OHSAA playoffs: Garaway puts its top-seed ranking against East Knox

Garaway, which dropped down from Division 5 to Division 6, is legitimately one of the major players in terms of state football title contenders in that division this season.

“It’s actually worked out OK in our favor,” said ultra-successful Garaway head coach Jason Wallick of being in Division 6 this year and all of the possibilities that exist there. Many feel Kirtland and Garaway are the two most prominent teams in Division 6 Ohio football this year.

The Pirates, who have destroyed nearly every opponent on their schedule, began the postseason Friday with a 45-7 romp over the Rock Hill Redmen.

Garaway (11-0), the top seed in D6 Region 23, will be at home again at 7 p.m. Friday when it entertains the ninth-seeded East Knox Bulldogs in a regional quarterfinal playoff game.

East Knox, which is from Howard in Lawrence County, checks into this week’s battle with a 7-4 record. The Bulldogs advanced through first-round playoff action last Friday with a 35-7 road win over the 5-6 Martins Ferry Purple Riders.

Garaway, the outright Inter Valley Conference South champ, has been dominant on both sides of the football this season. The Pirates are averaging 38.1 points per game. They have scored over 30 points in all but two of their games this fall and have scored over 40 points in six contests.

The Pirates are paced offensively by junior quarterback Brady Geibel, who is averaging 200 yards passing per game and 6-1 senior receiver Jenson Garber who is averaging six receptions and 100 yards per game through the airways.When the Pirates take to the ground, junior running back Dillon Soehnlen leads the way while averaging 100 yards per contest.

“Offensively we’ve been pretty consistent in taking care of the football which has been a big key for us,” said Wallick. “Other than the Sandy Valley game, we’ve had five turnovers all year and four of them were in that game.”But as impressive as the Pirates’ offense has been, their defense has been outstanding again this season. They have given up the fewest points-per-game of any team in the area at just 8.3 points-per-contest. That includes surrendering a touchdown or less in seven of their 11 games. They have also shut out two teams.

Leading the Pirates on defense is senior linebacker Wyatt Wallick, who is averaging seven stops per game.

“Defensively we’ve had that bend but don’t break mentality and we’ve played pretty well there and we’re pretty satisfied there as well,” said Jason Wallick. “Our expectation is a shutout each week and our kids do a great job of learning the opponent in the scouting report and they’ve done a great job of perfecting the game plan.”

East Knox, which plays in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, finished third in the league this season to league champion Danville and runner-up Northmor.

The Bulldogs are led offensively by 6-1 sophomore quarterback Jaxon Lester who has completed 87-of-165 passes for 1,181 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions and junior running back Blake Elliott (5-11, 195), who has rushed for 1,136 yards and 14 touchdowns. The top receiver is senior Braycen Davis (5-9, 140) who has caught 44 passes for 644 yards and nine touchdowns.

“He (Lester) is a really good athlete (at quarterback),” said Wallick. “Their tailback (Elliott) runs the ball really well and he’s kind of their heart and soul, but the quarterback is definitely a really nice player, a good athlete and kind of reminds you of the kid from Sandy Valley (Nick Petro).

“They’re pretty balanced run-pass,” continued Wallick. “They want to run the ball more than they do throw the ball. They do a nice job setting up the pass with the run. We can’t give up the big play, obviously. They love to run the buck sweep and it’s something we haven’t really seen a whole lot of this year. They also like the tight end pop pass and the wingback pop pass.”

On defense, the Bulldogs’ leading tackler is Elliott with 134 tackles.

The Bulldogs are averaging 24.3 points-per-game on offense and giving up 14.7 ppg.

Their wins have been recorded against Northridge (14-0), Centerburg (35-7), Cardington-Lincoln (32-0), Mount Gilead (28-0), Fredericktown (35-0), Loudonville (42-28) and Martins Ferry (35-7). The Bulldogs lost to league champion Danville (14-12) and also dropped games to Ashland Crestview (20-14), Colonel Crawford (49-15) and Northmor (27-6).

Indian Valley at Columbus Bishop Ready

Indian Valley, which is coming off a big playoff win, will trek to Columbus for a Division IV Region 15 regional quarterfinal playoff matchup vs. the Columbus Bishop Ready Friday evening at 7.

The Braves (8-3) are the 13th seed in the region and posted an impressive 48-27 road playoff win over fourth-seeded Logan Elm last week.

The strength of the Inter Valley Conference was on full display during Week 1 of the playoffs as four of the IVC South members won playoff games last week, and Indian Valley’s was one of the most impressive.

Indian Valley is led offensively on the ground by standout sophomore running back Grady Kinsey who has rushed for 1,100 yards and scored a team-high 23 touchdowns.

Indian Valley has also featured a strong air game, as senior quarterback Sam Carter has thrown for 1,300 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Leading the Braves in receptions is senior standout Kolton Thomas who has caught 59 passes for 610 yards and five touchdowns. Thomas has also rushed for 425 yards on the season with five six-pointers on the ground.

On defense, always a strong point, the Braves are led by Kinsey who is the top tackler on the team with 92 stops.The Braves are averaging 34.9 points-per-outing and surrendering 15.8 ppg.

Meanwhile, the Silver Knights of Bishop Ready are 10-1 on the campaign and are the second seeded team in the region. Bishop Ready won its opening playoff game last Friday in a close 14-10 triumph over Jonathan Alder.

Last week’s low-scoring game for Ready was unique in that the Silver Knights have relied on a high-scoring offense all season. It heads into Week 12 averaging 40.5 points-per-game, while its defense is also strong, giving up just 16.9 ppg.

The Silver Knights are led by star junior running back Kentrell Rinehart (6-2, 205) who has rushed for 2,536 yards and scored 41 touchdowns this season.

Bishop Ready’s 10 wins have been recorded against Newark Catholic (53-21), Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (56-22), Columbus Whetstone (47-0), Columbus St. Francis-DeSales (43-42 in overtime), KIPP (37-0), Whitehall-Yearling (56-8), Buckeye Valley (42-21), Bexley (56-7), Columbus Academy (28-7) and Jonathan Alder (14-10). The lone loss this fall occurred in Week 4 in a 48-14 loss to Lima Central Catholic.

Sandy Valley at Perry (Lake County)

Sandy Valley will likely face the best team on its schedule at 7 p.m. Friday when the ninth-seeded Cardinals play a second-round playoff game at top-seeded Lake County Perry.

Sandy Valley checks into the game with a 7-4 record, while the Pirates are 11-0.

The Cardinals advanced through the first round of the postseason after posting a 42-21 win over the Lakeview Bulldogs on the road last week.

Sandy Valley is averaging 31.3 points-per-game and yielding 21 ppg.

The Cardinals’ top offensive threat is talented senior quarterback Nick Petro who has thrown for 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 1,259 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Perry romped over the Crestwood Red Devils 56-0 in their opening-round playoff game.

Perry is averaging 38.9 points-per-game but its defense has been even more impressive. The Pirates have only given up 64 points all season, an average of 5.8 points-per-outing. They have shut out five of their 11 opponents.

One of the Pirates’ many offensive leaders is senior running back Jayden Studio (6-2, 200).

The Pirates’ win have come against Madison (32-7), Painesville Harvey (33-0), once-beaten Kirtland (24-6), Jefferson (50-0), Geneva (36-20), Lutheran West (33-0), Orange (42-14), Chagrin Falls (41-10), West Geauga (34-0), Hawken (47-7) and Crestwood (57-0) last week.

Ridgewood at South Range

The Ridgewood Generals will have a tall task at 7 p.m. Friday night when they play a second-round Division 5 playoff game at defending state Division 5 champion South Range.

The Generals (8-3) earned the seventh seed in Division 5 Region 17, while South Range (10-1) was the second seed.Ridgewood opened playoff action last Friday, rolling past the Edison Wildcats, 33-8.

South Range, which won the outright title in the rugged Northeast 8 league this fall, defeated the Fairless Falcons 43-20 in its playoff opener.

The Raiders enter the battle scoring at a 35.2 points-per-game clip while giving up 14.7 ppg.

Ridgewood is averaging 27.4 points-per-game, while its defense is allowing just 16.3 ppg. The Generals have given up just one touchdown to their opponents in five of their 11 games played this season.

South Range’s wins have occurred against Springfield (41-14), Warren JFK (41-3), Lakeview (28-21), Struthers (37-33), Poland (21-7), Girard (49-21), Niles (48-14), Louisville (38-8), Hubbard (35-0) and Fairless (43-20).

Ridgewood and South Range have played one time before in their history. The Raiders defeated the Generals 24-9 in a playoff game in 2006.

Newcomerstown at Fort Frye

Newcomerstown will play a playoff game on the road for the second consecutive week when the Trojans travel to Beverly, to play the Fort Frye Cadets in a Division 6 Region 23 regional quarterfinal battle at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Trojans, who are the 11th-seeded team in its region, went on the road and posted a 17-14 win over sixth-seeded Grandview Heights last weekend for their seventh win of the season against four losses. It was the school’s first-ever playoff win.

Meanwhile, Fort Frye is 9-2 on the campaign and is the third-seeded squad in Division 6 Region 23. The Cadets opened playoff action last Friday with a 35-21 win over Inter Valley Conference member Tusky Valley.

Newcomerstown checks into Week 12 averaging 29.3 points-per-game and giving up 17.4 ppg.

By comparison, the Cadets lean on a strong defense which is giving up an average of just 12.9 points-per-game. Offensively, Fort Frye is scoring 22.3 ppg.

The Cadets’ wins have been attained against Marietta (21-18), Belpre (62-0), Bellaire (22-15), Bishop Tonnos, Canada (42-24), Vincent Warren (16-7), Caldwell (35-6), Logan (26-14), Waterford (16-0) and Tusky Valley (35-21).

Friday marks the third-ever meeting between Newcomerstown and Fort Frye. The Cadets lead the series, 2-0, but the two teams haven’t played one another since the 2016 season.

Norwalk St. Paul at Malvern

Malvern, which has been impressive all season, will be looking to continue that strong play at 7 p.m. Friday when the Hornets entertain the Norwalk St. Paul Flyers in a Division 7 Region 25 regional quarterfinal playoff game. K

The Hornets (10-1), who are the fifth-seeded team in the region, recorded a 35-20 playoff win over Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference co-champion Southern Local last week.

Meanwhile, Norwalk St. Paul (7-4) is seeded 13th in the region and whipped fourth-seeded Toronto 56-20 last weekend.

Malvern continues to be led offensively by 6-4 quarterback Jared Witherow who has thrown for 2,200 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. His top receivers include senior Dylan Phillips with 72 receptions for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns and junior Rodney Smith with 42 receptions for 883 yards and 13 touchdowns.

On the ground, Malvern’s top rusher is junior Drake Hutchison with 447 yards and five touchdowns.

The Hornets are averaging 32.2 points-per-game on offense and giving up just 11.5 ppg.

Norwalk St. Paul is averaging 36 points-per-game on offense and yielding 21.2 ppg.

The Flyers’ wins this season have been recorded against Mapleton (49-30), Plymouth (49-0), Collins Western Reserve (28-14), Ashland Crestview (33-7), South Central (54-6), Monroeville (41-14) and Toronto (56-20).

Galion at West Holmes

West Holmes will host the Galion Tigers in a Division IV Region 14 regional quarterfinal playoff battle at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Knights (9-2) are the fourth-seed team in the region while Galion is 8-3 and the No. 5 seed.

West Holmes opened playoff action last week with a 70-50 win over Bryan High School, while Galion posted a 36-6 postseason triumph over Oberlin Firelands.

The Knights are led by dual-threat quarterback Morgan Smith and talented senior wideout Kyle Maltarich.

West Holmes is one of the top-scoring teams around, averaging 41.9 points-per-game, while giving up 25.7 ppg.

The Galion Tigers are scoring 30.3 points-per-game on offense and giving up 21.8 ppg.

The Tigers’ wins have occurred against Wynford (28-20), Carey (21-14), Upper Sandusky (41-6), Clear Fork (35-3),

Marengo Highland (23-21), River Valley (42-35), Marion Harding (34-0) and Oberlin Firelands (36-6).

Friday marks the first-ever meeting between West Holmes and Galion in football.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: OHSAA playoffs: Garaway displaying dominance on both sides of the ball