[1. Archbishop Hoban (8-1)]

As I did in previous years, I'll just keep a running thread for the playoffs leading up to championship weekend with final rankings at the end of the year. Lot of parity this year at the top with many good, but no great teams. Doesn't make good banter for the national landscape, but should make for an entertaining playoff. Brackets can be found here: https://www.maxpreps.com/oh/football/playoffs/.  Here's how I have it at the end of the regular season:

1. Archbishop Hoban (8-1) (previously #1, beat St. Edward 24-20): There is no clear cut #1 in the Buckeye state this year but Hoban has, arguably, the three best wins over Walsh, Glenville and Ed's. None were in dominating fashion and the last one came with the assistance of the refs, but you have to give credit where it's due. The Knights have a suffocating run defense, a massive offensive front, and a bevy of running backs that can hurt you in different ways. Not sure if they will get their starting QB back after the first round bye, but Payton Cook gives them another rushing option in the backfield.  A rematch with Walsh should await in the regional final before possible matchups with Avon, Massillon or Anderson. The D2 field is really good at the top.

2. Elder (10-0) (previously #2, beat Warren De La Salle (MI) 35-7): Elder has a strong case for #1 with wins over Moeller, X and a solid (albeit unspectacular) group of Kentucky and Indiana out-of-state programs. Now they have to run the R4 gauntlet with possible games against Princeton or Winton Woods followed by the winner of Moeller and X.

3. St. Edward (8-2) (previously #3, lost to Hoban 24-20): A much anticipated matchup with Hoban was marred by a number of questionable calls that seemed to negate nearly every explosive play from the St. Edward offense. That being said, the Ed's defense still showed its vulnerability against a physical running attack, which Hoban has in spades. QB Johnny Evanchick also doubled his season INT  total throwing 4 picks that killed promising drives. Adding insult to injury, they lost two starters to injury in the first half, one of them being Mr. Football candidate Zack Hackleman. Hackleman should be okay moving forward and has an extra week to rest up. Losing starting DE Brayden Paulozzi is a big blow to a defensive line unit that lacks depth and size. A collision course with undefeated Mentor should be waiting in the R1 final.

4. Anderson (10-0) (previously #5, beat Loveland 42-7): Anderson has been downright dominant this year and came up just short last year against a really good Avon team. They looked poised to return the final and showed some grit last week in coming back to beat a very talented Winton Woods team that finally looks to have found their offense in recent weeks. They are a heavy favorite to come out of R8, but could see some interesting games against La Salle in round two and final against Kings or Trotwood.

5. Walsh Jesuit (8-1) (previously #6, beat Trotwood-Madison 31-17): After a cancelled game in week 8 and a virtual bye week against an awful St. Vincent-St. Mary team in week 9, Walsh did not show any signs of rust and taking care of a good Trotwood team. They have their sights set on a rematch with Hoban.

6. Olentangy Orange (10-0) (previously #4, beat Olentangy Liberty 26-14): I dropped Orange a couple spots this week, not so much because they did anything wrong (the road win at Liberty was solid), just because I like Anderson and Walsh better.  The R3 playoff bracket should be a grind and they will be battle tested if they come out on top. Orange, Pick North and Pick Central are the top 3 in that region, but teams like Upper Arlington, Liberty or Olentangy could play spoilers.

7. Archbishop Moeller (7-3) (previously #7, beat Muskegon (MI) 56-13):  The Crusaders jumped all over Muskegon and looked like the Moeller offense we saw for most of the year. Still, the recipe to beat Moeller is out there if you can pressure Ponatoski like Elder and Ed's did. Their path to the R4 final for a possible rematch with Elder will be a tough one. They could be looking at second round game with a talented (but inconsistent) Lakota West team and a semi-final game against St. X.

8. Avon (9-1) (previously #8, beat Elyria 47-7):  One of the hottest teams in the state right now is looking primed for a repeat in D2, but R6 is looking pretty strong with undefeated Highland and Wadsworth snagging the top 2 seeds. Neither of those two teams have really been tested this year though, and I still think it's Avon's region to lose.

9. Bishop Watterson (9-0) (previously #9, beat 65-7): I think you can pretty much book Watterson's appearance in the state final. No team looks close to them at the moment in D3. TCC, who took a step back this year but played a very difficult schedule, is the only team that I can see matching up well with them.

10. Pickerington North (9-1) (previously #10, beat Gahanna-Lincoln 35-0): Another dominant defensive effort to wrap up a one-loss season and secure a first round playoff bye. I'm hoping to get an Orange/North R3 final to see their defense against the Orange offense, but that will take getting by a possible sleeper in Upper Arlington and a rematch with rival Pick Central who has dominated everyone else on their schedule since losing a close game to North back in week 3.

Others: Pick Central, Mentor, Glenville, St. X, Highland, Wadsworth, Massillon, Kings, Winton Woods, Canton McKinley, Big Walnut, Middletown, Princeton, TCC, Trotwood-Madison

Another concise and informative summary.  And I wouldn't worry about national banter.  Much of it is, well, forgettable.

With the new Ohio playoff format of reducing the field to 12 qualifying teams per region and giving the top four seeds byes, there aren't many games this week that have much appeal (at least in the top divisions). One game with a little intrigue is the Perrysburg/Ignatius matchup in R1. Ignatius had originally failed to qualify after finishing the season 1-9 (albeit against a very difficult schedule), but Cleveland city school John Marshall opted out of the playoffs despite qualifying and bumped Ignatius into the 12 spot. Perrysburg was 8-1 heading into week ten and poised for a top 4 seed and opening round bye, but got hammered by Whitmer and wound up with the 5th seed.  They cannot be happy about having to play Ignatius, a team that despite their record, certainly has the talent to beat them.

With the new Ohio playoff format of reducing the field to 12 qualifying teams per region and giving the top four seeds byes, there aren't many games this week that have much appeal (at least in the top divisions). One game with a little intrigue is the Perrysburg/Ignatius matchup in R1. Ignatius had originally failed to qualify after finishing the season 1-9 (albeit against a very difficult schedule), but Cleveland city school John Marshall opted out of the playoffs despite qualifying and bumped Ignatius into the 12 spot. Perrysburg was 8-1 heading into week ten and poised for a top 4 seed and opening round bye, but got hammered by Whitmer and wound up with the 5th seed.  They cannot be happy about having to play Ignatius, a team that despite their record, certainly has the talent to beat them.

I would be shocked to see them win but I'm watching this game wondering myself.

Tuesday I was talking to some high up alumni & they all said time has run out

Iggy 10 Perrysburgh 3 halftime
Not much too see here other than a 1-9 team up

Perrsburgh 17-10 St Iggy  start 4th

Perrysburgh wins in OT 24-17

I would be shocked to see them win but I'm watching this game wondering myself.

Tuesday I was talking to some high up alumni & they all said time has run out

Don't know how they would justify keeping him. If they find the right guy Ignatius could turn things around in a relatively short period of time, but it no longer seems like football is a priority at the school (which has the alumni fuming).

[Whitmer v. Perrysburg]

After a largely chalky opening round the top seeds will be in action this week. Here are the top games in D1 and D2 this week.

D1R1:
Whitmer v. Perrysburg - These teams played two weeks ago with Whitmer winning comfortably. Perrysburg held off St. Ignatius in overtime and will be looking to avenge the loss.

D1R2:
Springboro v. Springfield - Another regular season rematch in which Springfield prevailed 14-7. Springfield started the year 0-3 before winning 6 of their next 7. Both of these teams a legit dark horses in a weak R2.

Findlay v. Wayne - Wayne was my preseason R2 favorite but have had an up and down season. They've got a lot a speed at the skill positions and a very promising freshman QB, but have struggled defensively. Findlay somehow got a 3 seed despite a 6-4 record, but lost to every decent team they've played.

D1R3:
Pick North v. Upper Arlington - North finished with the 3 seed but have what appears to be the toughest path the region final, having to go through UA and then most likely Pick Central. UA likes to slow things down offensively and North has one of the top defenses in the state. I expect a low scoring affair.

Olentangy v. Olentangy Liberty - A rematch of week one where Olentangy handled Liberty. Liberty started off 0-3 but are playing much better football as of late. I expect this one to be closer.

D1R4
Princeton v. Winton Woods - This looks to be the best D1 game of the weekend. A lot of talent on the field. If WW can keep their offensive momentum going I like them to pull off the "upset."

Moeller v. Lakota West - Moeller is a clear favorite but LW can match up from a talent perspective. Still, I think the LW defense will have to create turnovers to have a shot at winning.

St. Xavier v. Lakota East - LE had a solid regular season and finished on a high note beating rival LW. X hasn't played in two weeks as their week 10 game against Life Christian Academy was cancelled. I'm wondering how that might impact this game, at least in the early going.

D2R5:
Walsh Jesuit v. Nordonia - I'm not giving Nordonia much of a chance here, but they do have a nice QB and an offense that can put up points. However, they haven't seen a defense like Walsh all year.

Lake v. Hudson - Lake was kind of a D2 darling after a 6-0 start, but finished with losses to McKinley, Jackson and Green. Hudson's only losses were to a pair of undefeated's in Highland and Wadsworth. I like Hudson in this 4/5 matchup.

D2R6:
Avon v. Olmsted Falls - OF is a solid team and played Mentor tough back in week one, but they were held scoreless by Avon in a 28-0 game in week 5. Avon is a heavy favorite but this is still the most interesting game to me in R6 this week.

D2R7:
Massillon v. North Canton Hoover - Most of the federal league teams in Stark County - aside from rival McKinley - refuses to play Massillon in the regular season. For that reason, I'm always interested when they have no choice but to play them in the playoffs. Hoover actually had a really solid season with their only losses being a 21-20 defeat to McKinley and 20-14 to Lake. Paul Brown Tiger stadium should be packed for this one.

D2R8:
Xenia v. La Salle - Xenia earned the higher seed with an 8-2 record, but La Salle is unquestionably more tested having only lost to their GCL- South brethren. I like the lower seeded Lancers to prevail and get a shot at Anderson next round.

Don't know how they would justify keeping him. If they find the right guy Ignatius could turn things around in a relatively short period of time, but it no longer seems like football is a priority at the school (which has the alumni fuming).

It's official Iggy HC Franzinger resigns .

It's official Iggy HC Franzinger resigns .

Will be interesting to see if they go outside their typical comfort zone in the next hire. They did with the basketball program and it paid dividends (even though he bounced after last season).

St Edward 35 Midpark 7 halftime

Brandon White 232 yards 4 TD' s

Ed's 45 Midpark 14  running clock

Ed's plays 2& 3 rd team's great team performance

Ed's, Mentor, McKinley & Whitmer all in final 4 region 1 as expected

Division 1
Region 1:
Lakewood St. Edward def. Berea-Midpark, 45-14
Mentor def. Massillon Jackson, 52-6
Canton McKinley def. Medina, 30-7
Toledo Whitmer def. Perrysburg, 17-3
Region 2:
Troy def. Hilliard Bradley, 23-22
Middletown def. Lebanon, 31-0
Springfield def. Springboro, 21-3
Huber Heights Wayne def. Findlay, 34-10
Region 3:
Pickerington Central def. Groveport Madison, 42-7
Olentangy Orange def. Olentangy Berlin, 43-14
Olentangy Liberty def. Olentangy, 17-0
Upper Arlington def. Pickerington North, 30-27
Region 4:
Cincinnati Elder def. Fairfield, 27-7
Cincinnati St. Xavier def. Lakota East, 42-7
Cincinnati Moeller def. Lakota West, 33-14
Cincinnati Princeton def. Cincinnati Winton Woods, 23-22

Division 2
Region 5:
Akron Hoban def. Boardman, 38-0
Austintown-Fitch def. Uniontown Green, 28-25
Hudson def. Uniontown Lake, 14-12
Walsh Jesuit def. Nordonia, 49-18
Region 6:
North Ridgeville def. Anthony Wayne, 42-7
Medina Highland def. Brecksville-Broadview Heights, 38-7
Avon def. Olmsted Falls, 46-13
Wadsworth def. Toledo St. Francis, 34-6
Region 7:
Columbus DeSales def. Ashland, 33-29
Massillon Washington def. North Canton Hoover, 62-7
Big Walnut def. Walnut Ridge, 43-0
Canal Winchester def. Westerville South, 28-21
Region 8:
Harrison def. Kings, 35-31
Cincinnati LaSalle def. Xenia, 14-7
Trotwood-Madison def. Lima Senior, 55-12
Cincinnati Anderson def. Cincinnati Withrow, 29-6