North and South remained unbeaten, Kirtland delivered one of the most dominant performances of the season, and Lutheran West finally ended a 17-game losing streak during an eventful Week 5 across the Chagrin Valley Conference.
With the regular season reaching its midpoint, the races in all four divisions are also beginning to take shape.
North and South share the early lead in the Lake Division, Wickliffe remains unbeaten atop the Metro, Perry sits at 5-0 in the Chagrin, and Kirtland and Chagrin Falls will meet next week with first place in the Valley Division on the line.
North delivers late at Chardon
Eastlake North Football needed one final drive — and one gutsy decision — to preserve its perfect season.
The Rangers rallied for a 22-21 win at Chardon when Josh Fenick scored on a 9-yard run late in the fourth quarter and then powered across the goal line on a two-point conversion.
North improved to 5-0 for the first time in 15 years and beat Chardon for the first time since 2017.
Chardon Football had taken a 21-14 lead behind the third touchdown of the night by Drew Platz, but Fenick quickly moved North down the field with two completions to Javion Whaley totaling 50 yards.
Fenick then finished the drive himself.
Whaley totaled 107 yards on 14 touches and scored a rushing touchdown, while King Matice also ran for a score.
Platz led Chardon with 82 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries, while Andrew Cole added 63 yards rushing.
North improved to 2-0 in the Lake Division and next visits Lutheran West. Chardon, now 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the division, travels to unbeaten South.
South defense sparks another win
Willoughby South Football also reached the midway point at 5-0 after its defense helped turn a slow start into a 30-7 victory over Madison.
The Rebels were scoreless through the first quarter before erupting for 20 points in the second.
Senior Scotty Balash intercepted two passes, returning one 28 yards for a touchdown late in the first half.
Quarterback Luke Jensen completed 9 of 21 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 48 yards and another score.
Both touchdown passes went to Josh Jensen, who finished with four catches for 126 yards. Their first connection covered 81 yards.
Elijah Fitch added 85 rushing yards on 18 carries.
South held Madison to 161 total yards and improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Lake Division. The Rebels have outscored their first five opponents, 184-48.
Madison Football dropped to 1-4 and 0-2.
The Rebels now host Chardon in one of next week’s most significant Lake Division games.
Kirtland overwhelms previously unbeaten Conneaut
Kirtland Football finally played a true home game and wasted little time making itself comfortable.
The Hornets rushed for 455 yards, held previously unbeaten Conneaut Football to just 51 total yards, and rolled to a 48-0 Valley Division victory.
Tommy Caimi rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, while Zander Perko added 132 yards and two scores on just 10 attempts.
Matt Rus needed only one carry to produce one of the night’s biggest plays, a 78-yard touchdown run.
Kirtland finished with 480 total yards and 23 first downs.
The Hornets were just as dominant defensively.
Conneaut finished with only three rushing yards and converted neither a third down nor a fourth down, going a combined 0-for-14 in those situations.
Kirtland improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Valley. Since losing to Perry, the Hornets have beaten Rootstown and Conneaut by a combined 98-7.
That sets up one of the biggest games on the Week 6 schedule.
Kirtland travels to Chagrin Falls with both teams 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Valley Division.
Kirtland owns a 12-9 advantage in 21 recorded meetings and has won the last eight.
Chagrin Falls survives Rootstown comeback
Chagrin Falls Football nearly saw a comfortable halftime lead disappear before answering when it mattered most.
The Tigers led Rootstown Football 28-13 at halftime before the Rovers scored 15 unanswered points to tie the game at 28.
Max Frankel broke the tie with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and Chagrin Falls held on for a 35-28 victory.
Brady Kaas scored twice for the Tigers, while Will Flannery also rushed for two touchdowns.
Rootstown’s Blake Mullaly scored on a 5-yard run and threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Grayson Rantilla in the second quarter.
The Rovers eventually pulled even at 28 before Frankel’s touchdown restored the Chagrin Falls lead.
The Tigers also stopped Rootstown on downs three times, including on the Rovers’ final possession.
Chagrin Falls improved to 4-1 and remained tied with Kirtland atop the Valley Division at 2-0.
West Geauga explodes before halftime
West Geauga Football did nearly all of its damage in the first half of a 35-14 win over Orange.
The Wolverines built a 35-7 halftime lead behind a big night from Mickey Keenan.
Keenan threw touchdown passes of 38 and 59 yards to Vincent Vecchio and added a 13-yard touchdown run of his own.
Anthony Dzurilla scored twice on 1-yard runs.
Defensively, Matteo DeNigris intercepted a pass as West Geauga repeatedly prevented Orange from building momentum.
Orange Football quarterback Itai Tannenbaum connected with Alex Winston for a 79-yard touchdown in the second quarter, while EJ Dowdell scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth.
West Geauga improved to 4-1 overall and now travels to Edgewood in another important Chagrin Division matchup.
DuFour leads Edgewood past Lakeside
Edgewood Football defeated Lakeside Football, 35-20, in the Battle of the Bridge.
Senior quarterback JJ DuFour completed 17 of 27 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns while adding 68 rushing yards and another score.
His biggest contribution came on Edgewood’s opening drive of the second half.
Protecting a 21-20 lead, DuFour directed a 17-play, 95-yard possession that consumed more than nine minutes before he scored on a 14-yard run.
The Warriors later capitalized on a Lakeside turnover with another 90-yard touchdown drive.
Lakeside’s Masceo Boles rushed for 125 yards on 19 carries and scored twice, while JJ Murphy completed 17 of 27 passes for 216 yards.
Edgewood has won four of the last five meetings in the rivalry.
Sears does a little bit of everything for Independence
Independence Football fell behind host Trinity Football early before Levi Sears helped change the game in three different phases.
Sears threw a touchdown pass, blocked and recovered a punt in the end zone, and scored on a rushing touchdown as the Blue Devils scored the final 30 points in a 30-6 victory.
Quarterback Matthew Avila connected with Shane Korinek for a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Sears later found Korinek for a 5-yard touchdown pass before creating perhaps the night’s biggest play on special teams.
Sears blocked a Trinity punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, then later scored on a 7-yard run.
Korinek caught two touchdown passes and also intercepted a pass.
Independence improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the Metro Division and has won three of its last four.
The Blue Devils now host undefeated Wickliffe in a major Metro Division matchup.
Wickliffe stays perfect
Wickliffe Football remained unbeaten with a 50-14 win over Beachwood Football.
The Blue Devils rushed for 318 yards, led by Nick Oboczky, who carried 18 times for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Jagz Zivnoska threw two touchdown passes to Allen Johns, and Wickliffe also scored on a 50-yard interception return by Cole Vanatta.
Beachwood quarterback Jordan Uria threw for 148 yards and two touchdowns, while De’Andre Sims caught four passes for 88 yards and a score.
Wickliffe improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Metro Division.
Next comes a trip to Independence.
Berkshire wins another Valley battle
Berkshire Football picked up a 28-21 victory over Crestwood Football behind a big night through the air.
Quarterback Oliver Miller completed 15 of 23 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns.
Estevon Huesca caught four passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, while Jacob Uletowski and Bear Masink each caught scoring passes.
Crestwood leaned heavily on its running game.
Nick Hess rushed 21 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns, while Michael Kalista carried 26 times for 84 yards and a score.
Berkshire improved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Valley Division.
Geneva controls the ground against Jefferson
Geneva Football rushed for 278 yards in a 21-14 win over Jefferson Football.
Brody Hamm led the Eagles with 148 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries, while John Dodick completed 6 of 11 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Cooper Dubsky caught five passes for 42 yards and a touchdown and also scored on a 31-yard run.
Jefferson countered with touchdown passes of 15 and 47 yards.
Geneva improved to 3-2 overall.
Lutheran West finally breaks through
Few wins Friday night carried more emotional weight than Lutheran West Football‘s 16-14 victory over Harvey Football.
The win snapped a 17-game losing streak for the Longhorns and gave the program its first victory of the season.
Lutheran West entered the night 0-4 after going winless in 2025.
The Longhorns now get one of the league’s toughest assignments when unbeaten North visits next Friday.
Harvey travels to Lakeside.
Cuyahoga Heights keeps rolling
Cuyahoga Heights Football improved to 4-1 with a 35-21 victory over Fairview Football.
The win also kept the Red Wolves unbeaten in Metro Division play at 1-0.
Cuyahoga Heights hosts winless Trinity next week, while Fairview hosts Berkshire.
Perry makes another statement
Perry Football continued its unbeaten start with a 62-0 victory over Hawken Football.
The Pirates rushed for 378 yards and held Hawken to only 52 total yards.
Carter Crofoot rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns, while Nate Trefzger scored twice, and Carter Hopkins and Anthony Kukwa also added rushing touchdowns.
Perry led 42-0 at halftime.
The Pirates improved to 5-0 overall and remain atop the Chagrin Division.
Brooklyn Edges Fairport
Brooklyn Football held off Fairport Football, 20-16, in a tight Metro Division battle.
The Hurricanes led 6-0 after the first quarter before Fairport took an 8-6 advantage into halftime, but Brooklyn regained the lead with a third-quarter touchdown and matched the Skippers’ eight fourth-quarter points to preserve the victory.
Mason Vega completed 3 of 8 passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 21 times for 101 yards, and Bentley Cox caught two passes for 47 yards and both scores. Enrique Perez added 37 rushing yards and Brooklyn’s other touchdown, while also leading the defense with 10 tackles, including five for loss.
Brush 33, Richmond Heights 0
No box score information available.
Week 6 brings major division matchups
The Sept. 25 schedule could reshape several CVC races.
Kirtland visits Chagrin Falls with both teams unbeaten in Valley Division play.
Undefeated Wickliffe travels to Independence in the Metro, while West Geauga visits Edgewood in a meeting of 4-1 teams in the Chagrin Division.
The Lake Division also features two significant games.
Chardon visits unbeaten South, while unbeaten North travels to Lutheran West.
Other conference matchups include Conneaut at Crestwood, Perry at Geneva, Madison at Jefferson, Harvey at Lakeside, Hawken at Orange, Fairport at Rootstown, Beachwood at Brooklyn, Berkshire at Fairview and Trinity at Cuyahoga Heights.
At the midpoint of the regular season, there is little separation in several divisions.
Week 6 should begin changing that.
