High School sports are a lot about memories.

In the first two weeks of the 2025 season, the Edgewood football team is certainly making some that will last a lifetime.

The Warriors opened the season with a 51-43 double-overtime win over Garretsville Garfield last Friday.

In its second game, Edgewood will have the opportunity to play at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

The Warriors will play the Ramsey High School Rams from Ramsey, New Jersey at 5 p.m. Friday.

After their thrilling win a week ago, Edgewood coach Olajuwon Cooper said this will be another great chance for his players to relish their high school playing days.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is going to create a tremendous amount of memories for our guys, our coaches, our parents, for the entire Buckeye community,’ the coach said.

Cooper said last week’s win was a testament to a lot of hard work his players put in to make sure last year’s 1-9 season would not be repeated in 2025.

The opportunity they have this week, though, is simply a gift from above.

“This is nothing on our part, this is all God’s doing,” Cooper said. “The coach from Ramsey [Adam Baeira] reached out that they had an opportunity to play at the Hall of Fame, and they needed a team to play.”

Cooper said Baeira talked to a couple of other teams, but things fell through, giving Edgewood the opportunity.

“Any team would have loved this kind of opportunity,” Cooper said. “I think that’s where God comes in. God offered us a unique opportunity, and we’re extremely grateful for it. Not only is it a great opportunity for us, it’s a great opportunity for them.”

It will be Ramsey’s first game of the season. Last year, the Rams went 7-3 overall.

Cooper said when he was presented with the opportunity to play in Canton, he did his due diligence to research the opponent.

“I had to make sure that I’m not putting my kids in a bad position,” Cooper said. “I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a powerhouse team from New Jersey looking for a team to beat up on. I found they are very comparable to us, and I think we have a great chance to win this game.”

In the win over Garfield, Warriors quarterback JJ Dufour completed 18 of 21 passes for 210 yards and four touchdowns, Javion Pope had 80 yards rushing and Jasiah Pope posted six receptions for 134 with two TD and three carriers for 34 and another score.

Junior Paul Siler made a big play in the second overtime period to set up the Warriors’ defensive stop that ended the game.

Cooper is somewhat accustomed to playing in venues like the one they’ll be in Friday evening.

In the spring, he took the Edgewood girls flag team to Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland and Paul Brown Stadium in Massillon.

He said the players will enjoy the experience, but he’ll also make sure they’re ready to play football.

“We talk preparation all the time, and they know this is a totally different animal than anything we’ve ever dealt with,” Cooper said. “Whatever comes with pressure can be alleviated with preparation, and we’ve had two great days of practice.

“The lights are going to be bright, but at the end of the day, we’re playing football. We stress to our guys we don’t care where we’re gonna play, the game is still gonna be the game.”