BEREA, Ohio — From the opening drive to the final whistle, Glenville didn’t back down from St. Edward on Thursday night in their back-and-forth battle of defending OHSAA state football champions.
A little more than a month earlier, that might not have been the case. Three-time defending Division I state champ St. Edward dominated Glenville in a scrimmage a week before the start of the regular season.
This time, with a matchup that counts in the record books, Glenville emerged at Baldwin Wallace’s Finnie Stadium in Berea with a 28-27 win that could define the Tarblooders’ season.
“Instead of Ed’s attacking us, we attacked them,” said junior running back C.J. Newell, who scored on the opening possession and finished with 203 yards from scrimmage.
His effort pushed the two-time defending Division IV state champions (4-2), who are ninth in this week’s cleveland.com Top 25, as they held off No. 4 St. Edward (3-3) with an Aaron Scales interception in the end zone to seal the victory.
“They pounded us early in the year,” Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr. said, “so I’m proud of the kids for that.”
St. Edward beat Glenville, 35-7, in a half of football when they met in August. The Eagles stuffed their run game that day.
In the rematch, Glenville rushed for 197 yards as a team, mostly on big plays by Newell and sophomore quarterback LaMarques Greenwood II, who stepped in after an injury to junior starter Arvell Nelson Jr. But with Glenville clinging to its one-point lead and facing a fourth-and-1 at the St. Edward 33, the Eagles’ defense came up with a stop reminiscent of that August meeting.
“We had a chance at the end,” St. Edward coach Tom Lombardo said. “We had the guy open on the double pass and, you know, we got down there. And then it’s a 50-50 ball to take the lead.”
Following that defensive stop, Lombardo called for a lateral by Thomas Csanyi to receiver Mason Sak, who found Luke Hess open on a 31-yard gain. On the next play, Csanyi threw up a pass toward the end zone. Instead of a go-ahead 36-yard touchdown to Joseph Saffold, Scales pulled the ball away from him as they leapt near the goal line.
“I knew they were coming,” Scales said. “They keep coming. I already knew in my head, here they come. Make the play.”
Glenville made its share of plays.
The Tarblooders built a 20-7 lead on TD runs by Newell and Romell Phillips. The Eagles rallied and retook a 21-20 lead early in the fourth on Csanyi’s third TD pass to junior Zach Hackleman.
Undeterred, Glenville answered and took a 28-21 lead with 4-yard TD run and a two-point conversion, both by Greenwood on quarterback keepers to his left and right with 4:11 left in regulation.
“I’m proud of him,” Ginn said. “We already knew that we had two good quarterbacks. He’s been patient. I’m just glad that we’re fortunate to have him.”
St. Edward answered again, and Bradley Eaton finished the Eagles’ ensuing drive with an 8-yard TD run. Initially, St. Edward’s extra-point team came out for the tying kick. An offsides penalty pushed the Eagles to the 1-yard line, and Lombardo called for a two-point conversion with 2:04 left.
“You’re a yard-and-a-half away from going up one to seal the game,” he said. “Percentage-wise, I think that’s pretty good. You’re not guaranteed to make the extra point.”
Eaton took a handoff from Csanyi after a high snap, and defenders stopped him just short of the goal line on a run up the middle.
That set up the final two drives, and another near comeback by St. Edward.
These teams last met in 2017, and St. Edward won it convincing fashion. The Eagles had a seven-game winning streak in the series.
Ginn didn’t take the feat lightly. He sat in the locker room at Finnie Stadium afterward and said, “It’s one of the biggest wins in the history of Glenville High School football.”
Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]).
