Several area teams are on the postseason bubble.

VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT

To suggest the next three weeks of football are important for the Boardman High football team might qualify as the understatement of the 2007 season.

The Spartans (5-2) sit seventh in this week’s OHSAA computer ratings in Division I, Region 1, one of 14 area schools in the top 10 of their region. The top eight teams in each region advance to the postseason.

Boardman holds a precarious spot; the Spartans have a realistic shot at finishing as high as fourth in their region if they win out, but could fall out of a playoff spot if they lose even once the remainder of the season.

The Spartans visit Canton McKinley (2-5) Saturday night and play host to Fitch (1-6) in week 10. The result of Boardman’s week 9 game at Canton GlenOak (5-2) will play a huge factor in their postseason fate.

A few other teams need to win at least one of their last three games to earn playoff bids; among them are Canfield in Div. II (in fourth place this week), Lakeview, West Branch and Poland in Div. III, Girard in Div. IV, Mathews and Mineral Ridge in Div. V, and Warren JFK, McDonald and Leetonia in Div. VI.

Making some of those teams’ situations even more precarious is the fact they play each other — McDonald plays host to Leetonia Friday night, and Canfield travels to Poland in week 10.

Meanwhile, three teams seem to have postseason spots virtually locked up, regardless of how they finish the regular season.

In Div. IV, Cardinal Mooney’s average is more than twice as much as ninth-place Girard. The Cardinals visit Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (7-0), the region’s No. 2 team, Friday night, which could be a regional final preview.

Ursuline wrested the top spot in Div. V Region 17 away from South Range, but both of those teams have a first-round home game virtually sealed.

The playoffs begin the weekend of Nov. 2-3 with the state championships Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Canton and Massillon.