aiden Lal, Hudson: Lal totaled 149 yards from scrimmage, including 99 yards and a score on three receptions. He also carried the ball eight times for 50 yards and another score in Hudson’s 42-0 win Friday vs. Bedford.
• Gideon Lampron, Keystone: The Wildcats won their first playoff game in program history, as Lampron plunged into the end zone five times and rushed for 301 yards Saturday on 21 carries in Keystone’s 46-27 Division IV win vs. Edison.
• Zayne Lehman, Revere: A senior, Lehman rushed for 262 yards and two TDs on 30 carries in Revere’s 27-0 shutout of Buckeye in Division III, Region 10. Coach Rob Karovic praised his offensive line, which includes Ohio State commit Ben Christman, who showed off his strength and versatility for the Minutemen.
• Marty Lenehan, St. Ignatius: A week after rushing for a career-high 171 yards, Lenehan topped that in the Wildcats' 30-20 win at Euclid by carrying the football 40 times for 174 yards and two scores. He also hauled in three passes from fellow junior Joe Pfaff to total 233 yards from scrimmage.
• Sam LoGalbo, Aurora: The Greenmen beat Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 41-24, without eight starters who are under quarantine after contact tracing for the coronavirus at the high school. That pushed LoGalbo out on the offensive line to tight end, which he played for the first time, and helped the offense rush for 390 yards. At defensive end, the senior compiled 11 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
• Cameron Macon, Barberton: The junior’s three TD runs fueled Barberton’s 21-14 win at fourth-seeded Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in the Division II, Region 6 second round.
• Joe Malchesky, Lake Catholic: The Cougars advanced Saturday in Division IV with a 41-0 win at Canton South. Their senior quarterback rushed for 201 yards and a TD on 17 carries, securing the program’s first playoff victory since 2011. Malchesky also tossed two TD passes, completing 4-of-7 attempts for 61 yards.
• Richtell McCallister, Streetsboro: The senior rushed for 240 yards and two TDs on just 16 carries Friday in the Rockets' 41-6 romp of Niles McKinley.
• Evan McVay, Aurora: The senior, who is Aurora’s leading tackler at safety, rushed for a season-high 145 yards with a TD on 18 carries during a 41-24 Division III playoff win vs. NDCL. McVay’s defense remained strong, too, with two interceptions and nine tackles. By the way, he is playing with a cast on his broken left thumb.
• Alex Moore, Aurora: While McVay provided a boost to the running game, the junior quarterback rushed for 132 yards and two TDs on just seven carries. He also completed 10-of-17 passes for 153 yards and another TD in Aurora’s 41-24 win vs. NDCL.
• Matt Natale, Walsh Jesuit: A junior quarterback, Natale passed for 165 yards and four TDs in a 49-14 Division II playoff win vs. Garfield Heights.
• Josh Nickerson, St. Vincent-St. Mary: The senior rushed for 126 yards and two TDs on 23 carries in STVM’s 48-6 win vs. West Geauga in Division III.
• Niko Pappas, Avon: Pappas had a hand in three of Avon’s first four scores in a 42-20 win against Perrysburg, a Division I opponent that substituted in as a regular-season opponent for the Eagles. Pappas' 6-yard TD run in the second quarter gave Avon a 21-14 lead that it didn’t relinquish. Pappas also tossed two TD passes, completing 10-of-14 attempts for 132 yards. He also rushed for 55 yards on seven carries.
• Ryan Pavlas, Holy Name: The senior notched four sacks and six tackles, plus one more tackle for loss (five, counting the sacks) as Holy Name romped past River Valley, 44-6, in the Division III, Region 10 playoffs.
• Evan Pelfrey, St. Vincent-St. Mary: The senior worked double duty at quarterback and linebacker during a 48-6 romp of West Geauga in Division II, Region 9. Pelfrey stepped in at QB for injured sophomore Nathan Lenz and completed 6-of-11 passes for 137 yards and three TDs. He also had an interception on defense.
• James Pettyjohn, Chardon: A senior running back, Pettyjohn burst for a 48-yard TD on his first carry during the Hilltoppers' 49-14 win vs. Warren Howland. The play gave Chardon a 14-0 lead after running just one offensive play, following Charlie Brosch’s blocked punt that Rocco Perico recovered in the end zone. Pettyjohn finished with 121 yards rushing.
• Michael Piazza, North Royalton: Piazza’s 7-yard TD pass to Mathieu Vansteenlandt in the second overtime led to North Royalton’s 33-27 win at Olmsted Falls in the Division II, Region 6 playoffs. Piazza connected with Omar Abuhamdeh earlier on a 68-yard TD pass and completed 7-of-14 attempts for 139 yards and the two scores. Piazza, a junior, also rushed for 68 yards and another TD on nine carries. Junior safety Jacob Liphcek preserved the victory with an interception in the end zone as Olmsted Falls tried to answer in the second overtime.
• Kishon Pierce, Shaw: Pierce’s pick-six interception capped Shaw’s 36-0 win Saturday against Lisbon Beaver Local, which committed five turnovers, including three interceptions by the Shaw defense. The Cardinals also held their visitors to just 64 total yards.
• Liam Powers, Kirtland: The Hornets secured coach Tiger LaVerde’s 200th career win Saturday with a 42-0 home win vs. Manchester in the Division V playoffs. Powers had a hand in three second-quarter TDs, pushing Kirtland to its 42-0 advantage before halftime. The senior completed 5-of-7 passes for 126 yards and two scores. He also ran four times for 61 yards and another TD.
• Kriztion Sanchez, Holy Name: Sanchez rushed for 89 yards on just eight carries, including the go-ahead 41-yard score in the second quarter as Holy Name advanced in the Division III playoffs with a running clock on River Valley, 44-6. Sanchez is only a sophomore, playing running back and on the defensive line. He added two sacks.
• Armond Scott, Euclid: The 6-foot-3 Kentucky commit supplied a play of the week with his 74-yard TD reception against St. Ignatius. He finished with 136 yards and two scores on seven receptions in his final game.
• Jerome Shaw-Mason, Padua: The senior led Padua’s defense with 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss, in the Bruins' 28-9 win vs. Rocky River in the Division III playoffs.
• Billy Simpson, Avon Lake: Simpson’s three interceptions from the defensive backfield capped Avon Lake’s 30-7 win against Wadsworth in Region 6. All three of the senior’s interceptions came in the first half to end Wadsworth drives to preserve a 13-7 lead.
• Jayden Skinner, Wellington: In a 35-21 regular-season win vs. Vermilion, Skinner completed 12-of-13 passes for 211 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for a score.
• Nick Skye, Mogadore: Skye rushed for 164 yards and two TDs on 21 carries Saturday in the Wildcats' 28-7 win vs. Columbia in the Division VI, Region 21 playoffs.
• Kyle Snider, CVCA: The Royals sophomore rushed for a game-high 171 yards and two TDs on 28 carries. He also threw a 20-yard TD pass to Brennan Darr in the third quarter of CVCA’s 55-28 win Saturday at Perry. Fittingly, the 5-11, 210-pounder also factored in at linebacker. The Royals' leading tackler forced a fumble and recovered another.
• Connin Som, Brunswick: The junior’s interception return for a TD on Canton McKinley’s first offensive play Friday built a 10-0 lead that the Blue Devils kept in their 27-14 road win.
• Matt Spatny, Medina: A 6-3, 240-pound junior outside linebacker, Spatny made the defensive play of the night by forcing a fumble on second-and-goal from the 4-yard line and recovering it in the final minute at Elyria. Spatny’s play preserved Medina’s 35-31 win against St. Edward.
• Matt Spofford, Riverside: The senior rushed for a game-high 141 yards and two TDs on just 10 carries in the Beavers' 39-28 home playoff win vs. Youngstown Boardman.
• Lukas Stiles, Highland: Stiles scored four times in Highland’s 41-21 win against Fremont Ross in the Division II playoffs. He rushed for three scores and ran back an interception for another.
• Brody Swigonski, Garrettsville Garfield: The junior provided both the game-saving tackle Saturday and the winning TD pass in Garfield’s 24-21 Division V playoff win vs. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. Swigonski found fellow junior Joe Perrine on a 26-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter. Later, Swigonski stopped Zy’ere Rogers (who rushed for 337 yards) on the sideline in G-Men territory during the final three minutes. Swigonski finished with 195 yards on 7-of-14 passing.
• Dom Tromba, Riverside: The junior linebacker’s pick six pushed Riverside’s lead Friday on Boardman to 21-13 in the first half. Riverside had three interceptions for TDs and five picks in all. Tromba added 67 yards rushing on 13 carries and another score.
• Trevor Van Horn, Green: The Bulldogs' bid for a Division II regional playoff run ended with a 30-27 loss to Worthington Kilbourne, but Van Horn threw for 344 yards and four TD passes to junior Trey Martin.
• Jake Vidmar, Hudson: Vidmar tied an OHSAA record with 111 consecutive extra points, a mark shared with Woodridge graduate Hunter Niswander. Vidmar hit six PATs in Hudson’s 42-0 win against Bedford. He can set a new record next week against Riverside.
• CeeJay Yarboro, Benedictine: The junior threw for 198 yards and two TDs on 13-of-21 passing, making his second start since stepping in for injured senior Ronnie Schultz. Yarboro found Chris Gales on a 24-yard TD pass in the first quarter to set the tone for the Bengals' 35-0 win against Willoughby South in Division II, Region 5.
Vote until noon Thursday for the player of the week.
Nominations are accepted through Sunday night. Coaches are encouraged to send weekly to stats to Matt Goul via email (mgoul@cleveland.com).