Cleveland High School Football Observations & Top Twenty

It's been almost a week since my last posting because I concentrated on writing two more chapters of my book. They're terrific chapters. (The book, by the way, will come out next spring. Overpriced, but it will make a nice Father's Day present.)

I was pre-occupied with other news, as well, and not everything was good. My dear friend Dick Zunt, whom you remember as the scholastic writer at The Plain Dealer for almost half a century, got a bad doctor's report. He's got cancer. They took a malignant tumor out of his right armpit last week. After some test results they'll plan their strategy. He was in no shape to attend the St. Ignatius football game Saturday night, which tells you the shape he's in.

Nevertheless, I must apologize to my blog readers -- both of you -- for the week of silence.

Now, some observations about the high school football scene before getting to the Top Twenty.

As usual, it is pure agony getting rosters for the Cleveland Senate schools. It wouldn't take much to run off a dozen copies of each roster for the media and the fans at those three o'clock games on Fridays. There's usually only a couple of television stations that shoot highlights of those games, almost never a newspaper reporter. Providing rosters is a matter of courtesy and professionalism. It's also the one opportunity to promote their pupils in a worthwhile activity, wearing football uniforms and not orange jumpsuits

Here's how we cover those games for television. When there's a good play, I ask coaches and players on the sidelines for the name of the kid. Then I try to get the spelling. Sometimes I just go up to the kid and say, "What's your name?" The kids may think that's how this is done in big time, big city television. No, it's not done this way anywhere else in the world except in the Cleveland Senate and gang fights. Covering Senate football is a joke. Most media organizations won't do it. But I'm there every Friday at three o'clock. I feel like a fool.

This has been going on for decades and I'm on the verge of saying, "I've had it. They don't care. Why should I?"

In the meantime, the media will be all over them when they have riots, beatings, murders and various other crimes on school grounds.

Two guys who stepped up for me this past weekend were East Tech athletic director Joe Dallas and John Adams football coach Gary Jackson.

Dallas bought a telephone answering machine for his school office and returns calls. Few Cleveland high school athletic offices have answering machines.

Jackson faxed me his roster and -- this was a huge bonus -- a master schedule for the Senate football season listing the field location for the games.

Then I got lucky a second time. At Rhodes Field I was actually handed a Senate master schedule. I hope they send one to The Plain Dealer. When the PD lists a game such as, John Hay at East High, it doesn't tell you much. Neither school has a field.

I'm told they're thinking of putting together packets of rosters. Let's see. Glenville plays Friday night at Collinwood field. I bet they won't have rosters for the media, much less the fans.

By the way, you can find football rosters on most high school web sites. But you know the schools that don't have web sites, don't you? I thought so.

DAN COUGHLIN'S HIGH SCHOOL TOP 20

1. ST. IGNATIUS (3-0) scored three touchdowns in the first quarter and romped to an easy 50-8 victory over Buffalo Canisius. The Wildcats have an interesting game at Mentor this Friday, 7 p.m.

2. GLENVILLE (2-1) went on the road to Dayton and registered an impressive 57-28 win over Huber Heights Wayne, a perennial Division I power that has been in the playoffs 12 times in the last 21 years. The Tarblooders are getting organized. Let's go back to their narrow loss to Ignatius in their opener. One referee tells me Glenville had only 10 men on the field when Ignatius scored the winning touchdown. And five other times. Glenville now enters its seven-game Cleveland Senate schedule. The Tarblooders could play with ten guys and still win them all.

3. MAPLE HEIGHTS (3-0) enjoyed a ridiculously easy 46-0 victory at home over Valley Forge. I don't see the Mustangs losing a regular season game. This Friday they're at Shaw, 7 p.m.

4. SOLON (3-0) snapped a five-game losing streak to Mentor, 21-17. Solon has a nice running back in Kyle Hammonds and I liked its passing attack with Jake Voigt to David Gibson. Solon will host Parma Thursday night because of the observance this weekend of Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year.

5. MAYFIELD (3-0) dominated a traditionally strong Olmsted Falls, 31-6.

The Wildcats are at Elyria Thursday night.

6. BRUNSWICK (3-0) handled Massillon Perry, 37-21, impressive because Perry is usually a strong Division I Federal League team from Stark County. The Blue Devils have a very manageable game at Garfield Heights Friday.

7. LAKE CATHOLIC (3-0) got our attention with that 35-21 win over Youngstown Ursuline. I can't remember when the North Coast Conference was stronger at the top -- probably never -- with Lake Catholic, Padua, Akron Hoban and Elyria Catholic. The Cougars have an interesting match this Saturday at home against Walsh Jesuit.

8. MENTOR (2-1) lost narrowly on the road at Solon, 21-17, but no excuses. Solon was better. Mentor will have its hands full this Friday at home against St. Ignatius. Mentor has the toughest high school schedule I've ever seen. The Cardinals could wind up a .500 team, with Moeller, Maple, Euclid and Massillon still to come.

9. ST. EDWARD (2-1) scored three fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away from Woodson (Washington, D.C.), 35-12, Saturday afternoon, but the Eagles were flat and unimpressive. One theory is that they sat around too much. They had a team Mass at 9 a.m., then hung around for a two o'clock game. They needed a pep talk, not a homily. Woodson featured a slippery quarterback in the Michael Vick mold who, coincidentally, has already committed to Virginia Tech. The Eagles have another toughie this Friday when they host Inkster, a top 10 team from Michigan.

10. WADSWORTH (3-0) scored a tidy 22-9 win over Medina. The Grizzlies could run the table this year. This Friday they're home to Revere.

11. NORTH ROYALTON (3-0) cleared a significant hurdle in edging Highland, 27-24. This Friday home to Nordonia.

12. AURORA (3-0) rallied for a dramatic 28-21 victory over arch-rival Twinsburg before 6,000, biggest home crowd in Aurora history. The Greenmen have another biggie this Thursday night at home against unbeaten Chagrin Falls, which could determine the CVC championsip.

13. EUCLID (2-1) pulled off the greatest comeback in school history -- I haven't researched this; it's off the top of my head -- in beating Willoughby South, 48-45. Euclid fell behind 28-0 in the first quarter and rallied with 30 points in the second quarter. The lead went back and forth like a pendulum. Friday the Panthers are at Eastlake North.

14. PADUA (3-0) gilded its reputation with a 23-17 decision over visiting Strongsville. This Friday the Bruins travel east to Madison.

15. AKRON HOBAN (2-1) lost narrowly, 12-3, at Louisville, the best team in Stark County. No shame in that. This Friday Hoban collides with arch-rival St. Vincent-St. Mary at the University of Akron's new stadium, 7 p.m.

16. SHAW (2-0-1) survived a struggle with Cleveland Heights. The Cardinals better look out because Maple Heights comes calling this Friday, 7 p.m. Note the time. Originally I listed it as 5 p.m. Shaw coach Rodney Brown confirmed the seven o'clock start. As for Shaw's earlier tie with Warren Harding, Coach Brown said that Shaw and Warren Harding will split the computer points. Now we must find out how the sharing of computer points will impact other schools they play.

17. TWINSBURG (2-1) is still smarting from that 28-21 loss to Aurora. The Tigers entertain Normandy Thursday night.

18. ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY (2-1) conquered Akron Garfield, 27-14. The entire season revolves around this Friday's game with Hoban at Akron U.

19. AVON LAKE (1-2) spanked Elyhria, 48-15, to finally get in the win column. The Shoremen visit Olmsted Falls Friday.

20. WALSH (2-1) thumped Bedford, 42-14. The Warriors have a serious test this Saturday against Lake Catholic at Mentor's Osborne Stadium.