Eleven teams moving on to Week 11
Hubbard-Mooney
matchup in D-IV
is local highlight
By Charles grove
Eleven area high school football teams qualified for the postseason which begins this weekend.
Most notably, in Division IV, third-seeded Cardinal Mooney (7-2) will take on sixth-seeded Hubbard (8-2) in the lone first-round matchup pitting area teams against each other.
Mooney has gone on two separate three-game win streaks this year and is currently riding one after wins over Warren Harding, Ursuline and Austintown Fitch.
Hubbard has rebounded from a 20-14 Week 8 loss to Struthers with wins over Poland (17-7) and East (41-8) to close out the regular season.
Text messages and calls to Mooney head coach P.J. Fecko and Hubbard head coach Brian Hoffman were not returned.
Joining them in Division IV is fifth-seeded Struthers (9-1), who will play at Peninsula Woodridge (10-0) in the first round. Both games are set for 7:30 p.m. kickoffs on Friday. The Wildcats have won seven straight after a 21-20 Week 3 loss to Niles and haven’t allowed more than 21 points in a game all season.
In Division V, South Range (9-1) is the top seed in the region and will play host to eighth-seeded Garrettsville Garfield (7-3). With a win, the Raiders could face fourth-seeded LaBrae (7-3) in the second round if the Vikings can get past fifth-seeded Wickliffe at home. Both of those games will be played on Saturday at 7 p.m.
In Division II, Harding (9-1) locked up the third seed and will play home to Brecksville-Broadview Heights (8-2) this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Raiders have lost only one game this year by a single point when they lost 35-34 to Mooney while the Bees have stumbled into the playoffs, losing their last two games 41-7 to Stow-Munroe Falls and 31-28 to Hudson.
In Division III, Howland (7-3) claimed the seventh seed and will play at Akron Achrbishop Hoban (9-1) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Tigers started the season 0-2 before ripping off seven straight wins and falling 40-20 at Harding in Week 10. Hoban’s lone loss this year was a 10-7 defeat to the hands of Lakewood St. Edward.
In Division VI, second-seeded Springfield (8-2) is on a seven-game win streak and capped off the regular season with a 38-6 win over United in Week 10. The Tigers will host seventh-seeded Columbia Station Columbia (8-2).
Within the same region, fifth-seeded Lisbon (9-1) will play at St. Thomas Aquinas (8-2). Lisbon’s lone loss came in Week 5 when they were beaten by South Range 55-8. Aquinas was upended in Week 10 by Warren JFK 28-27 in overtime. Both Springfield and Lisbon will play Friday at 7:30 p.m.
In Division VII, JFK (9-1) took the third seed and will host sixth-seeded Toronto (8-2). The Eagles’ lone hiccup took place in Week 9 when Villa Angela-St. Joseph squeaked out a 14-10 win while Toronto closed out their season winning their last two games.
Seventh-seeded Jackson-Milton (7-3) makes the playoffs for the second year in their history and will face the same Mogadore team (8-2) on the road that beat the Bluejays 63-20 in the first-round of the playoffs a year ago.
Both JFK and Jackson-Milton will play Saturday at 7 p.m.
Subscribe Today
Sign up for our email newsletter to receive daily news.
Want more? Click here to subscribe to either the Print or Digital Editions.
AP News