OHIO — After a rugged, 10-game regular season schedule, having an off week before the playoffs start seems like a good idea on the surface.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association football tournament went from 16 teams per region down to 12 this season, creating byes for the first time in history, outside of opt outs, forfeits or in 2020 when all schools that wanted to participate in the postseason got in.
However, high school football coaches are notoriously regimented, and many would prefer to keep the weekly routine going and not lose any momentum or focus.
Then there’s this—albeit from a very tiny sample size—to give pause to the head coaches of the 112 schools in Ohio that had an opening week bye in the postseason; in last year’s inaugural 12-team college football playoff, the four teams with first-round byes all lost in the quarterfinals.
For the glass half-full crowd, the bye represents a week off to rest and heal, before hosting a regional quarterfinal on your home field.
Spectrum News 1 will give you a home advantage, by presenting four live games Friday night, going to the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton markets.
WATCH LIVE (Friday 7 p.m.): Lima Senior vs. Trotwood (Dayton & Toledo)
For viewers in Dayton and Northwest Ohio, it’s a Division II, Region 8 battle between Lima Senior (9-2) and Trotwood (6-3).
The Spartans, a member of the Toledo City League, blew through the Glass City winning six league games by a cumulative score of 280-34. That momentum carried over into the first round of the playoffs, and a 62-20 win over Cincinnati Aiken.
Lima Senior’s two setbacks came at the hands of Findlay and Anthony Wayne, who are both still alive in the playoffs. The Spartans are seeking their first regional title since 1996, which ended with a Division I state championship win over St. Ignatius.
Trotwood won it all in 2019, 2017 and 2011, as head coach Jeff Graham is no stranger to postseason success. The Rams earned plenty of computer points (finishing fourth in Region 8) with wins over Division I opponents Cleveland Heights, Fairmont and Springfield.
Trotwood hasn’t played a game since Oct. 24, and while the Rams will be rested, they’ll have to guard against rust.
Additionally, Spectrum News 1 will broadcast 25 games on www.SpectrumNews1.com, with the following matchups:
Previous games from the season are also available on demand through our website.
The playoffs continue next Friday, Nov. 14, with live games in the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Dayton zones, and as many as 19 games available through the Spectrum News 1 website.
The excitement runs all the way through Dec. 4-6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, site of the OHSAA football championships, live on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News App.
Rob Kunz
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