OHSAA Football Playoffs Preview: Big Schools

Region 1

8 Canton GlenOak (6-4) at 1 Solon (9-1)

7 Euclid (7-3) at 2 Lakewood St. Edward (7-2)

6 Canton McKinley (6-4) at 3 Stow-Munroe Falls (9-1)

5 Massillon Jackson (7-3) at 4 Cleveland St. Ignatius (9-1)

The Favorite: St. Ignatius - The Wildcats are back in a big way and are 9-0 against Ohio opponents including a decisive win over defending champion St. Ed's last week.

The Sleeper: Stow-Munroe Falls - Eight wins in blowout fashion, a close win over top seeded Solon, and an offense that scored 34 or more points in eight of its 10 games.

Outlook: A lot of good teams in this region, but it once again looks like it will come down to the Catholic school powers in St. Ignatius and St. Edward. St. Ignatius is battle tested and playing great football right now and head coach Chuck Kyle is simply the best in the business.

Region Prediction: St. Ignatius over St. Edward.

Region 2

8 Olentangy Orange (6-4) at 1 Olentangy Liberty (10-0)

7 Findlay (7-3) at 2 Dublin Jerome (9-1)

6 Lewis Center Olentangy (7-3) at 3 Lorain (8-2)

5 Medina (8-2) at 4 Toledo Whitmer (8-2)

The Favorite: Olentangy Liberty - One of just two 10-0 teams in the state in Division I. Liberty has found ways to win close games all year long, winning four by seven points or less.

The Sleeper: Medina - Rolled through most of its schedule, losing two close games to Northeast Ohio powers Mentor and Solon. The winner of the first round matchup against Whitmer could give Liberty a scare.

Outlook: This is probably the most wide open region and in my opinion the only region that lacks a true state championship contender in Division I. Liberty is extremely well coached and has a difference maker in Ohio State pledge Brendon White. Both of Liberty's crosstown rivals are in this region as well which makes that an interesting story line to follow. Much like Liberty, Dublin Jerome has been very good in close games this year and goes about its business without a lot of star power.

Seeing how far freshman quarterback Riley Keller can take Whitmer is also going to be interesting. He's the best quarterback in the region and will give Whitmer a chance to make noise.

Region Prediction: Liberty over Jerome.

Region 3

8 Lancaster (6-4) at 1 Huber Heights Wayne (9-0-1)

7 Pickerington North (7-3) at 2 Hilliard Bradley (9-1)

6 Springfield (7-3) at 3 Pickerington Central (9-1)

5 Hilliard Davidson (8-2) at 4 Dublin Coffman (8-2)

The Favorite - Huber Heights Wayne - Wayne is strong in all facets and is a very well-coached team. One of three unbeaten teams in Division I and a state runner-up the past two seasons. Could this finally be the year for Jay Minton's group?

The Sleeper - Hilliard Davidson - Davidson has already defeated higher seeded Coffman in an earlier match-up. If Chuck Kyle is the best coach in the state of Ohio, Davidson's Brian White isn't far behind.

Outlook: Top to bottom, this is the best region in the state this year. Two legitimate title contenders in Wayne and Pickerington Central, which would make for an epic region final if it materializes. The only gimmie in this region looks like that first round match-up for Wayne against Lancaster. Davidson, Springfield, and Pickerington North are nightmare first round games for home "favorites".

Central and Wayne may have two of the three most talented rosters in Division I and will be tough to beat but the Bradley/North winner will give Central a great game if the Tigers can get past a loaded Springfield team. Springfield makes for an interesting first round match-up for Central as it's one of the few teams in the state that won't be overwhelmed by Central's speed and athleticism. Hilliard Davidson head coach Brian White is as good as any coach in Ohio and won't be an easy out.

Region Prediction: Huber Heights Wayne over Pickerington Central.

Region 4

8 Springboro (7-3) at 1 Cincinnati Colerain (10-0)

7 Cincinnati Sycamore (6-4) at 2 Lebanon (7-3)

6 Cincinnati Elder (6-4) at 3 Mason (6-4)

5 Cincinnati St. Xavier (5-5) at 4 Fairfield (7-3)

The Favorite - Colerain - Colerain has been considered the favorite since before the season started and a 10-0 regular season does nothing to change that. The defense is once again the staple of this team, allowing eight or fewer points in six games.

The Sleeper - St. X - The Bombers are the only Division I team from Ohio that gave Colerain a good run this year.

Outlook: This just looks like Colerain's region for the taking. The Cards have already blown out Sycamore and Fairfield, but were taken to the brink by St. X early in the season, getting an OT win. Region 4 has historically been a gauntlet but this is about as down as the region has been in recent memory.

Elder could be a tough out because of how battle tested the Panthers are, but St. X appears to be Colerain's biggest hurdle despite the 5-5 record. Fairfield could make that first round game a challenge, however, with their high level talent that includes 2017 DB Josiah Scott (Michigan State) and super 2018 recruits Jack Carman and Malik Vann.

Region Prediction: Colerain over Elder.

Division I Championship Prediction: Huber Heights Wayne over St. Ignatius

Region 5

8 Barberton (8-2) at 1 Aurora (9-1)

7 Bedford (7-3) at 2 Chardon (10-0)

6 Brecksville-Broadview Hts. (8-2) at 3 Warren G. Harding (9-1)

5 Copley (8-2) at 4 Hudson (8-2)

The Favorite: Warren Harding - A late-season loss to Cardinal Mooney is the only blemish for the perennial power.

The Sleeper: Bedford - The Bearcats are a well-coached team with plenty of athletes. A challenging schedule should serve them well here.

Outlook: Aurora is a great program that is used to being in these situations. The winner of Copley and Hudson should provide a challenge in Round 2, however. At 10-0, you can't count out Chardon, but only one team on the schedule with a winning record raises questions about how battle tested this team is.

Elite offensive players make all the difference at this time of year and Lynn Bowden is certainly that for Harding. Hard to bet against this kid as the impact he can have on the game by touching the ball every play is a wild card that most teams just don't have.

Region Prediction: Warren Harding over Aurora.

Region 6

8 Avon Lake (7-3) at 1 Avon (10-0)

7 Westlake (7-3) at 2 Holland Springfield (10-0)

6 Olmsted Falls (7-3) at 3 Grafton Midview (9-1)

5 Cleveland Glenville (7-3) at 4 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (7-3)

The Favorite: Avon - A perennial contender, only two teams kept it within 10 points this season of the undefeated Eagles.

The Sleeper: Glenville - Ted Ginn Sr.'s boys are back in the playoffs and haven't given up a point since September 16th. Yes you just read that correctly.

Outlook: The injury to star running back Bryant Koback is a killer for Springfield who can still make some noise, but definitely isn't the threat it could have been. Glenville challenged itself early with three games against Division I playoff teams (all losses) and has since reeled off seven straight wins and hasn't given up a single point in any of them. The Tarblooders will present problems with their speed to most of the teams in this region. If the Avon/Glenville second round game happens, the winner of that will be the favorite to win the region.

Region Prediction: Avon over Springfield.

Region 7

8 Uniontown Lake (6-4) at 1 Massillon Perry (8-2)

7 Dublin Scioto (7-3) at 2 Massillon Washington (8-2)

6 Columbus West (9-1) at 3 New Albany (7-3)

5 Pataskala Licking Heights (8-2) at 4 Columbus Franklin Heights (9-1)

The Favorite: Massillon Perry - Perry is a playoff tested program, having made the title game last year. The Panthers' ability to grind out close games is a big asset this time of year.

The Sleeper: New Albany - Undefeated against non-Division I teams this season. The Eagles have been well tested against quality competition.

Outlook: The road to the Region 7 championship goes through Massillon as you could really consider Perry and Washington as co-favorites. New Albany could present an interesting challenge for Washington behind the running of outstanding tailback Victor White and NA has played a very challenging schedule to this point so they are battle tested.

Franklin Heights is a great story, after three straight 1-9 seasons, head coach Tennyson Varney has turned the program around and running back Brenden Knox is a real bruiser. West has one of the more dynamic players in the region in quarterback Demetrius Brown.

Region Prediction: Massillon Washington over Massillon Perry.

Region 8

8 Cincinnati Anderson (7-3) at 1 Troy (9-1)

7 Harrison (6-4) at 2 Cincinnati Turpin (10-0)

6 Trenton Edgewood (8-2) at 3 Cincinnati La Salle (8-2)

5 Kings Mills Kings (8-2) at 4 Miamisburg (8-2)

The Favorite: La Salle - The two-time defending champs are well equipped for a three-peat.

The Sleeper: Miamisburg - With a win already over top-seeded Troy, Miamisburg definitely has the talent to make some noise in this region from the No. 4 spot. Senior offensive lineman Josh Myers leads a very strong group upfront.

Outlook: This has to be considered La Salle's region to lose. The Lancers have several versatile offensive weapons and have been challenged by playing a primarily Division I schedule. The only loss to an Ohio team was a 6-0 slugfest against Colerain, one of Ohio's top teams in Division I.

Turpin will likely be waiting for La Salle in round two and the Spartans have already defeated Anderson and Kings within this region and should not be taken lightly after running the table in the regular season. Miamisburg's two losses are at the hands of Division I playoff teams so the Vikings will not be an easy out and have a better path to the region final, avoiding Turpin and La Salle until that point.

Region Prediction: La Salle over Miamisburg.

State Championship Prediction: La Salle over Warren Harding.

Region 9

8 Akron East (7-3) at 1 Alliance Marlington (10-0)

7 Warren Howland (7-3) at 2 Akron Archbishop Hoban (9-1)

6 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (6-4) at 3 Dover (7-3)

5 New Philadelphia (8-2) at 4 Medina Buckeye (9-1)

The Favorite: Hoban - The bulk of last year's championship team is back. Bad news for the rest of the region.

The Sleeper: St. Vincent-St. Mary - This isn't the most talented SVSM team in recent memory by any stretch, but they have survived a brutal schedule to get to this point.

Outlook: Hoban's region to lose. Senior quarterback Danny Clark (Kentucky) and senior running back Todd Sibley (Pittsburgh) are one of the state's best duos and the Knights just have all of the pieces in place for a repeat. Undefeated Marlington presents an interesting challenge but the scariest game for Hoban could be in the second round where it's either rival SVSM or a great program in Dover.

Region Prediction: Hoban over Marlington.

Region 10

8 Bay Village Bay (7-3) at 1 Toledo Central Catholic (10-0)

7 Ashland (7-3) at 2 Sandusky (9-1)

6 Lexington (7-3) at 3 Clyde (8-2)

5 Hunting Valley University School (7-3) at 4 Bowling Green (7-3)

The Favorite: Central Catholic

The Sleeper: Ashland

Outlook: Central Catholic's region to lose. The Fighting Irish have only been tested twice this season, cruising through most of the regular season. A difference maker at running back in senior Mike Warren and on defense in big-time defensive lineman James Hudson makes it hard to see this team not at least getting back to the state semi's.

After TCC, it gets pretty messy. Just about anything could happen in the rest of the bracket. Ashland and Lexington are two excellent programs that played a close one last week. Clyde and Sandusky have also seen plenty of playoff appearances recently. If anyone can knock off TCC it might be Sandusky with just one loss this season coming at the hands of Division I playoff qualifier Lorain, and by just a single point at that. But that first round match-up with Ashland could be tricky.

Region Prediction: Toledo Central Catholic over Sandusky.

Region 11

8 Thornville Sheridan (8-2) at 1 Columbus St. Francis DeSales (10-0)

7 Whitehall-Yearling (8-2) at 2 Columbus Bexley (10-0)

6 Chillicothe (8-2) at 3 Columbus Hamilton Township (8-2)

5 Columbus Beechcroft (9-1) at 4 Columbus Eastmoor Academy (8-2)

The Favorite: DeSales - The Stallions rolled through the regular season and have so many interchangeable parts on both offense and defense.

The Sleeper: Chillicothe - Some key pieces back from last year's team that lost to DeSales in round one. Luckily the Cavaliers wouldn't have to see DeSales until the region final this year.

Outlook: DeSales' region to lose (noticing a pattern here?). Hard to imagine the Stallions getting derailed before the state semi's. This team has played an outstanding schedule, with Division IV power Bishop Hartley being the only team to keep it within 20 points. The Stallions have a tremendous defensive front seven with senior defensive tackle Derrius Mullins and junior linebackers Brian Asamoah and Ty Van Fossen. Senior bruiser Alonzo Booth is one of the best running backs in Ohio.

Much like Region 10, anything could happen in the rest of the bracket as the remaining six teams are pretty evenly matched. Hamilton Township has a ton of playoff experience, and Beechcroft and Eastmoor are senior laden groups. Then you have undefeated Bexley who already beat first round opponent Whitehall earlier in the season, but is a tough team to read having played a mostly small school schedule.

Region Prediction: DeSales over Bexley.

Region 12

8 Tipp City Tippecanoe (7-3) at 1 Franklin (10-0)

7 Trotwood-Madison (8-2) at 2 Wapakoneta (9-1)

6 Cincinnati Mount Healthy (8-2) at 3 New Richmond (9-1)

5 Dayton Belmont (7-2) at 4 St. Marys Memorial (9-1)

The Favorite: Trotwood - Junior running back Raveion Hargrove is the best player in the region and makes the Rams a tough out.

The Sleeper: Mount Healthy - Coming in cold with two straight losses after an 8-0 start, but both losses were to Division II playoff teams.

Outlook: Probably the strongest region from top-to-bottom. While I have Trotwood as the favorite, it's not as clear of a favorite as the other three regions where it would take a huge upset to derail things there. Trotwood has plenty of bullets to dodge in this group with undefeated Franklin as the top-seed and three more 9-1 teams. Franklin's offense has been lights out this season, scoring at least 41 points in each of its last seven games.

At one point in the season, St. Mary's had won seven straight games by at least 28 points so Franklin isn't the only team in the region that can light up the scoreboard. Mount Healthy doesn't have a bell cow back like it had in David Montgomery a year ago, but held its opponents to 14 points or less in all of its eight wins.

Region Prediction: Trotwood over Franklin

State Championship Prediction: Hoban over DeSales