It's hard to believe we are already heading into Week 3 of the high school football season. It won't be long until we'll be at the halfway point and looking attentively to the playoff pictures.

As we head into Week 3, here are some random thoughts:

-- You've got to love the gritty determination of Mayfield's Larry Pinto and Chardon's Mitch Hewitt when the game is on the line.

In Week 1, Pinto's team defeated Nordonia when the Wildcats went for 2 instead of a game-tying kick in a one-point win over Nordonia.

Last week, Hewitt did the same when the Hilltoppers went for 2 in a 29-28 win over Kenston.

The trust Pinto and Hewitt showed their players in choosing to go for the win is a difference-maker. When a coach pokes his head in the huddle and says, "Guys, we're going for the win here," it shows the players the confidence he has in them.

Even if the Wildcats and Hilltoppers hadn't scored on their conversion plays, the confidence the coaches showed would have been beneficial long-term.

Plus, there's something exciting about a game in which a coach is aggressive and goes for the victory.

Kudos, guys.

-- The Cardinal Huskies breathed a relieving sigh last week when Jon Farmwald was able to play some against Pymatuning Valley.

It was thought that Farmwald might have sustained a severe ankle/foot injury in Week 1 against Garrettsville. It wasn't severe, though.

Coach Eric Cardinal said Farmwald played only one way - on defense - against the Lakers. He had five tackles in the first half and was able to rest the remainder of the game as the Huskies improved to 2-0.

Said Coach Eric Cardinal, "We took him out of the game and Jon spent most of the second half with his foot in a bucket of ice with an eye on the full return for (this) week and the rest of the season."

-- Don't put TOO much emphasis on Lake Catholic's 38-10 loss to Brunswick last week. That is a very good Brunswick team, and the score is not indicative of what kind of game it could have been.

However, the Cougars need to bounce back, and soon. How is the question. The next three games are against Youngstown Ursuline, Erie Cathedral Prep and Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.

Translation: No gimmes.

Lake Catholic has its hands full.

-- The AP's state rankings start after the Week 3 games. Don't be surprised if there are a good number of teams who are ranked in the top 10 or get votes. The News-Herald area has very strong representation this year.

- John Kampf