Oct 29, 2024
Lakeview’s Thomas Easton follows his blocking and rushes for yardage against Hubbard on Oct. 11.
Halloween treats were passed out early to 27 schools in the Mahoning Valley who qualified for the Ohio High School Athletic Association football tournament.
The OHSAA on Sunday released its first-round playoff pairings. Among the 448 qualifiers are 13 from Mahoning County; Austintown Fitch, Boardman, Ursuline, Chaney, West Branch, Struthers, Mooney, South Range, Poland, Springfield, Valley Christian, Western Reserve and Lowellville.
The 13 qualifiers equal a Mahoning County record first set in 2022.
Trumbull County will be represented by nine schools, equaling last year’s total. They include; Warren G. Harding, Hubbard, Girard, Lakeview, Liberty, LaBrae, Mineral Ridge, Warren John F. Kennedy and McDonald.
Columbiana County schools advancing to Week 11 include; East Liverpool, Crestview, United, Southern and East Palestine.
The 27 playoff-bound schools from the Mahoning Valley is one less than last year’s total.
Also advancing are Garrettsville Garfield, Pymatuning Valley and Windham.
There will be plenty of football played throughout the area on Friday. Nineteen of the above-mentioned schools finished in the top eight of their respective regions, giving them the right to host a first-round game.
Three schools (Ursuline, South Range, Western Reserve) finished atop their respective regions. South Range, along with West Branch, finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record.
First-round games feature several all-area matchups, including a trio of rematches from the regular season.
Just two weeks after Ursuline handed Chaney a 37-6 home loss, the Irish (9-1) and Cowboys (3-6) will meet again, this time with the Irish hosting the game.
Ursuline opened its season with a two-point loss to Walsh Jesuit (10-0). The Irish have since reeled off nine straight wins, giving up just 46 points in the process.
Pymatuning Valley (9-1) will host Mineral Ridge (4-6) for the second time this year. The two schools played each other to open the season, with the Lakers prevailing 38-27. The Rams will now return to Ashtabula County where they hope to gain some revenge on the Lakers.
Pymatuning Valley is riding a five-game winning streak, while Mineral Ridge has dropped three straight.
McDonald (7-3) will play host to Lowellville (6-4) for the second time in a month. In Week 7, the Blue Devils downed the Rockets 42-14.
McDonald is seeking its first playoff win since 2020.
East Palestine (6-4) will make a trip to Trumbull County to take on Warren John F. Kennedy (8-2). The Eagles are making a return trip to the playoffs after missing out on the tournament a year ago. Prior to 2023, JFK made eight consecutive postseason appearances.
A year ago, Hubbard suffered its first losing season in 25 years. The Eagles (5-5) will be challenged to avoid a second consecutive sub-500 campaign when they travel to Beloit to play West Branch (10-0). The Warriors have outscored opponents this year 431-67.
Cardinal Mooney (3-7) mustered just three wins this year, but it was enough to gain a 14-seed in Division IV, Region 13. The Cardinals will now face Streetsboro (10-0). The Rockets have outscored opponents this year 523-56.
All opening round games are scheduled to be played on Friday. The higher-seeded teams will host games in both the first and second round of the tournament. Games will be played at neutral sites for the remainder of the postseason.
The six-week tournament concludes the first weekend of December with the crowning of seven state champions. All seven state title games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
PLAYOFF NOTES
Girard is in the playoffs for an eighth straight year, the longest current streak among area schools. … Brookfield missed the playoffs by .05 points, finishing just behind 16-seed Rootstown. … Canfield had to wait until Saturday to learn its playoff fate. The Cardinals would have qualified with an Akron East loss to Akron Garfield. East prevailed 28-26. … South Range and West Branch are two of 31 schools statewide which finished with a 10-0 record. Three other schools finished 9-0. … Five Division I schools qualified with a 1-9 record. … Lutheran West (DIII, Region 10) qualified with a 2-8 record. Its two wins came against opponents who were a combined 9-11.
BEAVER TOWNSHIP – For six decades, J.R. McFarland has been a fixture in the Wilmington Area High School athletic …
LIBERTY – Steve Arnold was sitting on his deck with his dog when he got a call. It was Liberty athletic director …
Copyright © Tribune Chronicle | https://www.tribtoday.com | 240 Franklin Street SE, Warren, OH 44483 | 330-841-1600
