Intriguing matchups are the rule in central Ohio, not the exception, now that we have reached the regional semifinals of the high school football playoffs.
In Division I, Region 2, Dublin Coffman and Olentangy Berlin meet for the first time. In Division I, Region 3, Gahanna Lincoln squares off against Upper Arlington and Pickerington North faces Hilliard Bradley.
In Division III, Region 11, Watterson gets a chance for redemption against Bloom-Carroll.
Here are five things to watch in the regional semifinals:
1. Hilliard Bradley, Pickerington North have similar strengths
Bradley coach Mike LoParo anticipates a showdown between teams with more similarities than differences when his second-seeded Jaguars (11-1) meet No. 3 North (11-1) in a Region 3 semifinal at DeSales.
“We’re pretty athletic at the skill positions … (and) very savvy, but this might be the first time we’re running into a team that can match that,” LoParo said. “They will get in man-to-man and just say, ‘We’re taking you away, can you beat us?’ Their front applies a lot of pressure right away. We have to do a good job of getting them blocked and giving (quarterback) Bradyn (Fleharty) some time to read what’s happening and get the ball out. And we have to run the ball at least a little bit to keep them honest.”
Fleharty has passed for 2,431 yards with 28 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 1,171 yards and 14 scores to lead an offense averaging 28.5 points. His North counterpart, fellow senior Landon O’Connell, has 1,842 yards passing, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Panthers, who have three receivers with 400 yards or more and two active running backs with between 500 and 800 yards, average 34.5 points and give up 17.5, 2.9 more than Bradley.
The winner plays top-seeded Gahanna or No. 4 Upper Arlington in the regional final.
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2. Dublin Coffman, Olentangy Berlin set for first matchup
In its sixth season, Berlin’s first matchup against Coffman comes in a Region 2 semifinal at Westerville Central.
Second-seeded Berlin, which has never reached a regional final, has won 11 consecutive games since opening the season with a 20-13 loss to Bradley.
Sixth-seeded Coffman (9-3) is on a three-game winning streak and has a second consecutive contest against an Olentangy school district team after beating Liberty 17-14 last week.
The winner plays top-seeded Olentangy or 12th-seeded Springfield in the regional final. Springfield won Region 2 each of the past four seasons.
Berlin might be without one of its top players in quarterback Harrison Brewster, a first-team all-district honoree who was injured in the first quarter of a 23-7 win over 10th-seeded Perrysburg last week. Brewster was replaced by linebacker Aiden Eviston, who passed for 187 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 59 yards.
Brewster’s status for Friday is unclear. He has passed for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 1,066 yards and 16 scores.
“It’s the best defense we’ve seen all year,” Coffman coach Geron Stokes said. “They’re tough, physical, well coached, a really good football team. … We have our work cut out for us big time this week.”
For Coffman, Quinn Hart has completed 148 of 236 passes for 1,519 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions and rushed for 974 yards and 12 scores on 204 carries. Daven White has run for 738 yards and two scores on 173 carries.
“We don’t roll … out there Friday with a bunch of Division I offers, but we have guys that play for one another and that’s been our strength all season,” Berlin coach Mark Nori said.
3. Watterson, Bloom-Carroll prep for rematch
When top-seeded Watterson (11-1) takes on fifth-seeded Bloom-Carroll (10-2) in a Region 11 semifinal Friday at Teays Valley, it will be looking to avenge a 33-28 loss to the Bulldogs in the regional final a season ago.
The winner plays third-seeded Granville (12-0) or seventh-seeded Bellefontaine (10-2) for the regional title.
“We still think about last year’s game,” Watterson coach Brian Kennedy said. “You think about the losses. I think about some of the calls I wish I could have back. Nobody wants to lose their last game.”
‘Working for this all year’: Watterson football aims for Division III state title
For Watterson, A.J. McAninch has completed 178 of 281 passes for 2,528 yards with 31 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Jake Uhlenhake has 47 receptions for 822 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Zack Weber has rushed for 635 yards and nine scores on 129 carries.
“We practice the same, but obviously it’s a big game,” Bloom-Carroll coach Jeremy McKinney said. “They are an incredible football team, so we’re going to make sure we take care of business on our end.”
For Bloom-Carroll, Ethan Thanthanavong has completed 108 of 178 passes for 1,825 yards with 23 touchdowns and two interceptions. Dylan Armentrout has rushed for 1,267 yards and 16 scores on 168 carries, and Jayse Rockwood has 23 catches for 552 yards and seven scores.
The Bulldogs have “the most dangerous offense we’ve seen,” Kennedy said. “The quarterback is really good. He can sling the ball around. They have athletic guys in the backfield (and) at receiver. They have a big tight end (in Michael Stevenson) who can move really well and has a pretty big catch radius.”
4. Harvest Prep eager for Ironton rematch
Harvest Prep coach Milan Smith isn’t shy about wanting to go through top-seeded Ironton (11-1) to advance out of Division V, Region 19, and the fourth-seeded Warriors (10-1) get that opportunity Friday in Athens.
Ironton routed Harvest Prep 34-0 in last year’s regional final and defeated the Warriors 21-14 in the 2020 final.
“Given what we’ve gone through with Ironton — they’ve had our number — I’m not sure we’d be comfortable winning a regional championship without going through Ironton,” Smith said. “If you’re a process guy like I am, you embrace the process, and the current regional champion is Ironton. To be the best, you have to beat the best. There’s no other way we’d like it.”
Shaun Terry, who has 482 yards receiving, 385 yards rushing and 13 combined touchdowns, is perhaps the most well-rounded threat in an Ironton offense led first by quarterback Bailey Thacker (1,228 yards, 19 TDs) and in the playoffs by Braden Schreck. Schreck caught 18 passes for 334 yards and four scores in the regular season and has passed for 334 yards and nine touchdowns the past two weeks.
Two-way lineman Noah Patterson is an Eastern Michigan commit. Josh Johnson has returned two of his four interceptions for touchdowns.
Third-seeded Barnesville or No. 7 Wheelersburg awaits in the regional final.
5. Hartley preparing for Thornville Sheridan
Seeded third in Division IV, Region 15, the Hawks (10-2) will line up against a similar run-heavy team in No. 2 Sheridan (11-1) on Friday at Newark’s White Field.
Hartley has amassed 3,337 rushing yards to 985 through the air, and it will face a Sheridan team that ran for 318 yards and five touchdowns in the first half of last week’s 42-0 rout of No. 7 Gallipolis Gallia Academy. Justin Munyan’s 143 yards led the way.
Robert Lathon’s 1,543 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground lead Hartley. Quarterback Matt Galich has thrown for 986 yards and eight scores.
This will be the teams’ second meeting and first since 2020, when the Hawks edged the Generals 10-6 in a Region 11 semifinal.
The winner plays top-seeded Steubenville or 13th-seeded Gnadenhutten Indian Valley in the regional final.
2023-11-09 11:01:14
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