Folks, I know you all miss my thrilling commentary so I'm coming out of retirement for one week. Case Keenum's at QB, no midweek MACtion yet, Ohio State's schedule is like watching paint dry until Thanksgiving. Football is a cruel mistress. Let's go to Memorial Stadium.
Jackson was one play, one point from turning this into the 2001 classic meetup of the Fed unbeatens on its 20th anniversary but with the records flipped. At this point they've invented new ways to lose to McKinley. Ouch. They'll get there. Hoover on the other hand feels less like a Baum squad and more like a Hertler squad the way they're playing defense. And Jackson most certainly is not playing a Checca defense. Their home playoff game will be cool and long overdue.
All that said, I think the general sentiment is a bit too negative on the Bears. Jackson tends to print season high points on opponent defenses, Hoover tends to print season lows. Prep ball outside of the national powerhouses is iffy post-COVID and LOS/trench battles aside, when two teams with weak schedules meet leaning on the side of the team with far higher offensive prowess is never a bad idea. So if I were gonna gameflow this one out, I still lean more towards a 35-28 rather than a 14-7.
Neither team has won at home since 2014. No game has been decided by more than one score since 2015. The HCs are tied 3-3. The teams' combined win/loss record is better than at any point since 2003 (a sellout with the Goodyear Blimp overhead and a few sketchy OSU players in attendance). For this series a good rule of thumb is that the rival ruins the other's unbeaten record or untainted FLC, especially in the biggies. This is a great, always underrated game that has been especially exciting for years now and with a sizeable crowd -- a rarity in 2021. It'd all be dull to the point of not paying attention without the hillbilly townsfolk and fading desperate housewives in the stands and it's good to have them back, in week 10 again to boot.
I'm a homer so: Jackson 24 North Canton 22. Best of luck to two good programs, congrats to the winner.
OK, back into retirement. See you all in four years.