CLEVELAND, Ohio — The road to a three-peat continues after Glenville defeated John Hay in a 34-0 blowout win Friday evening.
Coming off back-to-back losses versus Olentangy Liberty and Avon, the Tarblooders were able to blow some steam off in their first Senate League game of the season, having yet to lose a league game since 1997.
The Tarblooders, ranked ninth in this week’s cleveland.com Top 25, is 2-2. John Hay falls to 1-3.
Yet, just because the blowout win looks nice on paper doesn’t mean head coach Ted Ginn Sr. is satisfied.
“We won the game, but it’s not really satisfying in the course. You know, in a couple of weeks, we got a real game,” Ginn said.
That is their Week 6 matchup with St. Edward, which is coming off its third consecutive OHSAA Division I championship; a feat Glenville is looking to accomplish in Division IV this season.
“We’re just trying to grow up, every week we’re trying to get better,” Ginn said. “It’s very hard when you got young kids because you have to do so much coaching, and you can’t slack up no kind of weight.”
The Tarblooders may have found every angle with ease versus John Hay, but they’ve had quite a bit to learn so far.
They won their first game in a 6-0 shutout victory versus Upper Arlington, with Jaylen Edwards’ punt return touchdown becoming the game’s only points. But they dropped an 11-point loss to Olentangy Liberty the next week, and then a down to the wire one-point loss to Avon.
“It is very tough when you got kids that have talent and (you’re) trying to make them step up a little farther, and they already think they’ve arrived,” Ginn said. “This is the first time I ever had this much talent (and) we’re so young.”
The youth of this squad has been a big storyline going into the season, with a number of players who make up a big junior-led class.
Running back C.J. Newell capped off three of the Tarblooders five touchdowns on Friday, including a 10-yarder in the second half in which he bullied his way into the end zone.
But it was the passing game that really got offense going.
Junior quarterback Arvell Nelson Jr. threw for 154 yards and one touchdown. Glenville’s first touchdown series included his 33-yard pass to Pauly Salder III. Nelson’s only passing touchdown was a deep 61-yard connection with Aaron Scales, giving the Tarblooders a 12-point lead.
And then four-star linebacker Cincere Johnson set the tone for their sturdy defensive unit that kept John Hay scoreless.
Ginn does recognize the ceiling this squad possesses.
Glenville entered the season with an even bigger target on its back after winning a second OHSAA Division IV state championship. Last year’s squad featured the likes of Bryce West and Damarion Witten, both playing for Ohio State; D’Shawntae Jones, the Division IV co-Offensive Player of the Year, and Fred Johnson Jr., who plays for Louisville.
A historic program within the Cleveland area with hardware to show for it, Ginn feels the older players on his team seem to understand the next step to continue the legacy at hand.
But he still looks for that needed leadership to keep the tide.
“I think the younger guys that came up through the community and been playing together since they were 17 years old, I think they understand it,” Ginn said. “But you still need that great leadership from the older guys that we’re still fighting for, you know. So it’s a challenge for them.”
Glenville will continue Senate League play next week versus East Tech, ahead of its matchup with St. Edward. John Hay plays Collinwood.
