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OHSAA Releases Football Regional Final Pairings

November 11, 2018
News Release – Ohio High School Athletic Association
Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass
 
 
For Immediate Release – Nov. 11, 2018
Contact – Tim Stried, Director of Communications, [email protected]
 
OHSAA Releases Football Regional Final Pairings
Neutral sites selected to host regional final games Friday and Saturday; notes packet link included
 
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association released the pairings for the regional finals (third round) of the football playoffs Sunday.
 
During the first four rounds of the playoffs, all games will kick off at 7 PM. Division I, II, III and VI games are on Fridays. Division IV, V and VII games are on Saturdays.
 
 
Brackets and more playoff information is posted at: https://ohsaa.org/sports/football
 
Home team listed first. Pairings include seed and record.
 
Division I – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16
1 Mentor (11-1) vs. 7 Lakewood St. Edward (8-3) at Euclid Community Field
 
Region 2
4 Powell Olentangy Liberty (8-4) vs. 2 Dublin Coffman (11-1) at New Albany Veterans Field at Eagle Stadium
 
Region 3
1 Hilliard Davidson (11-1) vs. 6 Pickerington Central (10-2) at Gahanna Lincoln Wilbur C. Strait Field
 
Region 4
1 Cin. Colerain (12-0) vs. 3 Cin. Elder (8-4) at Mason Dwire Field, Atrium Stadium
 
Division II – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16
Region 5
1 Akron Archbishop Hoban (12-0) vs. 2 Maple Hts. (12-0) at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium
 
Region 6
1 Tol. Central Cath. (12-0) vs. 3 Avon (11-1) at Clyde Robert J. Bishop Jr. Stadium
 
Region 7
1 Massillon Washington (12-0) vs. 3 Wadsworth (12-0) at North Canton Hoover Memorial Stadium
 
Region 8
1 Cin. Winton Woods (11-1) vs. 7 Cin. Anderson (9-3) at Lakota West Firebird Field
 
Division III – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16
Region 9
1 Canfield (11-1) vs. 2 Chagrin Falls Kenston (11-1) at Warren G. Harding Mollenkopf Stadium
 
Region 10
4 Norwalk (9-3) vs. 6 Sandusky (8-4) at First National Bank Field at Bellevue Athletic Facility
 
Region 11
4 Cols. Eastmoor Academy (11-1) vs. 6 Thornville Sheridan (11-1) at Lancaster Fulton Field
 
Region 12
1 Kettering Archbishop Alter (11-1) vs. 2 Wapakoneta (11-1) at Piqua Alexander Stadium
 
Division IV – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17
Region 13
5 Girard (11-1) vs. 3 Hubbard (11-1) at Niles McKinley Bo Rein Stadium
 
Region 14
1 Bellville Clear Fork (12-0) vs. 2 St. Marys Memorial (11-1) at Bellefontaine AcuSport Stadium
 
Region 15
1 St. Clairsville (12-0) vs. 7 Newark Licking Valley (9-3) at Zanesville Sulsberger Stadium
 
Region 16
1 Cin. Wyoming (12-0) vs. 6 London (11-1) at Centerville Stadium
 
Division V – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17
Region 17
1 Orrville (10-2) vs. 2 Akr. Manchester (9-3) at Canal Fulton Northwest Dr. Martin Smilek Stadium, Jim Schalmo Field
 
Region 18
1 Genoa Area (12-0) vs. 2 Liberty Center (11-1) at Millbury Lake Community Stadium
 
Region 19
1 Johnstown-Monroe (11-1) vs. 3 Byesville Meadowbrook (9-3) at Zanesville Maysville Athletic Complex
 
Region 20
1 Wheelersburg (11-1) vs. 2 Middletown Madison (12-0) at Hilliard Darby Stadium
 
Division VI – Games at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16
Region 21
1 Mogadore (11-1) vs. 2 Kirtland (12-0) at Aurora Veterans Stadium
 
Region 22
1 Attica Seneca East (11-1) vs. 7 Sherwood Fairview (9-3) at Findlay Donnell Stadium
 
Region 23
4 Shadyside (10-2) vs. 2 Beverly Ft. Frye (11-0) at Byesville Meadowbrook Eugene Capers Field
 
Region 24
1 Coldwater (10-2) vs. 3 Maria Stein Marion Local (11-1) at Sidney Memorial Stadium
 
Division VII – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17
Region 25
1 Cuyahoga Heights (10-2) vs. 7 Warren John F. Kennedy (7-5) at Macedonia Nordonia Boliantz Stadium
 
Region 26
5 McComb (11-1) vs. 2 Edgerton (12-0) at Defiance Fred Brown Athletic Complex
 
Region 27
1 Lucas (10-2) vs. 3 Glouster Trimble (11-1) at Hamilton Township Alumni Stadium
 
Region 28
1 Fort Loramie (11-1) vs. 2 Convoy Crestview (11-1) at Lima Spartan Stadium
 
 
Football Playoff Media Information
Spectrum is the official television partner of the OHSAA and will televise several football playoff games each weekend. Their coverage is exclusive. Spectrum will announce its weekly playoff game selections by noon Monday.
 
The OHSAA Radio Network will broadcast all seven state championship games. Stations can have their broadcast rights fees waived throughout the playoffs by committing to carry two or more state championship games from the network. Please contact Tim Stried for details. The network will also produce a weekly 30-minute preview show throughout the playoffs. OHSAA Radio Network Home: https://www.ohsaa.org/news/radio
 
 
 
OHSAA News and Media Home: https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media
 
Oct. 29 Associated Press Final State Football Poll: https://www.ohsaa.org/Portals/0/Sports/Football/2018/AP-Poll-8-FINAL.pdf
 
State Championships All-Session Tickets and Parking Passes: https://bit.ly/2p9DHuZ
 
 
Excerpts From the Notes Packet
 
More on Neutral Sites
Neutral sites are selected by the OHSAA. There are many factors that go into determining playoff sites, such as quality of field surface, seating capacity, quality of lighting, size of locker rooms and distance from field, press box size, parking, and a separate locker room for officials. After all those factors are taken into consideration, it must be confirmed that the site is available and willing to host a playoff game on the date needed. The OHSAA cannot mandate that a specific site be available and it is rare to have an available site exactly halfway between the two competing schools. Host sites keep revenue from concession stands and parking and they also receive a predetermined rental fee from the OHSAA, which covers game expenses. 
 
Welcome to Week 13
The 2018 OHSAA football playoffs have reached the regional finals as 56 schools are still playing in week 13. The OHSAA has selected neutral sites for these 28 games and will do so again next week for the state semifinals. Rebracketing also occurs at the state semifinal level as the OHSAA determine how the regional champions will be paired.
 
Noting the Regional Finals
Of last year’s 14 state finalists, eight have reached this week’s regional finals. Of note, in Division III and IV, neither state finalist from a year ago is still in the playoffs.
     Eight of the regional championship games pit the No. 1 vs. No. 2 seeds (Regions 5, 9, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21 and 28 - see pairings on page 9). Division V is the only division where all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the regional final. Three-of-four No. 2 seeds also remain in contention in Div. V.
     There are 13 undefeated teams still alive in the playoffs, but only two regional finals include undefeated teams squaring off against each other, and they both take place in Division II, including Region 5 (Akron Archbishop Hoban vs. Maple Hts.) and Region 7 (Massillon Washington vs. Wadsworth).
     Of the 10 teams that won their first playoff game in school history in week 11, three have advanced to the third round, including Byesville Meadowbrook (Div. V, Region 19), Attica Seneca East (Div. VI, Region 22) and Edgerton (Div. VII, Region 27).
     In Division V and VI, there are regional championship games that feature the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in their division in the final Associated Press poll (see later note). In a Division VI regional final, the two schools with the most number of all-time playoff wins face each other, as Midwest Athletic Conference rivals Maria Stein Marion Local (74) meets Coldwater (73).
     Speaking of the MAC, the regional finalists show that this year will be the first year that a MAC school is not playing for the Division VII state title.
 
Regional Finalists by Seed
No. 1 seed - 22
No. 2 seed - 12
No. 3 seed - 7
No. 4 seed - 4
No. 5 seed - 2 (Girard, McComb)
No. 6 seed - 4 (Pickerington Central, Sandusky, Thornville Sheridan, London)
No. 7 seed - 5 (Lakewood St. Edward, Cin. Anderson, Newark Licking Valley, Sherwood Fairview, Warren JFK)
No. 8 seed - 0
 
Familiar Territory
The closest geographical proximity for teams playing in the regional finals is six miles between Powell Olentangy Liberty and Dublin Coffman in Div. I, Region 2 and Girard and Hubbard in Div. IV, Region 13.
     Other regional final matchups where the schools playing each other are less than 10 miles apart include Cin. Colerain vs. Cin. Elder (8 miles, Div. I, Region 4) and Coldwater vs. Maria Stein Marion Local (9 miles, Div. VI, Region 24)
 
We Meet Again
There are six regional final games that are regular season rematches.
REGION 1: Regular season rematch. Mentor beat St. Edward 42-39 in week 1.
REGION 3: Ohio Capital Conference rematch. Pickerington Central beat Hilliard Davidson 17-14 in OT in week 5.
REGION 10: Sandusky Bay Conference rematch. Norwalk beat Sandusky 52-35 in week 7.
REGION 13: Northeast 8 Athletic Conference rematch. Hubbard beat Girard 48-32 in week 2.
REGION 17: Principals Athletic Conference rematch. Akron Manchester beat Orrville 67-31 in week 8.
REGION 24: Midwest Athletic Conference rematch. Coldwater beat Marion Local 26-20 in 2OT in week 10.
 
### OHSAA ###

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