CANTON — The Ohio High School Athletic Association football state finals resumed Friday morning when Glenville played Shelby in the Division IV state title game. Kickoff was 10:30 a.m.
It’s the second of seven OHSAA championship games being played this weekend at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the site of all title games for a fifth straight year.
Glenville was dominant in a 45-7 win, claiming its third state championship in four years, as Shelby’s first trip to a state final ended with a running clock.
Here’s how the game unfolded through our live updates.
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Glenville defense sets OHSAA football all-divisions state record
The Tarblooders limited Shelby to 27 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed by any team in any division for an OHSAA state championship game. The previous all-divisions record was 30 yards allowed by Tiffin Calvert in a 22-0 win over Newark Catholic in the 1980 Division V title game at Mansfield.
Final | Glenville 45, Shelby 7
Glenville is the Division IV state champion for the third time in four years after a dominant performance against an unbeaten Shelby team.
Glenville scores again
The Tarblooders lead 45-7 heading into the final two minutes of a game in a running clock now. Backup running back Uriah Webber scored on a 14-yard run after a long punt return set up the score with 2:01 left.
Glenville football puts state championship game into a running clock
With the Tarblooders lead reaching beyond the 30-point mark, the title games is now in a running clock. Shelby entered the state finals having won 10 straight games with a running clock.
Arvell Nelson TD pass to Joseph Saffold adds to Glenville football’s lead
Arvell Nelson threw a perfect pass down the middle of the field for a 31-yard touchdown to Joseph Saffold, who caught the ball in stride in the back part of the end zone. Nelson’s throw came on a third-and-11. Glenville’s lead is 38-7 with 8:48 left in the fourth quarter.
Glenville leads Shelby 31-7 after three quarter
Shelby will have third-and-22 from its own 34 to start fourth quarter. Kayvon Bailey just got another sack for Glenville.
Glenville takes complete command
Arvell Nelson hits Eniere Lemon for a 5-yard TD pass. Lemon adds the PAT. Glenville leads Shelby 31-7 with 2:01 left in the third quarter. Glenville converted a third-and-14 when Joseph Saffold went 29 yards on a WR screen.
Glenville can’t cash in turnover
Jaylen Edwards picks off Brayden DeVito, setting up Glenville at the Shelby 21. But the Tarbloods end up turning it over on downs. Score remains Glenville 24-7 with 7:00 left in the third quarter.
Long Glenville drive ends in turnover on downs
The Tarblooders throw incomplete on fourth down. Shelby takes over on its 29.
Glenville and Shelby second half underway
The Tarblooders start on their 21, up 24-7.
Glenville and Shelby halftime stats
The Tarblooders have held Shelby to just 41 yards of offense and are all over QB Brayden DeVito, who is 3-of-12 passing for 38 yards. He’s been sacked three times. Brady Bowman has two receptions for 34 yards. Romell Phillips has been huge for the Glenville offense with 119 yards on 10 carries. Chris Newell Jr. has TD runs of 14 and 6 yards. Arvell Nelson is 2-of-6 passing for 22 yards. He had one long TD pass dropped by a wide-open receiver. Glenville has overcome nine penalties for 100 yards.
Halftime: Glenville leads Shelby 24-7
Dominant display by Glenville defense sprinkled with some big plays have the Tarblooders in command.
Glenville scores again late in first half
Chris Newell Jr. scores on a 6-yard run, his second TD of the game. Arvell Nelson then hits Joseph Saffold for the 2-point pass. Glenville leads Shelby 24-7 with 57 seconds left in the second quarter. Romell Phillips keyed that drive with runs of 24 and 38 yards.
Tarblooders all over Brayden DeVito
Glenville’s pressure and physicality making an impact. The Tarblooders have it on their own 25 after another Shelby punt.
Glenville builds on lead with impressive drive
Chris Newell Jr. runs for a 14-yard touchdown. The PAT kick fails. Glenville leads Shelby 16-7 with 5:36 left in the second quarter. Glenville took advantage of great field position, starting on Shelby’s 44. Romell Phillips has given the Glenville offense a nice boost.
Glenville retakes lead on field goal
Eniere Lemon connects on a 34-yard field goal with 10:02 left in the second quarter to put Glenville back in the lead at 10-7. The Tarblooders had a 6-yard TD run negated because of a holding penalty. Brayden DeVito also broke up what looked to be a sure Glenville TD pass on third down.
What an answer by Shelby
Luke Blevins runs 17 yards on a Statue of Liberty play to set up the Whippets at the 1. The play was ruled a touchdown initially and then changed via replay. Michael Shepherd powers in for a 1-yard TD run after taking the snap under center. Everett Harris adds the PAT. Shelby ties Glenville 7-7 with 11:39 left in the second quarter. Brayden DeVito hit Brady Bowman for 25 yards earlier in the drive and got another 15 yards tacked on because of a Glenville personal foul. Bowman was shook up on the play.
Glenville leads Shelby 7-0 after first quarter
The Whippets will have it third-and-10 from their own 42 when the second quarter starts. Glenville defense delivering some punishing hits. Kayvon Bailey has a pair of sacks. We have 31 yards of combined offense here.
Glenville strikes first with explosive punt return
Jaquan Gibson, who had an interception negated a few plays earlier because of a penalty, goes 93 yards on a punt return to put the Tarblooders in the lead. Eniere Lemon adds the PAT. Glenville leads Shelby 7-0 with 1:19 left in the first quarter.
Glenville punting again
We had our first review, which upheld a ruling of a fumble going out of bounds. Shelby starts on its 32 with 4:58 left in the first quarter.
Glenville gets the ball back quickly
Shelby runs a fake punt on fourth-and-11 and Michael Shepherd ends up fumbling it. Glenville starts on its 34.
Glenville goes three-and-out on first possession
The Tarblooders boot it away after three runs. Shelby starts on its 35 after a short punt and bad hop for Glenville. No score here with 7:24 left in the first quarter.
Shelby forced to punt
The Whippets pick one first down, but then have to punt. Kaylon Bailey with a third-down sack for Glenville. A great bounce on the punt leads to Glenville starting on its 4.
Glenville and Shelby are underway in OHSAA D4 state final
The Whippets start on their 33 after a squib kick.
Shelby will receive the opening kickoff
Glenville won the coin toss and chose to defer.
Glenville football’s OHSAA state finals history
The Tarblooders are playing in a state championship game for the fifth time. They won Division IV titles in 2022 and 2023, the first two football championships by a Cleveland Metropolitan School District team. They also were state runners-up in 2013 (in Division II) and 2009 (in Division I). All five of their state championship games have been played in Canton. The Tarblooders also reached the 2004 state semifinals in Division I, losing to Canton McKinley at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Glenville has made the OHSAA playoffs 22 times, with all 22 postseason trips coming since 1999 under coach Ted Ginn.
Shelby football’s OHSAA state finals history
The Whippets are playing in a state championship game for the first time. Entering this season, they had only reached one state semifinal, in 2017, losing to eventual Division IV state champion Steubenville in a semi at the University of Akron. The Whippets have been to the OHSAA playoffs 13 times, all coming since 1998.
Glenville vs. Shelby features two Ohio Mr. Football finalists
Each team is led by a finalist for the 2025 Ohio Mr. Football Award, which Indian Valley senior Grady Kinsey received Thursday. Here’s a look at each:
Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito | Ohio Mr. Football finalist
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior is a United States Air Force Academy commit. He’s led the Whippets to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and the No. 1 ranking in the final Associated Press poll in 2025. DeVito entered the regional championship with 2,783 yards and 35 touchdowns to just three interceptions on 165-of-221 passing (75%) through 12 games. He had also run 106 times for 1,009 yards and 24 TDs on the ground. DeVito had 54 total TDs in just 31 quarters of action. For his career, entering Week 14, DeVito is 700-of-1,060 passing (66%) for 12,440 yards (unofficially No. 4 in OHSAA history) with 120 TDs (13th in OHSAA history) and has rushed 516 times for 4,294 yards and 71 TDs with a career total of 196 TDs. On track to become a three-time All-Ohio first-team selection, DeVito was also All-Ohio first team in basketball and was a state-placer in track as the first three-sport all-state player in school history.
Glenville linebacker Cincere Johnson | Ohio Mr. Football finalist
The 6-3, 225-pound Johnson is the Northeast Lakes District Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Johnson, a four-star prospect according to most recruiting services, is committed to Ohio State. He led Glenville with 112 tackles, 21 TFL and 8.5 sacks during the season. The Tarblooders played a tough schedule that included defending Division II state champ Avon, Massillon, Olentangy Liberty, St. Edward and Hoban. Johnson started as a sophomore middle linebacker on Glenville’s 2023 state championship team and led the Tarblooders back to last year’s state semifinals.
Glenville vs. Shelby … Tarblooders vs. Whippets
Two best nicknames in these finals? Any debate needs to start with the Tarblooders of Glenville and the Whippets of Shelby.
What’s a Tarblooder?
According to the Glenville history section of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District website: “A ‘tarblooder’ was a robot man, named after the men who ‘bled tar’ from working on the railroads in the early 1900s. Workers at a Glenville Tar company were often called ‘Tarblooders.’ A Tarblooder was a railroad worker whose job was to smear hot tar on railroad ties after they were laid, to seal them and hold them in place.”
Among chants that developed around the nickname: “Whack, Thud, Tarblood.”
Why the Whippets?
According to a SpetrumNews1 story from 2024, Shelby High School Principal John Gies said the school nickname goes back to the Shelby Cycling Company, which made well known bicycles a hundred years ago. “They were actually in all of the Shirley Temple movies,” Gies said. “When she rode a bicycle, she rode a Shelby bicycle.” One of the models sold by the company was the Shelby Whippet Bicycle. Gies said a cyclist named Clarence Wagner rode a Whippet bicycle across the country twice and then gave the bikes to the football team to help with training. “So one day,” Gies said, “as Clarence was standing watching a football game with two reporters, one from Ashland and one from Shelby, one of the people around them said, ‘those boys run really fast, they run about as fast as a Whippet!’ And the Ashland reporter used that and put it in their story, so that was 1928.”
And a nickname was born.
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Glenville vs. Shelby football score, recap, OHSAA highlights
Reporting by Josh Weir, Canton Repository / The Repository
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