Snapshot previews of all 10 Chillicothe area football teams' Week Nine games

CHILLICOTHE − Time is ticking on the regular season. Week Nine is already here, and the postseason tournament creeps closer with each passing day.

The Scioto Valley Conference race is reaching a fever pitch. Paint Valley and Unioto square off this week to determine the fate of first place in the standings. Waverly is looking for a rebound in the Southern Ohio Conference after falling to Wheelersburg, and Chillicothe is on the hunt for a potential win over Washington in the Frontier Athletic Conference.

Week Nine is not a week to miss in the high school football season. To break it down, here's a quick look at the games for all 10 Chillicothe area teams and what to expect from each matchup:

High School Football: Power rankings for all 10 Chillicothe area teams after Week Eight

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Adena Warriors (1-7, 1-4 Scioto Valley Conference) at Piketon Redstreaks (5-3, 2-3 SVC)

The Redstreaks broke their three-game losing streak last week and scored their most points in a game this year after taking down Southeastern. They've got a bit of momentum to work with heading into Week Nine, and that'll come in handy against the Warriors.

Adena, on the other hand, is on a three-game losing streak and fresh off a 56-10 loss to Westfall. Still, it has shown before that it can put up strong performances against other SVC teams. It's scored at least 39 points against Southeastern, Zane Trace and Paint Valley. But it's also given up more than 40 points against Zane Trace and Paint Valley.

The Warriors have a solid chance to put points on the board this week. The Redstreaks allowed Southeastern to put up 26 points last week. But they'll also have to worry about a Redstreaks offense that's found its groove again and scored seven touchdowns last week.

Chillicothe Cavaliers (1-7, 0-3 Frontier Athletic Conference) at Washington Blue Lions (4-4, 1-2 FAC)

Chillicothe struggled on both sides of the ball last week against Miami Trace, but there were still moments of good. It had no trouble moving the ball downfield with Caden Eblin under center, but a few fumbles and a stringent run defense by the Panthers limited them in other areas.

Washington struggled through the first two weeks of FAC play against Jackson and Hillsboro, but it broke through to score 49 points during a win over McClain. Chillicothe can take advantage of Washington's overall struggles, but it will have to work against an emboldened offense fresh off its most productive game of the year.

Still, the Cavaliers have a case to walk away with a win on Friday night. They fought Hillsboro well into overtime, who knocked the Blue Lions down 36-6 two weeks ago.

Huntington Huntsmen (1-7, 1-4 SVC) vs. Westfall Mustangs (4-4, 2-3 SVC)

The Huntsmen are itching to tack on their second win of the year after being shut out by Paint Valley last week. It was their third shutout loss of the season, but it followed a major offensive showcase that was their win over Southeastern in Week Seven. Either way, the Huntsmen are looking to blow off some steam and shake off a tough loss.

Meanwhile, the Mustangs are riding a small wave of momentum. They've won two of their last three games, and they've averaged 44 points per game over that span. With an especially deadly passing game behind Bryce Wickline, plus a player like Joey Wright who can both rush for major gains and make catches when necessary, the Mustangs will be hard to pin down.

Paint Valley Bearcats (7-1, 5-0 SVC) vs. Unioto Shermans (7-1, 5-0 SVC)

If there's one game to pay attention to this week, this is it. Friday might determine the outright winner of the SVC, unless whichever side manages a loss next week. Paint Valley and Unioto are both undefeated in conference play thus far, but someone is walking away this week with a spoiled record.

The biggest advantage the Bearcats bring to the table is their tenacity. They clawed out of a 24-point deficit against Piketon and won by 19 points, plus they've run away with the highest-scoring offense in the conference, period. No other team averages 40 points per game across the entire season. If there's one team to give the Shermans a challenge, it will be the Bearcats.

Still, give the Shermans their due. Their defense is prone to picking off opposing quarterbacks with alarming regularity, and no team has scored more than 28 points against them this season. Not Waverly, not Zane Trace and not Piketon. Plus, the only conference opponent to hold them under 40 points was Zane Trace in a brawl to maintain undefeated conference records.

Neither side is going to budge on Friday night. The Bearcats and the Shermans are barreling toward a game of the year in the making.

Southeastern Panthers (1-7, 0-5 SVC) vs. Zane Trace Pioneers (5-3, 4-1 SVC)

Both the Panthers and the Pioneers are fresh off losses to teams in the top half of the SVC standings. Zane Trace had its perfect conference record spoiled by Unioto, and Southeastern took a 20-point loss to Piketon on the chin.

The Panthers will be in for another tough test. Zane Trace's defense is nothing to balk at, headlined by Brice Johnson and Spencer Brower, who rank top 10 in the conference for both total tackles and sacks. Plus, a three-headed monster rushing attack in Carter Langley, Blake Phillips and Riley Hartsaugh will be hard to counter.

Southeastern still can keep in time. It put up 26 points against Piketon last week, and Caleb Cutright had another excellent performance with over 100 receiving yards. Zane Trace is looking to blow off steam, and the Panthers want to make some late-season noise.

Waverly Tigers (5-3, 3-2 Southern Ohio Conference) vs. Northwest Mohawks (3-5, 0-4 SOC)

The Tigers have a bit of a break after falling to Wheelersburg last week. The Mohawks haven't won an SOC game at all this year. One of those losses included a 7-6 loss to Valley, who Waverly blew out by 40 points in Week Four. They've also lost by more than 40 points to Wheelersburg, Portsmouth West and Minford.

On paper, Waverly has its sixth win of the season locked down. It may have been held back by Wheelersburg last week, but all three of its SOC wins have come by 26 points or more. It wants to bounce back from Week Eight, and a game against Northwest might just provide that remedy.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Snapshot previews of Chillicothe area football games for Week Nine