Sports

Ursuline leads crowded Mahoning Valley prep football Super 7 poll at No. 1

Niles vs. Poland
Niles vs. Poland

For the fifth consecutive week the Youngstown Ursuline Fighting Irish remain the No. 1-ranked team in the mahoningmatters.com Super 7 poll.

Ursuline

No. 1: The Irish are the only unbeaten team left in the greater Mahoning Valley area with a 7-0 record.

Ursuline went on the road to Green Street Stadium John Cistone field and posted a 34-20 triumph over a very solid Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary team on their home field last Friday.

The Irish return home this week to host Cleveland VASJ, another talented team that is 5-2 on the season.

South Range

No. 2: South Range is solidly entrenched at No. 2 in the Super 7 poll.

The Raiders (6-1) continue to post impressive win after impressive win in the rugged Northeast 8 this fall. South Range rolled to a 49-21 league romp over a talented Girard team last weekend.

South Range goes on the road this Friday to face another talented Northeast 8 team in the Niles McKinley Red Dragons at Bo Rein Memorial Stadium.

West Branch

No. 3: West Branch, which has won six games in a row, remained No. 3 in this week’s poll.

The Warriors (6-1) are now the top scoring team in the greater Mahoning Valley following a 56-0 Eastern Buckeye Conference shutout of Marlington last week. The Warriors are averaging 44.5 points-per-game while their defense has recorded three straight shutouts.

The Warriors have a huge league game Friday night when they host rival Alliance (4-3) at Clinton Heacock Stadium.

Poland

No. 4: Poland remains one of the most consistent teams in the area following a 28-14 Northeast 8 win at Niles McKinley last week. The Bulldogs are 6-1 on the season with their only loss coming to defending D5 state champ South Range.

Poland is surrendering just 8.8 points-per-game, the best mark in the area.

The Bulldogs travel to Girard for another Northeast 8 battle Friday night.

Austintown Fitch

No. 5: Austintown Fitch is the No. 5 team in this week’s poll.

The Falcons, who are 4-2 on the season, were idle last week.

Fitch’s only losses this season have been to a pair of teams with a combined 12-1 record in Central Valley (Pa.) and Youngstown Ursuline.

The Falcons play a huge game Friday night when the Massillon Tigers visit Falcon Stadium.

United Local

No. 6: United Local jumps back in the poll this week at No. 6 following a 35-0 Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference rout of the Leetonia Bears.

The Golden Eagles are 6-1 on the campaign and travel to Wellsville Friday night for an EOAC game against the Tigers at Nicholson Stadium.

Struthers

No. 7 (tie): Struthers is 5-2 on the season but its two losses have come to South Range and Geneva which are a combined 12-2 on the season. The Wildcats are coming off a 40-6 win over Lakeview and host Youngstown East Friday.

Jackson-Milton

No. 7 (tie) Jackson-Milton rounds of this week’s Super 7 poll after its 19-6 Mahoning Valley athletic Conference win over the Waterloo Vikings.

The Bluejays are 6-1 on the season and travel to Lowellville, also 6-1, for a MVAC showdown Friday night.

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This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 4:00 AM.