By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Ten weeks certainly have a way of flying by.

The 2025 high school football campaign’s regular-season finale kicks off tonight.

It has been another special season, with many special memories created for programs across Portage County.

Thank you, Mother Nature, for helping make our Friday nights such a beautiful experience for everyone!

Thank you, Portage County, for supporting your student-athletes and not just the football players, but also the cheerleaders, dance lines, flag lines, majorettes, band members and everyone else.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS

Garfield and Streetsboro are the only Portage County teams in a position to potentially win a league championship tonight.

However, they do not control their own destiny.

They need some help.

GARFIELD

   • The G-Men lost to Crestview last week, 42-20, in a showdown between undefeated teams within the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Division.

   • The loss put the G-Men one game back of the Rebels in the league standings.

   • For the G-Men to clinch a share of the league title, they need to defeat Brookfield (5-4) tonight at JAG Field, then Crestview needs to lose at home to LaBrae (5-4).

STREETSBORO

   • The Rockets lost to Norton in Week 6, 23-13, in a game that all knew would have an impact on the Metro Athletic Conference title chase.

   • The Rockets have run off three straight wins since the loss, but so have the Panthers, leaving the Rockets one game back in the league standings.

   • For Streetsboro to clinch a share of the MAC title, it needs to defeat Cloverleaf (6-3) at home, then the Panthers need to lose at Coventry (2-7).

RUN OF WINS FOR AURORA

Aurora enters Week 10 with a 5-4 record and travels to face Barberton (1-8) to close out the regular season.

The Greenmen need a win to potentially still have a chance to advance to the playoffs.

A win would also run the program’s streak to 21 consecutive winning seasons.

The last time the Greenmen did not have a winning season was back in 2004 when they were 5-5.

The last losing season for Aurora was a year sooner, in 2003, when it went 4-6.

WEEK 10 SCHEDULE

Aurora at Barberton

Crestwood at Wickliffe

Ravenna at Field

Brookfield at Garfield

Kent Roosevelt at Tallmadge

Richmond Heights at Mogadore

Kirtland at Rootstown

Liberty at Southeast

Cloverleaf at Streetsboro

Campbell Memorial at Waterloo

Windham at Fairport Harding

FRIDAY NIGHT FORECAST

Tonight’s weather could be looked at two different ways.

On one side, we can talk about how cold it will be.

On the other side, we can be very thankful that it took until Week 10 for us to talk about how cold it will be.

The 2025 season has been one of the greatest weather seasons in recent memory.

For kickoff tonight, the temperatures will be in the mid-40’s, then will drop slightly to the low-40’s by the end of the game.

Tonight is a night to layer, bring blankets, stock up on hand warmers and concession stands are sure to have hot chocolate and coffee ready to help aid everyone’s attempt to get warm.

PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE

   • Garfield has clinched a playoff spot. The G-Men are ranked fourth in Division V, Region 17. A top-four finish would unlock a Week 11 bye.

   • Mogadore has clinched a playoff spot. The Wildcats are ranked third in Division VII, Region 25. Furthermore, the Cats have clinched a top-four spot and a bye in Week 11.

   • Streetsboro has clinched a playoff spot, with the Rockets entering tonight ranked No. 8 in Division IV, Region 13. Based on the teams around them in the rankings, the Rockets could finish anywhere between seed No. 1 to eight if they win tonight or anywhere between six and 10 if they lose tonight.

• Mathematically eliminated: Aurora, Crestwood, Field, Kent Roosevelt, Ravenna, Rootstown, Southeast, Waterloo and Windham.