One last battle is on the docket before the postseason picture freezes into place.
Area high school football squads will play their 10th and last regular season contest, with all but Bellefontaine doing so in front of the home fans.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association has made the playoff field 12 teams in each region. It has been 16 for the past four years.
The top four seeds receive a first-round bye, with the first three rounds being hosted by the higher seed.
In the first round, the matchups are #12 vs. #5; #11 against #6, #10 going up against #7, and the #9 and #8 teams meeting.
Bellefontaine (3-1 CBC, 5-4 overall) at Jonathan Alder (3-1 CBC, 8-1 overall)
Bellefontaine has won two in a row, and three out of four down the stretch, all by close margins.
In the OHSAA computer rankings, they are 13th in Region 12 of Division III.
Archbishop McNicholas is 11th and Wilmington 12th, and both are 5-4 as well.
Bellefontaine coach Jason Brown said that “we are really excited to play” and that this is a continuation of the focus and intensity in recent contests.
“The magnitude is not any different than the last couple of weeks,” Brown said. “This is a great opportunity that’s well deserved for the players.”
Brown noted that as the season has progressed, the players have been committed and working to improve each day.
He said the senior class has been part of special moments and is now being asked to make plays on the field, “and they have answered the bell,” said Brown.
The coach also noted that the staff has worked to adjust lineups and matchups due to some injuries. “They have put the kids in ways to be successful and help them find a way to shine,” Brown said.
Offensive leaders for Bellefontaine are quarterback Reign St. Clair (164 of 249, 1,696 yards, 9 TD); running back Bryant Carter (69 carries, 318 yards, 1 TD); and receivers Spencer Stolly (54-472, 3 TD); Sutton Daring (37-322, 3 TD); Kaiden Foulk (25-312); and Patrick Stolly (23-285, 2 TD).
For the defense, the leaders in tackles are Daring (56), Foulk (55), Karsen Drake (54) and Blake Loomis (51).
They have recovered eight fumbles and made nine interceptions.
Jonathan Alder is coming off a narrow 35-33 win over Kenton Ridge last Friday.
Their only loss is to Kenton Trail Division leader London two weeks ago.
They are ranked third in Region 15 of Division IV.
In CBC play, their wins have been over North Union (42-23, Shawnee (55-20), Tecumseh (31-7) and Urbana (28-21).
Quarterback Brock Hughes has completed 169 of 227 passes for 1,975 yards on the year, with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The big man on the ground is Cashton Wheeler, who has 1,002 yards on 154 carries with 11 scores.
Hughes has spread the ball around to receivers Trey Bentley (87-809, 9 TD); Wheeler (26-497, 7 TD); Ben McCain (22-250; 2 TD); and Chase Muetzel (18-265, 1 TD).
Leaders for the Pioneers’ defense are Caleb Wiltshire (76), Braxton Overmyer (59), Ben Petzinger (53) and Cody Yates (52).
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Northwestern (1-3 CBC, 4-5) at Indian Lake (4-0 CBC, 7-2)
Indian Lake is currently the top ranked team in Region 20 of Division V, and has clinched a share of the Mad River division title.
They rallied for a win over Graham 24-21 last Friday, and have division wins over North Union (17-14), Shawnee (45-0), and Ben Logan (17-14), as well as Bellefontaine (45-21) in crossover play.
Leaders for the Lakers’ offense are QB Brady Golliday (140 of 215; 1,700 yards; 16 TD passing) and 103 carries for 449 yards rushing; running back Noah Shirk (129 carries; 838 yards; 14 TD) and receivers Brodey Reisinger (62-836, 11 TD); Colin Bendler (34-340, 4 TD) and Gavin Henry (24-281, 1 TD).
Aaron Rapp leads in tackles with 101, with Shirk (68), Wyatt Whitsett (67) and Reisinger (59) contributing heavily.
They have recovered two fumbles and made four interceptions.
The Warriors will try to bounce back from a 48-0 loss to Ben Logan last Friday.
Two wins came in nonconference play, with the others being over Tecumseh (42-20) and Shawnee (28-13).
Quaterback Ried Smith is 133 of 234 for 1,588 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also has 128 carries for 524 yards and 10 scores on the ground.
Rennen Smith has 72 rushes for 314 yards and seven TDs, as well as 46 receptions for 497 yards and one score.
The top receivers are Mason McDermott (47-633; 5 TD) and Ty Romine (18-188; 2 TD).
Rennen Smith (81 tackles), Tyler Hornberger (71) and Xander Stacey (62) lead the defense.
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Mechanicsburg (3-1 OHC, 7-2) at West Liberty-Salem (2-2 OHC, 5-4)
West Liberty-Salem is still in the playoff picture, slipping from 10th last week to 11th this week, also in Region 20. which was due to a 20-7 loss to West Jefferson.
In the OHC North, they have beaten Fairbanks (42-0) and Triad (42-7), and lost to Northeastern (27-24).
If they maintain their ranking, they would face the #6 seed. That is currently Graham (7-2).
Tigers QB Beckett Sullivan has thrown for 1,037 yards (82-146) with 12 touchdowns. The other leaders on offense are RBs Corbin Wallace (159-755, 8 TD) and Silas Krabill (37-171, 1 TD) and receivers Reese Oder (38-467, 4 TD); Isaac Sertell (10-183; 3 TD); and Dustin Bolton (10-102, 1 TD).
Tackles have been rung up by Sam Strapp (78), Krabill (36) Aiden Hull (30) and Bolton (30).
They have recovered five fumbles and made five interceptions.
The Indians play in Division VI, and are presently third in Region 24.
After a split in non conference games, they had won six in a row. They got big wins over Southeastern (54-0), Madison Plains (58-13), Greeneview (42-6), Triad (62-0), and Fairbanks (41-7) before edging West Jefferson 21-14.
Last week, they fell to Northeastern 52-26.
Conley Bogard is 130 of 194 for 2,017 yards at quaterback, with 25 touchdowns and four picks.
The top rushers are Denver Caudill (60-414, 6 TD) and Aidan O’Neal (54-261, 5 TD), while catching the passes will be Austin Haynes (43-674, 12 TD); Conner Eyink (35-631, 6 TD); and Matthew Davis (22-418, 4 TD).
Defensive leaders are O’Neal (64 tackles), Caudill (59) and Camryn Runyon (57).
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Shawnee (0-4 CBC, 0-9) at Ben Logan (1-3 CBC, 4-5)
Ben Logan will look to finish the regular season at .500 with a win over Shawnee.
The Raiders are right on the edge in Region 14 of Division IV, ranked 12th.
That would send them to a first round matchup with #5 Bay if both teams stay in the current spots.
Ben Logan blew out Northwestern to halt a three-game losing streak last Friday.
The other CBC results were crossover wins over Urbana (41-24) and Tecumseh (37-12) and a loss to Bellefontaine (28-10) and defeats to Graham (26-21), North Union (14-13) and Indian Lake (17-14) in the Mad River.
They have been led by QB Wyatt Predmore (63-111, 750 yards, 4 TD) in passing and 107 for 649 with six touchdowns rushing, along with Diesel Baughman (93-626, 8 TD); Jordan Pender (92-441, 3 TD); Alex Hassell (39-160, 9 TD) on the ground and Cayden Brown (23-400, 2 TD), Hassell (13-118), Brandon Heater (10-119) and Andrew Frederick (9-122) in the air.
Bringing opponents down have been Everett Clapsaddle (79), Cooper Buck (74), Ashton Whitt (65) and Hayden Hites (65).
The Braves are hoping to avoid a winless season. They have fallen to Tecumseh, Kenton Ridge and Jonathan Alder in crossover games, then Northwestern (28-13), Indian Lake (45-0), Graham (42-7) and North Union (48-14) in the Mad River.
They will rely on QB Derek Boehmer (153-251, 1,570 yards, 11 TD); running backs Zain DeWeese (69-241, 2 TD) and Julian Dixon (34-161, 1 TD) and receivers Braylon Haddock (35-365, 1 TD); DeWeese (28-307, 3 TD); and Dixon (32-367).
Top tacklers are DeWeese (76), Caleb Coppess (54) and Dixon (43).
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Miami East (6-0 TRC, 8-1) at Riverside (3-3 TRC, 4-5)
The Pirates are still in the chase in Region 28 of Division VII. They are presently 14th, with Manchester at #12 and Fort Recovery at #13.
Last week saw the Pirates fall to Lehman Catholic 38-31.
The conference wins have been over Milton-Union (28-23) Bethel (21-16) and Troy Christian (34-0), with the other losses to Covington (34-6) and Northridge (27-9).
Brody Orsborne (40-97, 674 yds; 3 TD) has thrown to Tony Robinson (11-251, 1 TD); Gunner Carpenter (9-101) and Justin Mazariegos (9-141, 1 TD). He has handed it off to Carpenter (137-666, 9 TD); Robinson (123-636, 8 TD) and Dylan Trimble (87-563).
The defense is led by Grady Jenkins (98), Gabe Steineman (59) and Robinson (46), with 10 recovered fumbles and four interceptions.
Miami East sits in first place in the Three Rivers Conference at 6-0. Those wins were over Covington (22-21), Bethel (41-0), Northridge (44-8), Lehman (51-32), Milton-Union (31-7) and Troy Christian (42-14). The only loss was in week two to Carlisle (25-18).
KJ Gustin has thrown for 1,834 yards (112-176) with 25 TDs and seven interceptions, and has also run 77 times for 527 yards (7 TDs).
Garrett Fine leads the rushers (127-479, 4 TD) along with Zander Frasher (47-254, 3 TD), while the big pass catchers are Lincoln Littlejohn (40-496, 7 TD); and Jack Hamaker (36-900, 14 TD).
Evan Maxson has 117 tackles and Brandon Stone 101.
