Solon Comets Take on Akron Buchtel Friday

You would be hard-pressed to find an Ohio high school football team with a tougher first three weeks of the season than Akron Buchtel. The Griffins opened the season at Massillon and then went on the road to play at Steubenville.

The week three opponent? None other than Solon, which brings a 22-game regular season win streak into the game along with an 18-game home winning streak.

Buchtel, a Division III state finalist last year, lost 25 players to graduation, but the athletic Griffins remain a serious threat to the Comets on Friday night.

"They were in the state finals last year, I don't care what division it was," said Solon head coach Jim McQuaide. "They're a very good team and have some outstanding players. Massillon and Steubenville are two of the toughest places to play and when they (Buchtel) leave here Friday night I want them to say that it was just as tough to play here."

McQuaide remembers his first and only game facing the Griffins. "It was my first game as coach at St. Edward in 1990 and we lost 14-13 in overtime," he said.

Buchtel has been outscored by a 53-12 margin in its first two games this season and has just one offensive touchdown. The Griffins have one of the top players in the state in quarterback, defensive back and wideout Jarrod Wilson (6-3, 190), who has verbally committed to Michigan.

Buchtel head coach Ricky Powers helped spark the team to state titles in 1987 and 1988 before moving on to play at Michigan himself. Last year the Griffins made it all the way to the state title game despite not being ranked during the season.

"Coach Powers and his staff always do a great job," said McQuaide. "They have guys who can make plays and we have guys who can make plays."

One of Solon's top playmakers will not be on the field Friday night.

Speedy back Khoury Crenshaw suffered a concussion against Shaker Heights in the opener and will miss his second straight game. The Comets are coming off an impressive road win at Worthington Kilbourne and are looking to continue their momentum heading into the conference portion of the schedule.

"I thought we were much more consistent with our effort," said McQuaide of the win in Worthington. "We talked about that a lot in practice last week. Right now, our biggest thing is to be consistent."

Solon is more than ready to play at home after starting the season on the road. Particularly last week, when the team bus pulled into town after 1 a.m.

"We love playing at Stewart Field," said McQuaide. "It's a citywide event each time we play here."

And McQuaide says those historic winning streaks will not be on the minds of the Comets when they take the field.

"We never talk about that," he said. "You've got to live in the moment. Those things only happen if you take care of now."