COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association released the pairings for the regional semifinals (second round) of the football playoffs Sunday.
During the first four rounds of the playoffs, all games will kick off at 7 PM. Division I, II, III and VI games will be on Fridays. Division IV, V and VII games will be on Saturdays.
The weekly notes packet is posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/Portals/0/Sports/Football/2018/2018FBRelease3.pdf
Brackets and more playoff information is posted at: https://ohsaa.org/sports/football
Spectrum is the official television partner of the OHSAA and will televise several football playoff games each weekend. Their coverage is exclusive. Spectrum will announce its weekly playoff game selections by noon Monday.
The OHSAA Radio Network will broadcast all seven state championship games. OHSAA Radio Network Home: https://www.ohsaa.org/news/radio
Statewide Broadcast List: https://ohsaa.org/Portals/0/Sports/Football/OHSAAFootballRadioListing.pdf
Oct. 29 Associated Press Final State Football Poll: https://www.ohsaa.org/Portals/0/Sports/Football/2018/AP-Poll-8-FINAL.pdf
State Championships All-Session Tickets and Parking Passes: https://bit.ly/2p9DHuZ
OHSAA Regional Semifinal Playoff Pairings
Home team listed first. Pairings include seed and record.
Division I – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9
Region 1
1 Mentor (10-1) vs. 5 Canton McKinley (9-2) at Brunswick Auto Mart Stadium
7 Lakewood St. Edward (7-3) vs. 3 Euclid (9-2) at Parma Byers Field
Region 2
1 Reynoldsburg (10-1) vs. 4 Powell Olentangy Liberty (7-4) at Cols. St. Francis DeSales Alumni Stadium
2 Dublin Coffman (10-1) vs. 3 Tol. Whitmer (9-2) at Marion Harding Ohio Health Field at Harding Stadium
Region 3
1 Hilliard Davidson (10-1) vs. 4 Springfield (9-2) at London Bowlus Field
2 Clayton Northmont (10-1) vs. 6 Pickerington Central (9-2) at Springfield Evans Stadium
Region 4
1 Cin. Colerain (11-0) vs. 4 Milford (9-2) at Cin. St. Xavier Ballaban Field
7 Liberty Twp. Lakota East (8-3) vs. 3 Cin. Elder (7-4) at Mason Dwire Field, Atrium Stadium
Division II – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9
Region 5
1 Akr. Archbishop Hoban (11-0) vs. 5 Garfield Hts. (11-0) at Hudson Memorial Stadium
2 Maple Heights (11-0) vs. 6 Painesville Riverside (9-2) at Mayfield Wildcat Stadium
Region 6
1 Tol. Central Catholic (11-0) vs. 4 Avon Lake (10-1) at Sandusky Perkins Firelands Regional Medical Center Stadium
2 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (11-0) vs. 3 Avon (10-1) at Clyde Robert J. Bishop Jr. Stadium
Region 7
1 Massillon Washington (11-0) vs. 5 Whitehall-Yearling (10-1) at Mansfield Arlin Stadium
7 Dresden Tri-Valley (10-1) vs. 3 Wadsworth (11-0) at Dover Crater Stadium
Region 8
1 Cin. Winton Woods (10-1) vs. 5 Morrow Little Miami (9-2) at Hamilton Virgil M. Schwarm Stadium
7 Cin. Anderson (8-3) vs. 3 Troy (10-1) at Miamisburg Holland Field
Division III – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9
Region 9
1 Canfield (10-1) vs. 5 Akron East (9-2) at Ravenna Gilcrest Field at Portage Community Bank Stadium
2 Chagrin Falls Kenston (10-1) vs. 3 Medina Buckeye (10-1) at Bedford Bearcat Stadium
Region 10
8 Rocky River (7-4) vs. 4 Norwalk (8-3) at North Ridgeville Ranger Stadium
7 Lexington (7-4) vs. 6 Sandusky (7-4) at Willard Stadium
Region 11
1 Cols. Bishop Hartley (9-2) vs. 4 Cols. Eastmoor Academy (10-1) at Hamilton Township Alumni Stadium
2 Granville (10-1) vs. 6 Thornville Sheridan (10-1) at Newark Paul “Hoss” Starr Stadium at White Field
Region 12
1 Kettering Archbishop Alter (10-1) vs. 5 Hamilton Badin (8-3) at Middletown Barnitz Stadium
2 Wapakoneta (10-1) vs. 3 Middletown Bishop Fenwick (9-2) at Piqua Alexander Stadium
Division IV – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10
Region 13
1 Perry (10-1) vs. 5 Girard (10-1) at Ashtabula Lakeside Field
2 Steubenville (10-1) vs. 3 Hubbard (10-1) at Youngstown Boardman Spartan Stadium
Region 14
1 Bellville Clear Fork (11-0) vs. 4 Lorain Clearview (10-1) at Wooster Follis Field
2 St. Marys Memorial (10-1) vs. 3 Van Wert (9-2) at Lima Spartan Stadium
Region 15
1 St. Clairsville (11-0) vs. 4 Bloom-Carroll (9-2) at Zanesville Sulsberger Stadium
7 Newark Licking Valley (8-3) vs. 3 Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (10-1) at Duncan Falls Philo Sam Hatfield Stadium
Region 16
1 Cin. Wyoming (11-0) vs. 4 Cin. Indian Hill (9-2) at Lakota West Firebird Field
2 Clarksville Clinton-Massie (10-1) vs. 6 London (10-1) at Washington C.H. Miami Trace Stadium
Division V – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10
Region 17
1 Orrville (9-2) vs. 4 Gates Mills Gilmour Academy (11-0) at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium
2 Akron Manchester (8-3) vs. 3 Leavittsburg Labrae (10-1) at Louisville Leopard Stadium
Region 18
1 Genoa Area (11-0) vs. 4 Elyria Catholic (9-2) at First National Bank Field at Bellevue Athletic Facility
2 Liberty Center (10-1) vs. 3 Oak Harbor (10-1) at Millbury Lake Community Stadium
Region 19
1 Johnstown-Monroe (10-1) vs. 5 Bellaire (8-3) at Zanesville Maysville Athletic Complex
2 West Lafayette Ridgewood (10-1) vs. 3 Byesville Meadowbrook (8-3) at New Philadelphia Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium
Region 20
1 Wheelersburg (10-1) vs. 5 Jamestown Greeneview (10-1) at Chillicothe Herrnstein Field
2 Middletown Madison (11-0) vs. 6 Cin. Hills Christian Academy (8-2) at Liberty Twp. Lakota East Stadium
Division VI – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9
Region 21
1 Mogadore (10-1) vs. 5 McDonald (11-0) at Aurora Veterans Stadium
2 Kirtland (11-0) vs. 3 Creston Norwayne (10-1) at Strongsville Pat Catan Stadium
Region 22
1 Attica Seneca East (10-1) vs. 4 Columbus Grove (8-3) at Tiffin Frost-Kalnow Stadium
7 Sherwood Fairview (8-3) vs. 3 Jeromesville Hillsdale (9-2) at Findlay Donnell Stadium
Region 23
1 Bainbridge Paint Valley (11-0) vs. 4 Shadyside (9-2) at Zanesville Sulsberger Stadium
2 Beverly Ft. Frye (10-0) vs. 3 Galion Northmor (10-1) at Pataskala Watkins Memorial Ascena Field
Region 24
1 Coldwater (9-2) vs. 5 St. Henry (9-2) at Sidney Memorial Stadium
2 Lima Central Catholic (9-1) vs. 3 Maria Stein Marion Local (10-1) at Wapakoneta Harmon Field
Division VII – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10
Region 25
1 Cuyahoga Heights (9-2) vs. 4 East Canton (8-3) at Hudson Memorial Stadium
7 Warren John F. Kennedy (6-5) vs. 3 Ashland Mapleton (8-3) at Canton Central Catholic Lowell Klinefelter Stadium
Region 26
8 Leipsic (10-1) vs. 5 McComb (10-1) at Findlay Donnell Stadium
2 Edgerton (11-0) vs. 6 Pandora-Gilboa (11-0) at Defiance Fred Brown Athletic Complex
Region 27
1 Lucas (9-2) vs. 4 Waterford (9-2) at Coshocton Stewart Field
2 Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (10-0) vs. 3 Glouster Trimble (10-1) at Logan Chieftain Stadium
Region 28
1 Fort Loramie (10-1) vs. 5 Sidney Lehman Catholic (8-3) at Piqua Alexander Stadium
2 Convoy Crestview (10-1) vs. 3 Minster (8-3) at Wapakoneta Harmon Field
More on Neutral Sites
Neutral sites are selected by the OHSAA. There are many factors that go into determining playoff sites, such as quality of field surface, seating capacity, quality of lighting, size of locker rooms and distance from field, press box size, parking, and a separate locker room for officials. After all those factors are taken into consideration, it must be confirmed that the site is available and willing to host a playoff game on the date needed. The OHSAA cannot mandate that a specific site be available and it is rare to have an available site exactly halfway between the two competing schools. Host sites keep revenue from concession stands and parking and they also receive a predetermined rental fee from the OHSAA, which covers game expenses.
First-Round Playoff Results by Seed
Higher seeds (home teams) went 82-30 in the first round of the playoffs last week. No. 1 seeds went 26-2, No. 2 seeds went 20-8, No. 3 seeds went 21-7 and No. 4 seeds went 15-13. The two No. 8 seeds to win at No. 1 seeds included Division III, Region 10, Rocky River (defeated Clyde 27-17) and Division VII, Region 26, Leipsic (defeated Sycamore Mohawk 40-14). In both of those regions, only one higher seed/home team won in the first round.
First Round Success
Three schools continued their amazing success rate in the first round of the playoffs. St. Henry has been in the playoffs 17 times and is now 17-0 in first-round playoff games. Cincinnati Colerain is now 20-0 in the first round, although one of its first-round games (1995) was later forfeited. Also of note, since 1998, Coldwater is 21-0 in the first-round of the playoffs (22-2 all-time in the first round).
Familiar Territory
The closest geographical proximity for two teams playing in the regional semis is between Columbus Bishop Hartley and Columbus Eastmoor Academy in Div. III, Region 11. Those two schools are less than two miles apart. There are three other games in which the opponents are less than 10 miles apart, including Coldwater vs. St. Henry (5 miles, Div. VI, Region 24), Leipsic vs. McComb (11 miles, Div. VII, Region 26) and Fort Loramie vs. Sidney Lehman Catholic (11 miles, Div. VII, Region 28).
Proving the Pollsters
All 70 teams that were ranked in the Final Associated Press state poll qualified for the playoffs and they went 59-11 in the first round of the playoffs. Of note, In Division VII, Leipsic knocked off AP No. 1 Sycamore Mohawk, 40-14, in Region 26. In Division III, Thornville Sheridan defeated AP No. 2 Bellbrook, 27-19, in Region 10.
In 2017, all 70 teams ranked in the AP Top 10 made the playoffs and 35 of them reached the regional finals. Three poll champs in 2017 also won state titles on the field, including Trotwood-Madison (Div. III), Steubenville (Div. IV) and Maria Stein Marion Local (Div. VI). Also in 2016, two unranked teams reached the state finals, including Dresden Tri-Valley (Div. III, lost to Trotwood) and Minster (Div. VII, defeated Cuyahoga Heights).
Noting the Undefeated and the .500
Only 24 teams across Ohio went undefeated during the regular-season, which is the second-fewest in the playoff era (since 1972 – only 22 teams went undefeated in 2015). Last weekend in the first-round, 20 of those undefeated teams won.
There are two matchups in the regional semifinals that include undefeated teams squaring off. In Region 5, No. 1 Akron Archbishop Hoban (11-0) takes on No. 5 Garfield Heights (11-0), while in Region 26, No. 2 Edgerton (11-0) will play No. 6 Pandora-Gilboa (11-0).
Last week, three undefeated teams played their regional quarterfinal game on the road, including Garfield Heights (Div. II, 5 seed in Region 5), McDonald (Div. VI, 5 seed in Region 21) and Pandora Gilboa (Div. VII, 6 seed in Region 26).
Also of note, a record 11 teams with 5-5 records qualified for the playoffs this year. Only one of those 5-5 teams, Warren John F. Kennedy in Division VII, won their regional quarterfinal game.
