Medina and Albion set to renew rivalry Friday

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Christian Moss, left, and Albion’s Cencere Lowe will help lead their respective teams into Friday’s rivalry game at Vets Park.

It will be the milestone 125th renewal of one of the state’s oldest high school football rivalries when Medina hosts Albion at 7 p.m. Friday at Vets Park.

Albion holds a 69-50-5 lead in the series which began in 1898 but the teams have split the last 10 meetings. The last two games in fact have been down to the wire thrillers as Albion won 26-20 last year and Medina 30-28 in 2021.

The Mustangs, which have captured a fourth straight C North Division title, bring a 7-0 record into the contest while the Purple Eagles are 2-5.

The victor will receive the Doc’s Rock trophy which is given in memory of Larry “Doc” Decker who taught and coached at both schools.

In addition, the pre game ceremonies will see the induction of the father-son duo of Karl Barna and Kyle Barna onto the John “Pinky” Loughlin Football Wall of Fame.

“The rivalry game is an exciting time for both teams and communities,” said Albion Coach David Skrip. “It’s an honor to be able to carry on the 100 plus year tradition. Our players understand the history of the rivalry and some have fathers, uncles or even grandparents who have played in it. We expect it to be a physical, competitive game and are looking forward to competing.”

“The Medina Albion Rivalry has been very special to many people for many years,” agreed Medina Coach Eric Valley. “It brings together 2 very similar communities and showcases some great student athletes that compete for “Doc’s Rock” along with bragging rights that will live on with every generation of kids that have the opportunity to play in such a historic game. The outcome of every season ultimately comes down to who wins this game…. In many cases it is either the highlight or lowlight of a season regardless of how teams eventually finish up.”

Leading the Albion offense this season have been quarterback Blake Preston (462 yards passing with 4 TDs), running back Cencere Lowe (543 yards rushing and 7 TDs) and receiver Seth Krenning (11 catches for 127 yards and 2 TDs).

“We know full well that Albion will be ready to battle come Friday night,” said Valley. “We need to establish ourselves in the trenches early on if we want to be successful. Our skill kids need to step up and make plays in all 3 phases of the game and minimize mistakes. Albion has some explosive players, so we need to play disciplined football and tackle well.”

The Medina offense has been sparked by quarterback Julian Woodworth (475 yards passing with 5 TDs and 357 yards rushing, 9 TDs), running back Christian Moss (852 yards rushing, 10 TDs) and receivers Noah Cudzilo (124 yards and 3 TDs), Brody Fry (123 yards and 1 TD) and Justin Pitts (110 yards and 1 TD).

“The keys to success for us are to not give up the big play and take care of the football,” said Skrip.

Friday’s other local contests will have Roy-Hart/Barker hosting Akron for Homecoming in a C North Division game, Newfane at rival Wilson in an interdivisional game and Holley visiting Pembroke for an 8 Man Division game, all at 7 p.m.

Two other are games involving C North Division teams have been cancelled due to a continuing season long string of forfeits. JFK has forfeited to Cleveland Hill and Eden has forfeited to Lake Shore.

C North Standings: Medina 6-0, 7-0; Newfane 5-1, 6-1; Akron 3-2, 3-4; Eden 3-3, 4-4; Cleve Hill 2-4, 3-5; Roy-Hart 1-4, 2-5; JFK 0-6, 0-8.

Contributed Photos – The father-son duo of Karl Barna, left, and Kyle Barna will be indicted onto the John “Pinky” Loughlin Wall of Fame prior to the start of Friday’s game. Karl, a 1978 graduate, was a two-time, two-way All-League lineman who also competed in wrestling. Kyle, a 2014 grad, was a two-time All-League honoree in both football and lacrosse.