Add these matchups to your gridiron calendar

• St. Edward at Mentor, Aug. 24: This very well could be the best game in Ohio on opening night. • Glenville at Euclid, Aug. 24: The Panthers won’t even call Glenville by name, but rather refer to the Tarblooders as “The team that starts with a G.” Enough said. • Kirtland at Columbia, Aug. 31: This was a blowout last year, but some statewide pundits think this could be a regional final showdown this year. • Perry at Chardon, Aug. 31: The Pirates take their high-flying, acrobatic offense to Chardon to face the meat-and-potatoes ground game of the Hilltoppers. • Mentor at St. Ignatius, Sept. 1: This very well could be the best game in Ohio in Week 2. Starting the season with St. Edward and St. Ignatius — whew. • Benedictine at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Sept. 7: The Bengals take on the Irish in a nonconference playoff point-getter for the winner. • St. Ignatius at Euclid, Sept. 7: The Panthers host the Wildcats in what will be huge for playoff points for the winner. • Perry at Madison, Sept. 7: This might be the best local rivalry. A lot of bad blood exists here. • Brush at Mayfield, Sept. 14: A good, old-fashioned neighborhood brawl. Mayfield leads this series heavily, but the Arcs are trending upward. • Kenston at Brush, Sept. 21: The Arcs won last year’s game, 48-45, with a touchdown pass with 9.8 seconds left. That win pushed Brush into the playoffs and kept Kenston out. • South at North, Sept. 21: The border war is always a good one. South leads the series, but the Rangers are young and upcoming. • Cuyahoga Heights at Kirtland, Sept. 28: It’s been a long time since this wasn’t the de facto CVC Valley title game. The Redskins are the only league team to beat the Hornets in recent years. • Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary at Perry, Sept. 28: The Pirates scrambled to find a Week 6 game, and the Irish were the answer. A good barometer to see how good the Pirates are. • Benedictine at Akron Hoban, Sept. 28: Many feel this is the NCL Blue Division championship game. Hoban is the defending Division II state champion. Can the Bengals do the trick on the road? • Euclid at Solon, Oct. 5: If Mentor, Solon and Euclid are considered the top teams in the GCC, then this one has big ramifications. • Cuyahoga Heights at Wickliffe, Oct. 5: The Blue Devils have been to the playoffs the last two years. They are now in the CVC Valley. Playing tradition-rich Heights is a big test. • Brush at Chardon, Oct. 12: Two interesting styles — Brush can be wide open and frantic offensively, while the Hilltoppers do some serious ground-and-pound. • Solon at Mentor, Oct. 12: If the Cardinals want to win a GCC title, this is a must-win game against a longtime foe. • Perry at Geneva, Oct. 19: Coach Matt Rosati said this is the CVC Chagrin game that worries the Pirates this most. • Mentor at Euclid, Oct. 19: Is this the GCC title game? Since Jeff Rotsky came to Euclid, this has been a tremendous showdown. • Lake Catholic at NDCL, Oct. 19: The Holy War of the East Side. The Lions always play well at home in this rivalry. • Cardinal at Berkshire, Oct. 26: Whoever has never seen a Kinsman Cup game has to at some point in their life. • Kirtland at Wickliffe, Oct. 26: The Blue Devils are new to the CVC Valley. Can they dethrone the perennial champs? • Kenston at South, Oct. 26: This game is going to be fast-paced, up and down. The officials might need an oxygen tank.

NEWS-HERALD FILE Xavier Hopps and South will look to extend their winning streak over North to 16 years on Sept. 21.