Week 9 Preview: Playoff positioning on the line for John Glenn with Philo coming to New Concord

NEW CONCORD — Friday night is a key game for John Glenn (7-1) and its quest to return to the playoffs after a one-season hiatus in 2022.

The Little Muskies are presently No. 10 in Division III, Region 11. The bad news is the team's schedule thus far isn't doing it any favors in the bonus points department.

The good news? John Glenn controls its own destiny according to Joe Eitel.

At present, the Muskies have played only one team with a winning record—top-ranked Sheridan (8-0), in a game which JG fell 14-0 in a defensive showdown.

The Muskies have won every other game they've played and many in convincing fashion. The two best wins were against New Lexington and Meadowbrook, both of whom are currently 4-4.

John Glenn can only play which teams are on its schedule and only two of those teams—the season opener against Circleville and regular-season finale against Tri-Valley (6-2)--are against fellow Division III foes. The rest of the schedule features five DIVs and three DV teams. Two years ago, when the Muskies finished third in the region for Division IV, that wasn't an issue. But a slight bump in enrollment pushed John Glenn to Division III in 2022 and 2023.

Head coach Matt Edwards and company can aid their own cause by hosting, and beating, Philo (5-3) on Friday in what would be the Muskies first win against a team with a winning record.

The Electrics are in a similar boat, sitting at 13th in Division IV's Region 15. They started the season strong at 4-0 before losing three of their last four. In fairness, those three losses came to West Muskingum, Sheridan, and Tri-Valley.

Philo's offense will feature the passing, and more so the running of quarterback Talon Preston, along with backfield mates Talon Bailey and Seth Henning.

Trail Snags Second Victory

By virtue of a road hammering of Strasburg, Buckeye Trail returns to Old Washington this week on the heels of a 40-6 win and will be looking for its third 'W' of the season.

Standing in the way of that will be the Hornets of East Canton, a team fresh off its own second win of the season, a 41-0 victory against winless Tuscarawas Catholic Central.

Both teams enter 2-6 and both teams are mathematically still capable of making the postseason—Trail in Region 23 and East Canton in 21. Either team would need to win out and then receive a lot of help.

First up, someone has to win the matchup of the 2-6 teams.

East Canton's win against TCC was fueled by the rushing of Dillon Anderson and Timmy Dye, along with a pair of touchdown passes from Chanie Stubblefield.

Anderson ran for 102 yards and two TDs and Dye added 93 on 14 carries. The Saints were held to negative 51 rushing yards on 26 attempts.

Trail will counter with the rushing duo of Koen Eagon and Charlie Parry. Eagon averages 108.9 rushing yards per game with six TDs while Parry has three rushing TDs and 390 total yards.

The passing game is slowly progressing with Braden Williams at QB as he's checking in with 56.6 yards per game with five TDs. Eagon and Brady Hastings are Trail's leading receivers. Should Trail prevail Friday, it will face a likely 6-3 Necomerstown team in the regular-season finale. The Trojans face Strasburg on Friday.

Bobcats Come Up Short

No win yet in Bobcat Country as Cambridge traveled to Warren but fell 40-21. To be blunt, finding a win the next few weeks will be considerably more difficult.

First up will be the Beavers of Beaver Local descending on McFarland Stadium.

The Beavers are led by dual-threat quarterback Austin Cline. Cline averages 10 yards rushing and owns 14 TDs to his credit. Through the air, the Beaver QB has thrown for 1,296 yards and 16 touchdowns against just two interceptions. He completes nearly 70 percent of his passes, averaging 162 yards per game.

Cline's favorite target is Brock Severs, who owns 30 receptions for 468 yards and seven TDs, followed by Taylor Johnston at 19 catches for 310 yards.

Severs is also the team's second-leading rusher at 239 yards and four TDs.

The Beavers snapped a two-game losing streak last weekend with a 48-6 romp against Indian Creek. Currently No. 9 in Division IV, Region 13, Beaver has added motivation as it doesn't currently control its own destiny in terms of postseason play. A win against Cambridge is a must-have for the Beavers.

The Bobcats are playing for pride and never-to-early preparation for the next season. Garrett Carpenter and his 323 passing yards per game average as realistically capable of hitting the 3,000-yard-mark by season's end.

Carpenter presently has 2,584 yards and needs only 416 during his last two games to reach that mark.

Devin Ogle and Keaton Kyser will go a long way in helping Carpenter reach that mark. Ogle leads the area with 72 catches and 1,168 yards while Kyser, coming off a big 100-yard, one TD performance, has 473 yards and three scores.

Colts Looking to Stop Skid

It's been a rough few weeks for Meadowbrook.

Once in excellent shape at 4-1, the Colts have lost three in a row, starting with a lopsided loss to once-beaten John Glenn, then to the disappointing road defeat to then-winless Coshocton.

Finally, Meadowbrook had no answer for New Lexington at home last Friday as the Panthers left Byesville with a cherished 42-12 win as both teams now stand at 4-4.

Meadowbrook could make the Division V, Region 19 postseason. But the Colts will need to first beat Morgan (4-4) on Friday, then a dangerous West Muskingum (7-1) team in the season finale, along with receiving some help.

The Colts are currently No. 21 in Region 19 while Morgan is No. 18 in DIV, Region 15. The Raiders too could make the postseason, with a win against Meadowbrook, Crooksville in Week 10, and receive a whole lot of help.

The Raiders are led by senior quarterback Logan Niceswanger. He threw for 254 yards and two picks in a loss to West Muskingum in Week 7. The team's two TDs in the 42-13 defeat came via Niceswanger's feet. He only totaled 16 yards on 18 carries, but finished with two rushing TDs, both of the short-yardage variety.

Six-foot-two senior Kole Searl is Niceswanger's favorite target. Searl totaled 177 yards on 14 receptions vs. West M.

Justice Huey, meanwhile, threw for 207 yards and a TD against two picks in the loss to the Panthers. Meadowbrook had trouble slowing down the Panthers' passing attack, as Isaiah Stephens fired four touchdowns and added a five-yard rushing TD for good measure.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: John Glenn looks to lock down playoff position with Week 9 matchup with Philo Friday