Here are 10 thoughts on the Ohio high school football playoff pairings
It's probably the most anticipated moment on the high school sports calendar that doesn't involve competition: the OHSAA's release of the football playoff pairings.
From the moment practice begins in the summer, fans and sportswriters start counting down to the postseason. Players and coaches count down too, even though they'll tell you they're taking it one game at a time.
Here are 10 thoughts on the pairings, which were released Sunday. First-round games are Friday.
1. Gahanna Lincoln doesn't have easy road in Division I, Region 3
The defending regional champion Lions completed their first 10-0 regular season since 1998 with a 35-28, double-overtime victory over visiting Pickerington North on Friday.
Their reward was a second consecutive OCC-Ohio championship and the No. 1 seed in Region 3 for the second year in a row. If Gahanna wins its first two playoff games, the Lions could face No. 4 Upper Arlington, the 2021 regional champion, in a semifinal and No. 2 Hilliard Bradley in the final. If there are a couple upsets, those semifinal and final opponents could be No. 5 Pickerington Central (lost to Gahanna 49-14 in Week 5) and No. 3 North.
The Lions open the playoffs at home against No. 16 Reynoldsburg. With a win, they'll host No. 8 Hilliard Davidson or No. 9 Grove City. Gahanna beat Reynoldsburg 49-6 in Week 4 and Grove City 56-28 in Week 9, but Davidson features a defense that has allowed more than 21 points only once this season (37-10 loss to Bradley in Week 7).
Just like in 2022, the regular season proved Gahanna is the best team in central Ohio. Starting with West Virginia commit Diore Hubbard at running back, the Lions have the talent to win their first state championship and the area's first Division I title since Central in 2019. It's now the task of coach Bruce Ward and his staff to devise six more winning game plans.
2. Delaware County showdown looms in Division I, Region 2 quarterfinals
If they win their first-round home games over No. 9 Miamisburg and No. 16 Dublin Jerome, No. 8 Delaware Hayes will visit No. 1 Olentangy on Nov. 3. The winner should receive a replica of the Little Brown Jug trophy.
Teams don't like to look ahead, but the rest of us can. Delaware (8-2) features a standout passing combination in quarterback Jake Lowman and receiver Austin Koslow, and Olentangy (9-1) has Penn State commit Ethan Grunkemeyer directing its high-scoring offense.
This region features teams from the Columbus and Dayton areas. Four-time defending regional champion Springfield (5-5) visits Huber Heights Wayne (7-3) for a first-round matchup between the No. 12 and No. 5 seeds.
No. 2 Olentangy Berlin beat Olentangy 27-20 in Week 6 to open OCC-Cardinal play. They could meet again in the regional final.
3. Can anyone knock off Massillon Washington in Division II, Region 7?
No team is unbeatable, but this is a tall task. No team earned more computer points this season than Massillon's 45.7555. The Tigers earned 15.0555 more points than No. 2 Canal Winchester (9-1), whose total of 30.7 would have made it No. 1 in Region 8, the Division II region for southwest Ohio.
Massillon, the defending regional champion, has gotten the better of central Ohio teams in the playoffs the past few years, defeating Canal Winchester and Big Walnut in 2022; Independence, Westerville South and Big Walnut in 2021; and Walnut Ridge and Westerville South in 2020.
This year's Tigers are 10-0 and have played only one game decided by fewer than 11 points, defeating two-time defending Division I state champion Lakewood St. Edward 15-13 on Sept. 15.
This could be the year that Massillon finally breaks through and wins its first state title of the playoff era, which started in 1972. The Tigers claim 24 state championships, starting in 1909 and ending in 1970. The first 11 are based on what massillontigers.com calls "popular acclaim," while the other 13 are from AP and UPI polls.
4. Week 10 loss doesn't cost Watterson
The Eagles (9-1) earned the No. 1 seed in Division III, Region 11 despite falling 27-24 at DeSales on Leo Amalaman's 47-yard field goal as time expired. The loss created a three-way tie for the CCL title as DeSales, Hartley and Watterson all went 2-1.
The key for the Eagles and one of their potential regional quarterfinal opponents, No. 8 Hamilton Township, is to not let a Week 10 loss linger. The Rangers (9-1) fell 28-0 at Logan Elm, forcing them to share the MSL-Buckeye title at 6-1 with Logan Elm and Bloom-Carroll.
London, the No. 2 seed, completed a 10-0 regular season with a 49-7 win at Urbana, but finished 1.2 points behind Watterson in the computer ratings. No. 3 Granville also is 10-0.
Seven of Watterson's wins were blowouts. The Eagles beat Hamilton Township and London in their first two playoff games last season, which ended with a 33-28 loss to Bloom-Carroll in the regional final.
5. Hartley, Ready could meet in Division IV, Region 15 final
The former CCL rivals no longer face off every season, but with three postseason wins apiece, Hartley and Ready would meet for the Region 15 championship and a spot in a Division IV state semifinal.
Third-seeded Hartley (8-2) opens at home against 14th-seeded Duncan Falls Philo (5-5), while fifth-seeded Ready (9-1) is the home team for a matchup with 12th-seeded Jonathan Alder (7-3) at Central Crossing. Hartley might have to play No. 6 St. Clairsville (8-2) and No. 2 Thornville Sheridan (9-1) in a quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively, while Ready likely would have to get by No. 4 Logan Elm (9-1) and No. 1 Steubenville (9-1).
Ready enters the postseason as champion of the first-year Central Buckeye League. Before joining the CBL, the Silver Knights had been an auxiliary member of the MSL-Ohio since 2017. They haven't faced Hartley since 2018.
This matchup might be a long shot, but it's fun to think about. Could Hartley coach Brad Burchfield, who guided the Hawks to state titles in 2010, 2015 and 2016, help devise a way to stop Ready standout running back Kentrell Rinehart? It would be fascinating to watch.
6. Can Harvest Prep win Division V, Region 19?
The breakup of the MSL-Ohio, with the schools not named Harvest Prep forming the CBL, forced the Warriors (8-1) to play an independent schedule this fall. They were left without a Week 2 game, but they went unbeaten against teams from Ohio, losing 36-18 on Sept. 15 to three-time defending Indiana Class 6A champion Greenwood Center Grove.
Harvest Prep opened with a 38-16 win over Bloom-Carroll, which lost in last year's Division III state final. The Warriors also beat two Division II programs in Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (20-13) and Licking Heights (34-18).
To win Region 19, fourth-seeded Harvest Prep likely will have to knock off top-seeded Ironton (9-1), which eliminated the Warriors in 2020 and 2022. Harvest Prep won regional titles in 2016, 2019 and 2021.
7. This is the third season of playoff expansion
With 16 teams qualifying for the playoffs from each region instead of eight, the field consists of 448 teams instead of 224.
This year, 76 of those teams are under .500, but is this a problem? How many with losing records are going to advance?
Last year, in first-round games involving central Ohio teams, the lower seed won 12 times. The lowest seed to win was No. 13 and it happened twice, with Columbus Academy beating Centerburg and West Jefferson beating Newcomerstown.
This year, the No. 12 at No. 5 first-round games are the ones that feature several intriguing matchups, including New Albany at Pickerington Central in Region 3 and Big Walnut at Northland in Region 7.
8. Speaking of No. 12 seeds, hello Cleveland St. Ignatius
Could No. 5 Mentor have received a more frustrating first-round matchup in Division I, Region 1 than No. 12 St. Ignatius?
This isn't the same St. Ignatius that captured 11 state titles and went 377-108-1 in Chuck Kyle’s 40 seasons as coach, but in a down year, the Wildcats still won 16-14 at Mentor in Week 2. St. Ignatius is 2-8 in its first season under Ryan Franzinger.
9. Expect Maria Stein Marion Local to add to its legacy
Seeded first in Division VII, Region 28, the Flyers are primed to add to their state-record 13 championships. Who would want to play this team? Marion Local hasn't lost since the 2020 regional final, and that was against a New Bremen team that went on to win the state title.
10. Most intriguing first-round matchups in central Ohio
Beyond the 5-12 matchups already noted — New Albany-Pickerington Central, Big Walnut-Northland and Jonathan Alder-Ready — here are a few other picks for the most intriguing central Ohio first-round games: No. 11 Groveport (6-4) at No. 6 Hilliard Darby (5-5), No. 10 Lancaster (5-5) at No. 7 Westerville North (8-2) and No. 9 Grove City (5-5) at No. 8 Davidson (5-5) in Region 3; No. 10 Watkins Memorial (7-3) at No. 7 Independence (5-5) and No. 9 Westerville South (6-4) at No. 8 Briggs (7-3) in Region 7; and No. 9 Licking Valley (7-3) at No. 8 East (8-2) in Region 15.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA football: 10 thoughts on the playoff pairings
