Strongsville hosts Solon in Division I playoff opener Friday

Strongsville opens the OHSAA Division I playoffs Friday night as the No. 6 seed, hosting No. 11 Solon at Pat Catan Stadium at 7 p.m.

The Mustangs (7-3) enter on a four-game winning streak that included a 52-14 rout of Brunswick to close the regular season. That win gave Strongsville a share of the Greater Cleveland Conference (GCC) championship, the program's first conference title since 2008, according to cleveland.com.

The Comets (5-5) are coming off a close win against Medina to end their regular season, according to Spectrum News 1.

Mustangs rolling behind Kasner and Boddie

Senior quarterback Jack Kasner led the offense in the Brunswick blowout, completing 9 of 16 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 78 yards, cleveland.com reported.

Running back Kendrick Boddie powered for 150 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Sophomore Austin Tatulinski added 77 rushing yards and a touchdown on just four first-half carries, plus a 29-yard score on a short pass from Kasner.

In coverage published in October, Kasner told cleveland.com the team found its stride after early losses. "We had kind of a rough start to the year, losing to Highland and then Olmsted Falls," Kasner said. "Being able to bounce back, especially after Riverside, we've played really well the last four games."

Coach Jason Trusnik's squad finished the regular season tied atop the GCC with Mentor (8-2, 6-1) and Riverside (7-3, 6-1). Strongsville went 6-1 in conference play. The three teams all beat each other during the season to create the three-way tie.

"We talk about raising the standard," Trusnik told cleveland.com. "That's now set. It has over the last three years, and this is just another staple … for our guys and our community in the city."

Solon brings college talent of its own

The Comets are led by first-year coach Antonio Hall, a former collegiate and professional lineman who took over a program that had posted three consecutive losing seasons, the Chagrin Valley Today reported in a preseason profile.

Senior defensive end and tight end Brady Bush, a Miami (Ohio) commit, anchors both sides of the ball for Solon. Spectrum News 1 described Bush as "explosive on both sides of the ball," noting his blocking in the run game and his ability to get into the backfield on defense.

Strongsville's recruiting pedigree

The Mustangs' program produced a marquee recruit last year in Storm Miller, a consensus four-star linebacker who signed with Texas A&M in December 2025. Miller recorded 110 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and two interceptions during his senior season at Strongsville, earning GCC Defensive Player of the Year honors, according to Texas A&M's signing day announcement. He lettered four years under Trusnik.

The cleveland.com preseason GCC preview noted that Strongsville's defense took a hit graduating Miller but pointed to linebacker George Majernik, who had 75 tackles and 13 tackles for loss last season, as a player to watch.