An emotional 42-7 Homecoming win over Brunswick Sept. 24 might be biggest victory for the Twinsburg football team this regular season.

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1 Twinsburg 56, Lakewood 7 The Tigers (6-0, 1-0) PD Staff Report Twinsburg, ranked No. 6 in the area and 12th in the Division I state poll, had their defense and special teams combine for three touchdowns in the Northeast Ohio Conference River Division rout. Defensive back Michael Baker returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a score, defensive end Dylan Minick found the end zone on an 18-yard fumble recovery and wide receiver London Carter went the distance on a 74-yard punt return. Tigers rout Devils to set up division run by Steve Batko ~ Correspondent: Twinsburg Bulletin An emotional 42-7 Homecoming win over Brunswick Sept. 24 might be biggest victory for the Twinsburg football team this regular season. There are a slew of reasons why the overwhelming victory was huge. First off, the Blue Devils could have been the thorn in the Tiger's reasonable quest for an unbeaten regular season. Brunswick was without three starters, but it didn't matter. Twinsburg moves to 5-0 as it enters play in the Northeast Ohio Conference River Division. After the win over Brunswick (3-2), the Tigers are favorites to win the NOC River as the rest of the league is a combined 5-20 overall. "It was a nice win," said Tiger mentor Mark Solis. "Considering who we have left on the schedule in league play, it was a big win, but the tough part is that while we have the edge on paper, we still need to play the games." Thanks to the win, Solis saw his club move into first place in the Division II, Region 5 computer rankings. Finally, the explosive win featured a battle between Solis and his brother-in-law Luke Beal, who is Brunswick's new head coach. "Luke was obviously disappointed, but we wished each other luck," said Solis, after the win. In the league opener, Twinsburg plays at Lakewood (2-3) on Oct. 1. The Tigers, which had 454 total yards, had four different athletes amass 100 all purpose yards and averaged 9.7 yards per play while Brunswick was at 4.8. Senior quarterback Aaron Macer had 155 total yards as he was 7-for-8 passing for 81 yards and no interceptions plus seven rushes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back John Barton had a huge game with nine rushes for 104 yards and three touchdowns as the offensive line opened gaping holes. He had 142 total yards and four catches for 38 yards. Junior London Carter added two catches for 125 yards, including a 93-yard touchdown catch on a halfback option pass by sophomore quarterback Jalen Washington. Solis said he may use Macer and Washington (119 yards) on the field at the same time and the youngster impressed. Washington was 2-2 passing for 103 yards and added 16 yards rushing on two totes. "We threw for 184 yards and that is great to see," said Solis. "Aaron rose to the challenge as I have been tough on him, plus it was nice to get Jalen in the game again early." Defensive coordinator Joe Schiavone couldn't have been thrilled with his defense allowing season highs of 241 rushing yards and 301 total. Brunswick had some long sustained drives and 63 plays, but only scored once. The defens was led by linebacker Myles Campbell and safety Michael Baker with 10 tackles each. The Tigers got a boost from senior kicker Jake Russell. Russell did not allow Brunswick to start beyond its own 20-yard line with six touchbacks. He was also 6-6 on PAT's and got inside the 20 on his lone punt. "Jake is a big weapon for us and it's demoralizing when teams always start on the 20 and face a long drive," stressed Solis. "It's almost like Ground Hog Day. Jake has a Division I college leg and we want to get him a scholarship."

2 Twinsburg's line sent a strong message on its first drive of 80 yards when senior back Miguel Hechavarria ran behind Baker for 9- yard TD to make it 7-0 with 7:04 left in the first quarter. After a 10-play drive that stalled in the first stanza, Brunswick opened the second period with a 16-play, 81 yard scoring drive that tied the game 7-7 when star sophomore back Nick Roberts had a 2-yard TD run at the 5:47 mark. However, a few plays later, Barton scored on a 71-yard burst from a full house backfield. It was 14-7 with 4:20 left. Brunswick was driving again and moved to the Tiger 43, but Twinsburg strong safety Zak Laubscher picked off a pass. This set up a one-yard leap by Barton to make it 21-7 with 24 second left in the first half. Beal tried to swing the momentum to start the second half with an onside kick, but Twinsburg's Dylan Minick recovered the ball. Minick then caught a crucial fourth down pass of nine yards to set up a clinching score on the next drive. Macer ran up the middle for a 17-yard TD run to make it 28-7 at the 8:07 mark. Twinsburg's defense, which allowed only five first downs in the second half, then forced a punt. On the first play from scrimmage, Washington took the ball from Macer and threw a perfect strike to Carter, who raced 93 yards for what could be a new school record. Barton later added a 3-yard TD run. While Barton shined, Solis was also proud that Twinsburg only had three penalties for 24 yards. "We have improved greatly with penalties and errors plus I thought our offensive line did a great job," he said. Solis said he was proud of junior linemen Dimitri McDaniel (5-11, 235) and Willie Williams (6-5, 290), who saw the more action with two-way starters Nico Gagne-Cross (hand, ankle) and Brett Gulosh getting some rest. Senior Urban Lee and junior Tre Jones also excelled on defense with nine tackles each while getting help from Gagne-Cross, Chris Rode, Scott Tegowski, Dwan Larkins, and Macer. Roberts had 19 carries for 91 yards, but was held to just 12 yards the entire second half as the defense adjusted. Helping the Tiger ground game were its senior backs -- Hechavarria (five rushes, 17 yards, TD), Baker (2-35), DeNorris Turner (4-15), and Sam Burgess (5-11). stowsports@recordpub.com Phone: ext Plain Dealer Top 25 Prep Football Poll Plain Dealer staff reports, September 28, :26 a.m. Records through Sunday. Previous week's ranking in parentheses. 1. Glenville, 5-0 (1): At Cleveland John F. Kennedy on Friday. 2. Solon, 5-0, (2): At Mayfield on Thursday. 3. St. Edward, 5-0 (3): Eagles pounded host Cincinnati Elder, 20-3, to continue to show they're the real deal. Hosts Benedictine on Saturday. 4. Maple Heights, 5-0 (4): At Bedford on Friday. 5. Lake Catholic, 4-1 (6): Hosts Holy Name on Friday. 6. Twinsburg, 5-0 (7): At Lakewood on Friday. 7. St. Vincent-St. Mary, 4-1 (8): Fighting Irish's defense and Sae'von Fitzgerald played huge roles in 20-0 shutout again Archbishop Hoban. Hosts Akron Garfield on Friday.

3 8. Mentor, 2-3 (13): Cardinals kept Division I playoff hopes alive with win over previously unbeaten Willoughby South. At No. 13 St. Ignatius on Saturday. 9. Willoughby South, 4-1 (5): Hosts Madison on Friday. 10. Buchtel, 3-2 (10): At Ellet on Friday. 11. Walsh Jesuit, 4-1 (11): At Cincinnati LaSalle on Friday. 12. Elyria Catholic, 5-0 (12): Hosts Trinity on Friday. 13. St. Ignatius, 2-3 (9): Hosts No. 8 Mentor on Saturday. 14. Avon, 5-0 (14): At Vermilion on Friday. 15. Medina, 5-0 (15): Hosts Strongsville on Friday. 16. Aurora, 4-1 (18): Hosts No. 21 West Geauga on Friday. 17. Avon Lake, 4-1 (19): Hosts Midpark on Friday. 18. Archbishop Hoban, 2-3 (17): Hosts St. Peter Chanel on Friday. 19. Amherst, 5-0 (22): Comets knocked Westlake from the unbeaten ranks with Southwestern Conference home victory. At Berea on Friday. 20. Parma, 4-1 (20): Hosts Brush on Thursday. 21. West Geauga, 5-0 (23): Wolverines squeezed out a win over once-unbeaten Perry in a key Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division game. At No. 16 Aurora on Friday. 22. Copley, 5-0 (--):Indians grabbed early 14-0 lead, then cruised to a 28-7 Suburban League win over visiting Barberton. Hosts Cloverleaf on Friday. 23. Perry, 4-1 (21): Hosts Jefferson on Friday. 24. Brecksville-Broadview Heights, 4-1 (24): At Olmsted Falls on Friday. 25. Manchester, 5-0 (25): At Tuslaw on Friday. Dropped out: Brunswick Victory over Brunswick twice as nice for Twinsburg as it gets scoring plus defense Tim Rogers / Plain Dealer Reporter, September 24, :55 p.m. Using several weapons, including a rare halfback option pass from the shadow of their goal line, the Tigers scored their most impressive victory of the season by rolling past visiting Brunswick, 42-7, on Friday at Tiger Stadium. It was homecoming and the undefeated Tigers gave the alums something to come home to in chalking up their fifth straight victory, a first under coach Mark Solis. While the offense entered the game averaging 28 points a game, it has been the defense that has grabbed most of the attention because it has held opponents to an average of seven points through the halfway point of the season. "Our defense has been outstanding all season so it was up to the offense to seal the deal tonight," said quarterback Aaron Macer, who completed 5 of 7 passes for 106 yards and ran for 91 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. "Our offensive line was opening huge holes and we just went vertical." Macer, whose 17-yard scoring run following a failed onside kick by Brunswick to start the second half, gave the Tigers a 28-7 lead. He engineered an offense that generated 473 yards, a season high.

4 Brunswick (3-2) played without three starters, suspended for violating team policy. It probably made a difference as the Blue Devils were able to manage one sustained scoring drive, going 81 yards in 16 plays and tying the game, 7-7, on a 1-yard run by sophomore Nick Roberts in the second quarter. Roberts finished with 97 yards on 20 carries. Running back John Barton ran for 104 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries, which included a stunning 71-yard scoring run in which the 5-9, 175-pound sophomore shot through a large hole in the middle of the line and outran Brunswick's secondary. "All the credit goes to the offensive line," said Barton, who runs the 100 and 200-meters during track season, a Solis mandate. "They opened huge holes all night. They've opened holes all season." The defense certainly did its part, as senior strong safety Zak Laubscher came up with the lone turnover of the game with an interception late in the second quarter. That set up a 1-yard scoring run by Barton but the big play in the drive was a 32-yard completion from Macer to London Carter. The Tigers recovered the onside kick to start the second half and scored in eight plays. "We felt we had a good game plan and early on it seemed to work," Brunswick coach Luke Beal said. "But then we had that turnover and gave up that big play. We felt we had to try something to get the momentum back in our favor and get ourselves back in the game." To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:trogers@plaind.com, Twinsburg shows it can also score points in 42-7 victory By BRAD BOURNIVAL ~ See Video Highlights and Coaching interviews HERE TWINSBURG, Ohio - It turns out Twinsburg's football team knows how to play offense, too. For all the hype surrounding the Tigers' defense coming into Friday night's game against Brunswick, little was known about their offense. That all changed after a 42-7 win over the Blue Devils. The Tigers (5-0) rolled up 482 yards of offense. Sophomore running back John Barton ran for 104 yards and three touchdowns, and senior quarterback Aaron Macer threw for 81 yards and ran for another 91 with a score on the ground. London Carter showed his big-play ability as well, catching two passes for 125 yards. "We weren't surprised," Barton said. "We knew we could do it all season. "Our offense has the potential. We just hadn't put it all together in a game yet. This game we came together and really put it to Brunswick." Check that. Barton was able to do that against the Blue Devils (3-2). The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder was the key in a second quarter that took a close game and turned it into a 14-point lead going into halftime. His first score came on a 71-yard run, and then he added a 1-yard score before halftime. He rounded out the scoring in the third on a 3-yard jaunt. "He's kinda good," Twinsburg coach Mark Solis said. "You can't coach what he's got. He can break one or two tackles and go the distance. He's special." That's not to say defense didn't play a part in the Tigers' win. Brunswick looked like it was going to tie things up late in the second quarter before Twinsburg strong safety Zak Laubscher stepped in front of a pass from James Grega and picked it off. Nine plays later, Twinsburg capped a 57-yard drive by scoring a touchdown just 24 seconds before intermission. "That was the big play in the football game," Solis said. "I wouldn't call it a backbreaker, but it swung the momentum in our favor. They kept our offense off the field in the second quarter, but we can score quick. "That one was pretty big. That was a huge play. Without it, it would have been 14-7 at halftime." Special teams stepped up for Twinsburg as well. Brunswick tried to catch the Tigers off guard with an onside kick to start the third quarter, but Dylan Minick recovered the ball at the 50 and Twinsburg scored to make it a three-score lead.

5 "We thought that might be able to energize us a little bit," Brunswick coach Luke Beal said of the onside kick. "We thought if we could recover the onside kick and put ourselves back together, we could get back in it. But things got away from us. "Once we got down, we limited our options. It seemed like we were a little bit shell-shocked. So we thought this would be the point to get the momentum back. We had it, but it got away from us. Unfortunately, they got it back and we let it get away from us." After that, the backups came in to ice things. Nick Roberts (20 carries, 90 yards, TD) was the lone bright spot for the Blue Devils, who need a lot of help if they want to make the playoffs this season. Family bragging rights up for grabs for Brunswick's Luke Beal, Twinsburg's Mark Solis: Football Insider West ~ Plain Dealer Article It's been a light family affair for Brunswick rookie coach Luke Beal and Twinsburg fourth-year coach Mark Solis the past 51 weeks but the lines are drawn this week as each team prepares for tonight's Northeast Ohio Conference crossover football game. Beal's wife, Stacey, is Solis' sister and it's the first time the brothers-in-law are coaching against each other. "I tried to avoid Mark as much as possible this week," said Luke Beal. Beal wasn't joking. "Luke sent an assistant coach over when we exchanged films," Solis said with a chuckle. "It's a big game for both schools. We're an up-and-coming program while Brunswick built a strong program under former coach Rich Nowak." Solis has a lot respect for his brother-in-law. "He went 0-20 in his first two years at Galion Northmor, but stuck with it and went on to do a great job at Fredericktown," said Solis. "Luke's now coaching in a program where they just expect you to win and it's been so far so good. I'm happy for him." While it'll be tense for both families -- Twinsburg stands 4-0 and Brunswick is and a lot of Division I postseason computer points will be at stake, one thing's certain. "My wife will definitely be sitting on the Brunswick side," said Beal. Brunswick will be without at least three key performers tonight. Running back Tevin Jackson, defensive end Jake Maurer and linebacker Ray T. Brown will be sidelined for violating the school's athletic code. Beal made no excuses. "We'll coach up the players we have and go from there," he said. "We will move on." Brunswick at Twinsburg What, when, where: Northeast Ohio Conference crossover game, 7 p.m. at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium, Ravenna Road, Twinsburg. Call Records: Brunswick 3-1; Twinsburg 4-0. What to watch: The winner will walk away with a ton of Division I, Region 2 computer points but more important, will earn bragging rights for Twinsburg coach Mark Solis or his brother-in-law, Brunswick coach Luke Beal. QB Aaron Macer brings versatility to the Tigers' offense because he can pass and run and he has three capable runners/receivers in John Barton, London Carter and Sam Burgess. They must be aware of the Blue Devils' outstanding DB Scott Suren. The key is the offensive line's depth where 8-9 players rotate, with the standouts being Brett Gulosh, Nico Gagne-Cross and Jeremy Thompson. Brunswick will counter with TB Nick Roberts, who was a primary reason it outrushed Garfield Heights last week, 269 yards to 49. PD pick: Twinsburg. Tigers rout Normandy on first road trip by Steve Batko - Correspondent, Twinsburg Bulletin

6 With a 40-0 win over Parma Normandy, the Twinsburg football juggernaut avoided looking ahead, but head coach Mark Solis still wants to get his new-look offense to hit on all cylinders. Meanwhile, the Tigers defense has helped Twinsburg to move to 4-0 overall and a ranking of 19th in Ohio in Division I. Twinsburg's defense is allowing seven points a game to go with less than 175 total yards a contest. The shutout featured Normandy being held to just four first downs and 47 total yards at Byers Field. "Our defense was tremendous and they continue to play well," pointed out Solis. The host Invaders moved to 0-4. While Twinsburg amassed 330 yards rushing on only 38 attempts and finished with 397 total yards, Solis is still searching for more consistency from his offense. "We did generate some yards on offense, but there's still a lot of work to do," Solis said. "We're just not clicking and it's like a car when the timing belt is off. I'm still looking for that complete game on offense with ball control." The Tigers only had 12 first downs and had two turnovers -- one coming on a punt return. Junior London Carter exploded for a special teams score on a thrilling 67-yard punt return, which was the team's lone tally in the first quarter. Jake Russell booted the first of four PATs. "It was great to get that special teams score, but we also fumbled one away again," said the coach. "That's the third time we have fumbled away a punt this year. Those are the type of mistakes that you can't make against a team like Brunswick." Hosting Brunswick on Sept. 24 may the biggest regular season game for the Tigers. Despite allowing almost 28 points a game, Brunswick is 3-1. This is also a Brunswick team that Twinsburg edged in the state playoffs last year. In addition, as Twinsburg hopes to win another Northeast Ohio Conference title, Solis will play against his brother-in-law, Brunswick coach Luke Beal. "It will be an interesting Friday night," laughed Solis. "This is a really huge game for us." Even with the barrage of offense in Parma, Twinsburg's 20-0 halftime lead was a result of only one offensive score -- a 24-yard burst by senior tailback Miguel Hechavarria. Hechavarria finished with a career high 103 yards on eight carries. "Miguel played extremely well as did John Barton and our other backs," offered Solis. After Carter's touchdown, the Tigers scored on a one yard fumble return by junior Dylan Minick, who added five tackles and a sack on defense. Others scores came on a 61-yard scamper by Barton, a seven-yard run by backup junior quarterback Zack Buckeye, and the first throwing touchdown by sophomore quarterback Jalen Washington. Washington, who had four rushes for 46 yards, had a 7-yard touchdown strike to senior Tyler Smith, who had four catches for 38 yards. The athletic 6-foot-1 Washington was inserted for Aaron Macer early on the third series of the game and that trend may continue. "We wanted to get Jalen some reps early in the game and we will look to do that again," said Solis. "We feel comfortable with Jalen in as well." Defensively, senior 215-pound linebacker Nico Gagne-Cross was all over the field. He had 13 tackles, including four for losses plus a quarterback pressure and also broke up a pass. Myles Campbell also had nine stops for the Tigers while Zak Laubscher and Sam Sims also shined. Tre Jones and Chris Rode had interceptions for the Tigers who were without injured senior Anthony Surace (dislocated elbow). Macer had 53 yards passing and eight totes for 42 yards on the ground. Barton had 69 rushing yards while other rushers were Sam Burgess (5-37), DeNorris Turner (2-17), and Jordan Bray (1-11). Burgess had a 12-yard catch while Carter had two for 17 yards. stowsports@recordpub.com Phone: ext. 3113

7 Twinsburg 40 - Parma Normandy 0 ~ PD Blurb The Tigers, ranked No. 10 in the area and 19th in the Division I state poll, barely broke a sweat in the Northeast Ohio Conference cross-over game win but got a nice effort from Miguel Hechavarria. The senior tailback collected 105 yards and scored on a 24-yard scamper. The Tigers return home to face Brunswick on Friday. Kick-off is set for 7:00pm. Come on out and cheer on your Tigers!