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Cleveland Heights Football Team Set to Host Defending Champion St. Edward

Game to be held away from Crawford Field; Coach Rotsky excited by the challenge

Another week, another state champion.

The Cleveland Heights football team will host St. Edward, the defending Division I state champion, at 7 p.m. Saturday in its opening round OHSAA Division I, Region 1 quarterfinal playoff game, the first in the school’s history.

The Tigers state champion Maple Heights and ended the Mustangs’ 23-game winning streak on Friday, making it two weeks in a row they will face a defending state champion.

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Cleveland Heights coach Jeff Rotsky said the game will not be played at Crawford Field, throughout much of the season. Rotsky said the game will be moved to Brush, John Carroll or Case Western Reserve University, but the school hasn’t made a decision.

Rotsky relishes the chance for his Lake Erie League champion Tigers to pull off a feat most high school football prognosticators will not pick them to accomplish.

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“This will be the greatest opportunity in the history of the school,” Rotsky said. “We got a chance to play back-to-back state champions, and we got a chance to beat them both. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”

Cleveland Heights’ win over Maple Heights secured the team’s first perfect regular season at 9-0 and jumped the team from fifth to third in the OHSAA’s Division I, Region 1 playoff computer ratings to secure the home playoff game.

St. Edward, ranked seventh in the Associated Press’ Division I state poll, ended its regular season with a loss to St. Ignatius, 20-17, on Saturday evening to finish at 7-3. The Eagles were ranked fourth in the playoff computer ratings but dropped to sixth and right in the Tigers’ lap after the St. Ignatius loss.

St. Edward quarterback Ryan Fallon leads an Eagles team that has massive offensive and defensive linemen featuring major college recruits including Kyle Kalis (Michigan) and Tyler Orlosky (West Virginia), along with Darryl Render and Greg Kuhar.

Running back Dwayne Aaron and receivers Anthony Young and Quincy Jones, combined with tight end Sam Grant, a Boston College recruit, make for a potent offensive attack.

“It’s the haves versus the have nots,” Rotsky said. “We’re ready. We’re ready to play.”

Other than St. Ignatius, the Eagles lost to Don Bosco (N.J.) Prep, 38-7, a team considered No. 1 in the country in a number of polls, and state power St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 17-10, in the first two weeks of October.

Last year, St. Edward completed a 15-0 season to win the state title defeating Huber Heights Wayne, 35-28, for the trophy in Canton. It was the school’s first football title.

St. Edward is coached by Rick Finotti, who is in his third year at the helm.

Editor's Note: In an earlier version of this article, it stated that Rick Finotti was head coach of St. Ignatius instead of St. Edward.

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