Ursuline, Crestview, Warren JFK remain in the hunt

November 16, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

Crestview gets CCC rematch

For three area schools, the third weekend of November means a third-round playoff game and an opportunity to gain a regional championship.

Three Mahoning Valley high school football teams – one each from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties – have advanced to the regional title games.

Ursuline, Warren JFK and Crestview logged wins over the weekend to keep alive their hopes of a state title. Brookfield, Salem, LaBrae and Warren Harding were eliminated from the tournament.

Ursuline advanced to the Division IV Region 11 final with a 27-20 win over Woodridge on Saturday. The Irish (7-5) will now face Crestwood (10-2) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Gilcrest Field in Ravenna.

Warren JFK (11-1) will face Mogadore (11-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Twinsburg’s Tiger Stadium in the Division VII Region 23 finale. The Eagles and Wildcats are the top two seeds.

In Division V Region 15, Crestview (10-2) and Canton Central Catholic (9-3) will meet Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Hines Field in Minerva. Its a rematch of last year playoff game won by Central Catholic, 45-0.

Ursuline advanced to the regional final in 2012 and 2014, but hasn’t won a regional title since 2010 when the Irish captured a state championship.

Two weeks ago, Crestwood defeated Lakeview, 42-21, then followed that up with a 40-26 win over Holy Name.

“Watching Crestwood on film, they come at you with about 10 different formations,” Ursuline coach Larry Kempe said Sunday. “We’re going to have to spend a lot of time this week making sure our defense is ready for all the different alignments that will be thrown its way.

“Defensively, they are very physical,” Kempe said. “They seem to do a very good job against the run, so we’re going to have to have success throwing the ball.”

The Eagles advanced thanks to a 40-6 win over a Toronto team which was averaging 41 points per game.

SDLqOur kids took [Toronto’s average] as a challenge, as they should,” JFK coach Jeff Bayuk said. “Our kids, they do what they have to do.

“They have a lot of guts,” Bayuk said. “As we get further on in the playoffs, we know we’re going to come across some really big, strong, physical teams so we’re going to just continue to play the way we play.”

“If it’s good enough, then we’ll move on,” Bayuk said. “If it isn’t, then we’ll be proud of what we accomplished.”

Warren JFK is making its first regional final appearance since 2006 when the Eagles advanced to the Division V state title game before falling to St. Henry.

Mogadore has enjoyed a wealth of success against area schools, especially in the playoffs. The Wildcats own a 27-4 record against Mahoning Valley schools, including a 13-1 mark in the postseason.

Mogadore and Warren JFK have one previous meeting when the Wildcats defeated the Eagles 28-7 in a 2009 quarterfinal game.

Canton Central Catholic owns a 22-10 playoff record, which includes a pair of state titles.

Canton Central Catholic and Crestview possess high-octane offenses. The Crusaders are averaging 32.6 points per game, and have outscored their two playoff opponents by a combined score of 90-21.

Crestview is averaging 42.2 points per game. The Rebels have scored 45 or more points seven times this season, including a 56-36 win over Berkshire in the playoff opener.

The playoff field, which began with 224 participants, has been reduced to 56.

This week’s winners will advance to the state semifinals.

The Mahoning Valley also had three teams advance to the regional finals in 2014. Hubbard, Ursuline and Western Reserve all lost third-round games.