The higher-seeded teams will continue hosting games until the regional finals move to neutral sites on Nov. 21.
Here are five things to know heading into the second round of the high school football playoffs:
Refreshed and ready
The new OHSAA playoff format awarded byes to 15 area teams last week. Those groups begin their playoff journeys Friday.
Coaches overwhelmingly agree having a week off heading into the postseason is a benefit for their teams. The only data on record in Ohio shows it to be true.
The COVID-19 affected 2020 campaign is the lone previous season teams received byes during the postseason. Division I had a full 64-team field, and Divisions II-VII featured 20-plus teams in each region that required multiple byes for the top seeds. The playoffs began after six games that season instead of a full 10-game schedule. Coaches also voted on a seed list rather than the OHSAA using the Harbin point system.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The team playing after the week off went 127-22, an 85 percent win rate, not counting forfeited games in 2020. Compare that to a 70 percent win rate for the higher seed in the 2024 second round without the benefit of a bye.
The most common upset that year came in 6 vs 11 matchups. The majority of wins by the lower seed finished within one score.
Familiar matchups
Several rematches will take place this week.
No. 5 Springfield (7-4) plays at No. 4 Springboro (7-3) in a D-I, Region 2 replay. The two teams met during Week 6 in Greater Western Ohio Conference play. The Wildcats won 14-7 at CareFlight Field and have defeated the Panthers in all seven meetings since 2018.
No. 6 Alter (8-3) will meet a familiar opponent for the second straight week when it travels to No. 3 Badin (9-1) in D-III, Region 12 play. Badin won 28-14 during Week 9 at home.
No. 2 St. Henry (9-1) and No. 10 New Bremen (7-4) also met in Week 9 and will do so again in a D-VII, Region 28 game. The Redskins won 20-0 three weeks ago.
Other games will feature two teams squaring off in the postseason for the second straight year.
No. 2 Tippecanoe (10-0) and No. 7 Talawanda (10-1) in Region 12 will meet in a rematch from the first round last season. Tipp won 49-12 that night.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The same goes for the D-IV, Region 16 game between No. 6 Brookville (10-1) and No. 3 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (9-1). Brookville won in overtime last season.
No. 5 Coldwater (7-4) and No. 4 St. Bernard-Elmwood Place (9-1) meet again in D-VI, Region 24 after the Cavaliers won 42-0 in the regional semifinals a year ago.
On the other end, No. 8 Lebanon (8-3) and No. 1 Middletown (8-2) in Region 2 will meet on the gridiron for the first time in over a century despite being separated by 13 miles.
Will the streak continue?
No. 8 Lehman Catholic (10-1) snapped a long losing streak against Midwest Athletic Conference opponents by defeating Delphos St. John’s in its opening game this season. The Cavaliers next game against the MAC in the Region 28 playoffs tasks them with attempting to end the longest winning streak in America.
No. 1 Marion Local’s 74-game win streak is the seventh longest-winning streak of all-time. The Flyers (10-0) are outscoring opponents by 30 points per game and have produced a running clock in more than half of its contests, but also have three one-point wins.
Seniors Turner Lachey and Evan O’Leary of the Cavaliers lead the nation as the top passer and receiver, according to MaxPreps. Lachey has thrown for 4,724 yards. O’Leary gained 2,422 receiving yards on 136 receptions with 26 touchdowns.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Safe travels
Some teams will be able to watch feature films during their trips to Friday’s games. Two of the longest drives see teams traveling nearly three hours to their second round opponents.
No. 9 Portsmouth West (6-5) will make the long trek from the Ohio River to the Indiana border to play at No. 1 Tri-Village (10-0) in Region 24. No. 12 Fort Recovery (6-5) will be heading nearly 180 miles in the opposite direction to play No. 4 Beaver Eastern (10-0) in Region 28.
No. 7 Ironton Rock Hill (7-4) has a nearly two hour and 30-minute drive to Springfield to play No. 2 Northeastern (9-1) in Region 24.
Other teams traveling at least 90 minutes include No. 6 Wayne (7-4) at No. 3 Findlay (6-4) in Region 2, No. 6 Lima Senior (9-2) at No. 3 Trotwood (6-3) in D-II, Region 8, and Coldwater at St. Bernard-Elmwood Place.
Ticket information, streaming options
Playoff ticket prices are $12 for adults and $5 for students. All children 5-and-under are free. All tickets are available at ohsaa.org/tickets.
Several local games will be available to stream on the Spectrum News 1 or OHSAA websites.
Two area games will be televised live on Spectrum News 1, including Lima Senior at Trotwood in the Dayton market and Winton Woods at Princeton in the Cincinnati market.
Five area games — Wayne at Findlay, Lakota East at St. Xavier, Lakota West at Moeller, La Salle at Xenia, Alter at Badin — will be available to stream at spectrumnews1.com and OHSAA.tv. Spectrum customers can stream on the Spectrum News App or SpectrumNews1.com or games can be purchased for $10 at OHSAA.tv.
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