Talking playoffs: Valley teams gear up for Week 11

October 30, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

Eighteen

Valley teams

get Week 11

invitations

The high school football season will continue into the month of November for 18 area schools.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association on Sunday released its pairings for the first round of the playoffs, which begin Friday. Among the 224 qualifiers are eight schools from Mahoning County. They include Boardman, Canfield, Poland, Struthers, South Range, Western Reserve, Cardinal Mooney and Valley Christian.

Trumbull County (Lakeview, Liberty, Girard, Warren John F. Kennedy, Mathews) and Columbiana County (Salem, Columbiana, Lisbon, Crestview, East Palestine) will each be represented by five schools.

Fourteen of the 18 teams will begin their playoff journeys on the road. The 18 qualifiers ties a record-high for the Mahoning Valley, first set in 2015.

Boardman (6-4) will be the area’s lone representative in Division II. The Spartans will travel to Massillon (7-3) for what will be the first matchup between the two schools.

“Playing in Massillon is going to be a special treat for our kids,” said Boardman coach Joe Ignazio. “Massillon is the pinnacle of high school football in terms of venues and atmosphere, so it will be a special night.”

“The coaches and some of the players attended [Saturday’s] Massillon-Canton McKinley game. The players had never experienced that type of environment before. The good news for us is that we’ve played better on the road this year, but against Massillon we will face a huge task.”

Canfield (10-0) compiled more computer points than any other team in Division III. The Cardinals finished atop the Region 9 standings, and will host Aurora (6-4). The Cardinals and Greenmen also met in the playoffs in 2009, with Canfield coming away with a 31-14 home victory.

Six area schools finished among the top eight in Division IV, Region 13. Lakeview (9-1) surged into third place with its win over Struthers. As a result, the Bulldogs will host Girard (9-1) in what is one of three first-round games pitting area teams against each other.

Girard won its first nine games before falling to Liberty. On the flipside, Lakeview lost its season-opener to Howland, then won nine straight.

“Our senior class worked extremely hard to get where they’re at,” said Lakeview coach Tom Pavlansky. “This is extra special, because it’s our first-ever home playoff game. That really has the attention of our players.”

“Girard is an extremely talented opponent. Really explosive on offense, and on defense they have given up a touchdown or less six times this year.”

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (6-4) won its final three regular season games to earn its 29th trip to the playoffs. The Cardinals will visit Poland (8-2), which is making its tenth trip to the post-season in 11 years. This is just the second meeting between the Cardinals and Bulldogs. In 2009 Mooney defeated Poland 24-7 in a regional final game.

Also in Region 13, Struthers (7-3) will visit Perry (10-0). The Pirates are averaging 50.8 points per game. Salem (7-3), which moved into the top eight with a win over West Branch, will travel to Steubenville (10-0). Big Red has won three state titles, and advanced to the DIV title game last year.

Division V will not only feature an area match-up, but a rematch of a week six game between South Range (10-0) and Crestview (6-4). In that game, played on Sept. 29 at Crestview, the Raiders won 34-7. This time, the two teams will square off at South Range.

In Division VI, Western Reserve, Liberty, East Palestine and Columbiana will all be on the road Fruday night.

Western Reserve (8-2) will visit Creston Norwayne (9-1). The Blue Devils are making their return to the payoffs after having an eight-year run snapped in 2016.

Liberty (8-2) opened the season with back-to-back losses. However, the Leopards won their final eight games., including Friday’s win at Girard. That victory surged the Leopards from 12th to sixth in Region 21, and earned them the right to visit Kirtland (10-0).

Since 2011, Kirtland has appeared in five state title games, winning three. The Hornets also own an 8-0 playoff record against teams from the Mahoning Valley.

East Palestine (8-2) also must face an opponent which has a rich playoff history, and a history of success against the Mahoning Valley. The Bulldogs will travel to Mogadore (8-1), which has three state titles and a 57-27 post-season record. Mogadore also owns a 29-5 record (15-2 in the playoffs) against area schools.

Columbiana (7-3) ended its season with a loss to East Palestine, but managed to hold on to the eighth position in Region 21. The Clippers will visit top-seeded Rootstown (10-0).

Division VII will also see four area teams travel on Friday. Lisbon (6-4) earned the fifth seed in Region 25 despite losing its last three games. The Blue Devils will travel to Windham (8-2). Valley Christian (5-5) is at East Canton (8-2) while Mathews (6-4) will visit top-seeded Dalton (10-0).

Warren John F. Kennedy will have an opportunity to defend its Division VII state title despite finishing with a losing record. The Eagles, seventh in Region 25, will face Cuyahoga Heights (8-1).

Kennedy entered the final week of the regular season on a five-game losing streak before defeating St. Thomas Aquinas 34-3.

“Our kids did what they needed to do, and they’re just thrilled to have the opportunity to play in week eleven,” said JFK coach Jeff Bayuk. “Cuyahoga Heights may very well be the best team in our Region, but we’re happy to be able to represent our school and our area this week.”

JFK and Cincinnati Moeller (DI) both advanced with 4-6 records. In playoff history, teams with losing records are 0-12.

“With our schedule, we don’t make any apologies to anyone,” Bayuk said.

All first-round games will be played Friday at 7:30 p.m.