Upper Arlington's unbeaten Golden Bears welcome two-time defending Division II state champion Avon to Marv Moorehead Stadium on Sept. 4 for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Bears (2-0) have outscored opponents 64-7 through two weeks. Avon (1-1) arrives after a 48-18 loss to Pine-Richland, Pa. The Eagles still own a 31-game winning streak against Ohio opponents, according to TribLive.
Cleveland.com listed the matchup among the 10 best high school football games to watch in Week 3 across Ohio.
What UA has shown
Quarterback Charlie Hunt accounted for five touchdowns in the Aug. 21 season opener, a 40-7 rout of Olentangy. He threw four scoring passes and ran for another. Running backs Drew Theado and Drew Tolliver each topped 100 rushing yards in that game, according to Yahoo Sports.
Week 2 was even more dominant. UA blanked Olentangy Berlin 24-0 on Aug. 28, with defensive end Tyler Witten adding a defensive touchdown. The Bears have allowed seven points all season.
UA is ranked No. 3 in cleveland.com's Central Ohio poll and No. 21 in SI.com's statewide Top 25. The program went 10-3 last season before falling to Pickerington Central in the Division I playoff third round.
What Avon brings
The Eagles edged St. Ignatius 22-21 in their opener but were overwhelmed by Pine-Richland, which scored 35 points off five Avon turnovers. It was Avon's first double-digit loss since 2021. It was also the first time the Eagles faced a running clock since a 2018 state semifinal loss to Akron Hoban, the Morning Journal reported.
Avon coach Mike Elder told cleveland.com after the Pine-Richland loss on Aug. 28 that the situation reminded him of last year, when the Eagles were also 1-1 before running the table to a state title.
"In a sick, crazy way, I'm excited about us moving forward and what we need to do to get better," Elder said.
How to watch
The game airs on Spectrum News 1 and streams on OHSAA.tv. Tickets are available through the Upper Arlington athletics website. The UA junior varsity hosts Groveport at 9 a.m. Sept. 5, at Marv Moorehead Stadium.
