Smithville Takes Over No. 1 Spot in Week 5 Wooster Area Rankings

Smithville beat previously top-ranked Hillsdale 28-14 to claim first place in the Week 5 Wooster Daily Record high school football power rankings.

Smithville (5-0) moved to the top of the Wooster Daily Record Week 5 high school football power rankings after a 28-14 home win over previously unbeaten Hillsdale in a Wayne County Athletic League matchup of 4-0 teams. Linebacker Zach Lanneaux made a fourth-and-1 stop at midfield in the third quarter with Smithville ahead 14-7, and the Smithies' pass rush pressured Hillsdale quarterback Kael Lewis throughout the night. Hillsdale, which had held the top spot for the season's first four weeks, slipped to No. 2.

Triway (4-1) stayed third after a 51-0 home rout of Tuslaw in which Austin Houser ran for 118 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries and the defense forced five turnovers. West Holmes (4-1) was fourth following a 42-7 win at Madison Comprehensive, with quarterback Brayden Parsons throwing for 393 yards and four scores and Coi Beachy catching 11 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Orrville (4-1) rounded out the top five with a 25-20 road win at Fairless behind 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Mark Lorson and 188 yards from Parker Hostetler.

Norwayne (2-3) came in sixth after a 42-13 win at Waynedale that included 491 yards of total offense, and Chippewa (4-1) was seventh after edging Rittman 7-6 for its fourth win, the program's most since 2021. Dalton (1-4) took eighth place with a 36-6 home win over Northwestern (2-3), which fell to ninth. Rittman (3-2) held 10th despite the narrow loss at Chippewa. Loudonville (3-2), Wooster (1-4), Tuslaw (2-3) and Waynedale (1-4) dropped out of the top 10 this week.