Fitch vaults to 3 in playoff ratings

Staff report

Several Mahoning Valley football teams have learned the value of an upset in the computer playoff ratings.

In the latest ratings released on Tuesday, the Austintown Fitch High School football team (5-1) jumped from No. 13 to No. 3 in Division I Region 1 after last Friday’s 34-33 victory over Massillon at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

In Division I, the top 16 teams in each region qualify for the postseason, with the top eight teams earning home playoff games.

In Divisions II-VII, the top eight teams in each region advance, with the four top seeds getting a home playoff game.

In Div. V Region 15, United (5-1) moved up from seventh to fifth after defeating Springfield (4-2).

Crestview (3-3), last week’s No. 8 team in that region, fell to 10th after losing to Lisbon (5-1), 41-35.

Region 15 is our most competitive bracket, with three other teams chasing playoff spots. Liberty (5-1) is second, Ursuline (4-2) is third and Girard (5-1) is eighth.

In Div. VI Region 19, Lisbon’s win helped the Blue Devils jump a spot to No. 10.

McDonald (6-0) remains No. 4 in that region, but will gain secondary points from Western Reserve in the next few weeks. Last Friday, McDonald stunned Western Reserve, 14-12, in Berlin Center.

Springfield fell two spots to No. 8.

In Div. VII Region 23, Western Reserve (5-1) dropped out of the top spot, falling behind Norwalk St. Paul (5-1).

Lowellville and Wellsville (both 4-2) are sixth and seventh in that region while Sebring (4-2) is 10th and Mathews (3-3) is 12th.

In Div. III Region 7, Poland is seventh, one spot ahead of Howland. Last Friday, the Bulldogs rallied late to defeat the Tigers, 18-17.

Unbeaten Hubbard has the second spot, a few percentage points behind Tallmadge.

In Div. IV Region 11, Mooney (4-2) remains No. 7 despite last week’s 34-6 loss to Lakewood St. Edward.

Some of this weekend’s games will make a huge impact on the ratings. For instance, Ursuline could clinch a playoff and probably a home game with a win over Massillon (5-1), a Division II state power.

Six Inter Tri-County League Tier One teams are tied for first place with 2-1 records: Crestview, Columbiana (4-2), Lisbon, United, South Range (4-2) and Springfield. The key matchups are Columbiana at Lisbon and South Range at United.