The high school football regular season in Ohio has reached the second half of the schedule. Normally that means a heightened focus on trying to finish the year strong, and qualify for a playoff spot, with an opportunity to compete for a state championship.
Some of that pressure has been alleviated, since the Ohio High School Athletic Association made changes to the playoff format this year. Instead of eight teams per region advancing to the postseason, that number has been doubled to 16. You may recall last year, due to COVID-19 and a shortened regular season, all schools that wished to participate in the playoffs got in.
So, in Division I (the largest schools in terms of enrollment numbers), only seven schools will not advance to the tournament. But that doesn’t mean there still isn’t a sense of urgency for some.
Take Reynoldsburg in central Ohio, which hosts Groveport on Friday, in one of the OHSAA’s Game of the Week on Spectrum News 1.
The Raiders currently sit 0-4 in Region 3, which will see three schools fail to advance to the playoffs. Reynoldsburg has had some tough luck, with two losses by a single point, and another by two points. With Groveport (2-3), Newark (0-5) and Lancaster (1-4) the next three weeks, the Raiders can control their own destiny, and make a move.
The Cruisers have wins over Worthington Kilbourne and Westland, and are currently tenth in Region 3. Groveport is seeking a third straight postseason appearance, after just two total trips previously in school history.
The teams have split 12 meetings since 2002, with the Cruisers win last year ending a five-game Raider winning streak that dated back to 2011.
In Region 1, there’s always plenty of attention given to St. Edward, St. Ignatius, Mentor and this year, Medina. Sitting there fourth, though, is Stow (4-1), which only lost to the top seed (Medina). The Bulldogs only play Division II schools the rest of the regular season, so they’ll need to rely on wins to try and hang on to home-field advantage.
One of those Division II opponents is North Royalton, a contest that will be seen by viewers in northeast Ohio. The Bears are also 4-1, with their only loss ironically to a team from Medina (Highland), as well.
North Royalton last earned a playoff berth in 2012, although the Bears did participate last season when everyone was eligible. Despite entering with an 0-6 mark, North Royalton knocked off Amherst and Olmsted Falls in the Region 6 playoffs, with both wins needing multiple overtimes.
The schools have played every year since 2011, with Stow winning the last eight in the series by an average margin of nearly 21 points a game. The Bulldogs are 8-2 over those previous ten meetings.
A big Greater Western Ohio Conference battle awaits viewers in southwest Ohio. Centerville (4-1) hosts Springboro (3-1) in a game that will impact Region 2. The Elks are currently third in that region, four spots ahead of the Panthers. Both schools still have Springfield and Wayne remaining on the schedule, so this contest will also go a long way in possible home field advantage in the playoffs.
Centerville quarterback Chase Harrison leads the GWOC with 1,077 yards passing, and has thrown 10 touchdowns against just one interception this year. Springboro counters with a stingy defense that is only allowing 7.5 points per game through the first four contests.
The Panthers have won the last three meetings, with the Elks’ last victory in the series coming in 2017. Since 2010, Centerville holds a 6-5 advantage.
Coverage for all three games begins at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1, and the Spectrum News App.