Week 7 didn't exactly have the most exciting matchups. IMO, the top 8 in Region 1 remain. Jackson, Cleveland Heights, Strongsville, or Solon might've had a chance to be ahead of St Ignatius in a magical 2020 world where COVID didn't exist and we played out the normally scheduled season. But that's not how it worked out.
As for this week, we have four pretty intriguing matchups. There are some good arguments for why all four games could come down to the wire. I don't think they all will, but it is certainly probable.
1. St Edward (5-1) vs 8. Medina (4-3): This is a rematch of a regional quarterfinal matchup of 2019. The two meet in the same exact round. The Eagles aren't quite as talented as they were a season ago. Medina has QB Drew Allar a year older and better. Medina's defense gave up 73 points in last year's game. The Eagles aren't as explosive on offense. Medina isn't as bad on defense. I think this game is a 14-21 point Eagles win, but it could go either direction. Medina has the talent on offense to make it interesting. They just need to play a LOT better defense than last season. Ramos is getting more comfortable, which is not good for the rest of the region.
2. Mentor (6-1) vs 7. Stow (6-1): Two teams that can both light up the scoreboard. Mentor isn't quite as good as they have been the last few seasons, but they still have the best player in the region with QB Ian Kipp. Stow has a good one of their own in Owen Bainbridge. On pure talent alone, Stow has a clear advantage on offense with at least four or five starters that have DI offers, including a couple on the line. Mentor's secondary is (once again) a glaring weakness on the team. If Stow can take advantage of that, this game will be closer than most people think.
3. McKinley (6-1) vs 6. Brunswick (5-2): At their best, Brunswick is a team that played toe to toe in splitting two close games with Medina and Euclid. At their worst, they got dominated by Mentor. Yesterday they had a comfortable win over Jackson, the only mutual opponent between McKinley and Brunswick. The Blue Devils will need their A game to beat McKinley. But if they can play the kind of defense they did against Medina and Euclid, they have a real shot to keep it close. McKinley ran for over 500 yards yesterday against Berea. Plus they have a pretty talented QB in Wesley.
4. Euclid (6-1) vs 5. St Ignatius (1-3): This is by the most interesting game of the weekend. Euclid is as talented as any team in Region 1. Nobody has a better receiving duo. They have at least four starters on defense that will be playing DI college football in 2021. And yet, Euclid has had a pretty ho-hum season. They closed the gap big time in the Mentor game, but still struggled offensively despite their advantages. They had an unthinkable loss to Strongsville and a strange 21-0 win over Elyria yesterday. St Ignatius' defense should be able to limit Euclid. If Mentor, Brunswick, and Elyria can keep Euclid at 21 points or less, St Ignatius should have no problem doing it. I am aware that the Cats have a bunch of injuries, so that could be a great equalizer in a game that on paper looks pretty even. Rotsky has done a ton of good for the program, at least in terms of wins and getting kids into college. But his 0-7 record against Ignatius/Eds is the major blip. This is as good of a shot as any for the Panthers to get a win over one of the Saints.
On a personal level, would love to see an all-GCC final four. But the chances of all of them winning is probably less than all of them losing. I think the GCC teams will be competitive, but I expect only Mentor to advance.
