Steubenville Central won their regular season finale at Harding Stadium on Saturday evening, defeating a mistake-prone Cleveland East Tech squad, 37-6. The first two possessions by each team ended in turnovers, with Central stopped on a fumble at the Scarab 15, then halted on their next drive with a touchback as a Matty Jones fumble on the one yard line rolled into the end zone. After a negative 1 yard punt placed the Crusaders at the visitors’ 24, Jones caught a two-yard TD pass early the second quarter. East Tech, who had 11 penalties in the first half alone, jumped offside on the XP attempt, and Central went for two and converted on a run by Kyran Busic. Central took advantage of another short field to score again, with Matthew Sprochi capping a 15 yard drive running in from six yards, and Busic getting a two-point conversion in precisely the same way after another offsides penalty. Sprochi scored again from the three with 0:53 left in the half. East Tech took over at their two yard line after the ensuing kickoff rolled between two returners. Nate Irvin then tackled the Scarab quarterback deep in the end zone for a safety to close the first half scoring, putting the Crusaders ahead 25-0 at the intermission. Sprochi took the second half kickoff 80 yards for a score that brought on a running clock for the duration of the game. Ryan Holzworth added a five-yard TD to close Central’s scoring. East Tech avoided a shutout as they got on the board late in the fourth quarter. Central closes the regular season with a 6-4 record and clinches a home playoff game next Friday. East Tech finishes at 3-6.

Steubenville Catholic Central pulled off their most impressive win of the season in crushing Conotton Valley 48-30 Friday evening at Bowerston. The Rockets, ranked #5 in Region 27 before the game, took a 12-0 lead on two fourth down TD passes. The Crusaders battled back in the second quarter on a three-yard run by Daveon Thorn, but CV quickly answered with an 80-yard kickoff return to make the score 18-7. Central took charge from there, thanks to a 36-yard TD pass from Matthew Sprochi to Matty Jones, and then a two-yard rushing score by Kyran Busic, putting the visitors up 21-18 at the half. Sprochi found the end zone twice on short rushes in the third quarter, in between a 56-yard passing TD by Conotton Valley. Ryan Holzworth added two rushing touchdowns to close the scoring. Central improves to 5-4 and takes on Cleveland East Tech at home in the regular season finale. Conotton Valley drops to 6-3.

Steubenville Central lost a hard-fought game on the road at Fairport Harbor Saturday evening to undefeated Fairport Harding, 27-20. Offenses dominated the first half, as the teams alternately scored on five consecutive possessions. After the Skippers drew first blood on their second possession, the Crusaders answered with a nine-play drive, culminating with a two-yard TD by Kyran Busic. Busic again found the end zone on a fourth and inches play on the one yard line at the 2:04 mark of the second quarter, but the Skippers quickly scored again for a 21-12 halftime lead. The defenses prevailed in the second half, with the help of penalties and turnovers. After a scoreless third period, Fairport Harding added another score early in the fourth quarter. Central made it interesting in the final seconds on a Matthew Sprochi 3-yard run and two-point conversion with 0:26 left in the game, but they could not recover the ensuing onside kick. Central drops to 4-4 and travels to Conotton Valley, while the Skippers improve to 7-0.