Newark in playoffs after 30-year layoff

The Wildcats meet Gahanna Lincoln, a team they just beat last week.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Newark football coach Scott Beery used an analogy from another sport to explain to his players how tough it would be for them to win their school's first state playoff game in 30 years.
A week after securing a spot in the Division I bracket by beating Gahanna Lincoln, the Wildcats (8-2) will visit their Ohio Capital Conference Ohio Div. rival again Saturday for a regional quarterfinal.
When the team got together this weekend to lift weights and watch film, Beery issued a baseball-related warning.
"Just because you won the first game of a doubleheader doesn't mean you're going to win the second," he told them.
"I think one of the toughest things in athletics to do is beat somebody twice," Beery said. "The other team has revenge as a motivator and you have to worry about that."
Newark's players are motivated by the fact they can deliver the central Ohio school's first playoff victory. The team qualified only one other time, in 1975, and lost its only game.
Last season, Newark missed the playoffs by only percentage points in the computer ratings that determine the 192-team field. This year, the Wildcats are the team with the biggest gap between appearances.
"It feels great. Our community is excited. We've got a great group of kids and great group of assistant coaches. I'm truly a small part of this," said the 39-year-old Beery, in his fourth season as Newark's coach.
12 first-time participants
The playoff field, announced Sunday, includes 12 first-time participants and 42 former state champions that have won 100 titles between them. Five of six defending champions, minus 2004 Div. V winner St. Henry, are among the 100 teams back from last year's playoffs.
Div. I champion Cincinnati Colerain opens play on the road Saturday against Cincinnati Glen Este. Div. II champ Columbus Brookhaven, which moved up a rung to the big-school Div., travels to Grove City.
The reigning Div. III winner, Cleveland Benedictine, is the only below-.500 team to qualify. The Bengals (4-5) are the lowest seed in their region, which earns them a trip to Mentor Lake Catholic (9-1) Friday night. The four other teams that have made the playoffs despite a losing record in the regular season went on to lose their first-round games.
Mooney opens defense
Mooney, last year's Div. IV winner, plays host to Cuyahoga Falls CVCA in a first-round game. The defending Div. VI champion, Dola Hardin Northern, opens at home against DeGraff Riverside.
No team has made more consecutive appearances than Cleveland St. Ignatius, which returns for an 18th straight year. The Wildcats, who play at Solon Saturday, have won a record nine Div. I state titles -- the last coming in 2001 -- and own a 50-7 postseason record.
The game of the weekend could take place at the southernmost point of Ohio, where Ironton Rock Hill travels to longtime powerhouse Ironton in Div. IV.
Newark isn't the only team returning to the playoffs after a lengthy absence. Parma Heights Holy Name (III) hasn't been here since 1985 and Waynesfield-Goshen (VI) last advanced this far since 1989. In Div. V, Columbus Grandview Heights (1987), Frankfort Adena (1985), Lima Central Catholic (1989) and Rittman (1986) are back following long droughts.