Malvern Hornets Team News

Malvern looking to build on success

MALVERN A football tradition has been building at Malvern High School. Getting the program’s first-ever home playoff victory last year was a start.

The Hornets rode that 49-14 win over Bridgeport all the way to the Division VI state semifinals.

Inter-Valley Conference football team

Inter-Valley Conference football

Malvern braces for battle with Bridgeport

Malvern will get a dose of the Smelley brothers for a second straight season.

Juniors Chris and Curt Smelley and sophomore Cole Smelley will test the Hornets’ defense as top-seeded Malvern takes on Bridgeport in a battle of 10-1 teams in a Division VI regional semifinal battle at Harding Stadium in Steubenville on Saturday night.

Chiurco is a big part of Malvern’s success

Dominic Chiurco was slapped down by a flu bug earlier this week. The Malvern High School senior felt so miserable and puny that he couldn’t attend the football team’s banquet that night at a local restaurant.

“He doesn’t miss many meals,” Malvern head coach Dave Tucci said. “He must really be sick.”

Malvern-Bridgeport Div. VI regional semifinal preview

Division VI, Region 23 semifinal

SITE Harding Stadium, Steubenville 7 p.m.

RECORDS Bridgeport 10-1, Malvern 10-1.

LAST WEEK Bridgeport 54, Tusky C.C. 28; Malvern 43, Symmes Valley 0.

LAST MEETING Malvern won, 49-14, in a playoff opener last year.

Stark County teams staying close to home for second round

Stark County’s four remaining high school football teams won’t have to travel far this weekend for second-round playoff matchups.

McKinley and GlenOak will kick off in a 1 p.m. Saturday contest at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium for a Division I, Region 2 contest. Massillon and Twinsburg play 7 p.m. Saturday at Fawcett Stadium in the other Region 2 semifinal.

Second round playoff sites are set

It’s on to the second round of the high school football playoffs for Dover, Malvern, Ridgewood and Coshocton.

And the sites are set.

On Friday, Dover (10-1) will battle Northwest (8-3) in a Division III regional semifinal at Fawcett Stadium in Canton and Ridgewood (11-0) will take on Oak Hill (11-0) in a Division V regional semifinal at Fulton Field in Lancaster.