Football Preview: Twinsburg Travels To Solon For Annual Grudge Match

It's time for Solon and Twinsburg to play in their annual, late-season rivalry game.

The Comets and Tigers come into Friday night's battle at 4-3. Neither team has won as much as they would have liked to this point, and would love to take out that aggression on their opponent.

If this year's game is anything like last year's, then fans are in for a treat. Solon slipped by Twinsburg 27-21 in an overtime thriller.

Here's what you need to know about the week 9 matchup:

1. Game Time: 7 p.m. Friday. The game will be played at Solon High School's Stewart Field.

2. Matchup History: For a rivalry, this game has been pretty lopsided over the years. The two teams have played 51 times, and Solon has won 41 of them. Not only is this a big game between neighboring cities, but its also a big Valley Division game in the Northeast Ohio Conference.

3. A Division Mathup: This is an important game for the Valley Division crown, which was shared by Solon, Mentor and Twinsburg last year. This season, Twinsburg is 2-0 in the division and Solon is 1-1 after last week's loss to Mentor. "We both have a title to defend," said Solon Head Coach Jim McQuaide.

4. Players To Watch: Twinsburg does not have star running back John Barton, who was lost to a season-ending knee injury early in the season. So a lot rests on the shoulders of quarterback Jalen Washington, who played very well against the Comets last season.

For Solon, the spotlight is on the seniors, who are playing their last home game at Stewart Field, and want to go out with a win.

5. Patch Rivalry: Patch has a cross-town rivalry too, and editors Mitch Cooper and Chris Mazzolini have a friendly wager on the results of the game. Find out what's at stake!