Divisions II-III OHSAA football previews: Westerville South to take on Uniontown Lake

Westerville South coach Matthew Christ and Uniontown Lake coach Dan DeGeorge agree that the Wildcats’ 32-10 win over the Blue Streaks in the first round of the Division II, Region 7 playoffs last season has little bearing on this year’s rematch.

The teams meet in a regional semifinal Nov. 11 at Dover, with the winner playing top-seeded Massillon Washington or fifth-seeded Big Walnut in the regional final Nov. 18 at a neutral site.

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“We talk all the time (about how) every year is a different team, a different group,” Christ said. “We won’t even talk about last year’s game. That team is totally different than last year’s team and vice versa. We’re certainly excited for the challenge. I think they’re the favorite. They’re the (No.) 2 seed and people are picking them, so that excites us as well. We enjoy being the underdogs.”

On Nov. 4, Lake improved to 11-1 with a 13-7 win over seventh-seeded DeSales and the third-seeded Wildcats moved to 11-1 with a 27-21 win over sixth-seeded North Canton Hoover.

DeGeorge said his team has improved from last season, mainly because of a more experienced defense that has allowed 12.5 points per game to 18.5 a year ago.

“Defense has been the big strength of our team this year,” DeGeorge said. “We’re giving up 12.5 a game and averaging 34 points. We’re very similar as far as our personnel from last year. We were starting seven sophomores last year. This year they’re juniors − they’re not sophomores anymore and they had a great offseason − so hopefully we’ll be a little bit more competitive versus South this year.”

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The Blue Streaks feature a balanced offense led by Matthew Sollberger (RB/LB), who has rushed for 1,213 yards and 14 touchdowns on 211 carries. Cale Jarvis (QB/DB) has completed 58 of 91 passes for 1,102 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions, and Dylan Snyder (WR/DB) has 26 receptions for 729 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“They’re very similar offensively from last season in that they’re big, they’re physical and they want to run the ball,” Christ said. “They have some athletes. They don’t throw the ball a lot, but it’s been big chunk plays for them when they do, a lot off of play action, so it’s going to take a great group effort on defense. Everybody has to be bought in and locked into their assignments.”

Lake features a 4-2-5 base defense led by Charlie Christopher (RB/LB), who has a team-high 109 tackles. Joseph Garro (RB/LB) has 94 tackles.

“They’re physical and they run to the ball,” Christ said. “They remind me of Big Walnut (and) Canal Winchester. Our passing game is going to be as important as our running game in having balance, which is what we’re always after from an offensive perspective.”

South's offense has been led by Nasir Phillips (RB/LB), the district Offensive Player of the Year who has rushed for 1,645 yards and 18 touchdowns on 238 carries. Quarterback Dominic Birtha has completed 98 of 183 passes for 1,371 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, and Jalen Wheeler (WR/DB) has 34 catches for 476 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, Dequante Rhodes-McKee (RB/LB) has a team-high 95.5 tackles, followed by Drew Goff (92.5, LB), Jordan Wheeler (63.5, WR/DB) and Dylan Shoemaker (60, LB).

“South is a very good football team,” DeGeorge said. “We learned that last year. We hung with them for the first half, but they really got after us in the second half. They do some really good things. They’ve played a tough schedule. They’ve beaten some really good teams, so we’re going to have our hands full. We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a dog fight because they have some really good players all over the place.”

No. 5 Big Walnut vs. No. 1 Massillon Washington

Big Walnut coach Rob Page knew his team would have to face Massillon at some point in the Division II, Region 7 playoffs.

The Golden Eagles and Tigers will meet in a regional semifinal for the second consecutive season Nov. 11 at Arlin Field in Mansfield.

“Whether it’s this week or next week, at some point, if you want to win our region, you've got to beat Massillon,” said Page, whose team lost 38-0 in last season’s game. “When you play a really good football team, you have to finish in the red zone. We had three trips to the red zone in the first half (last year) and came away with zero points.”

The Tigers are 10-1 after a 34-0 win over ninth-seeded Canal Winchester in a regional quarterfinal Nov. 4. Coach Nate Moore doesn’t put a lot of stock into last year’s matchup.

“(Big Walnut) is a really good football team and we’re excited to play them,” he said. “I don’t know that (playing them last year) matters much.”

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Big Walnut is 10-2 after a 35-21 win at fourth-seeded Watkins Memorial last week.

Nate Severs scored on a 5-yard run with 5:16 remaining to give the Eagles a 28-21 lead. They put the game away thanks to Tyon Fountain’s strip sack of Warriors quarterback Patrick Carney, as Garrett Stover (LB/RB) recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. The Eagles forced three turnovers.

For the season, Severs has 1,931 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns on 254 carries and Jake Nier is 151-for-235 passing for 1,858 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Nicky Pentello (WR/DB) has been a difference-maker in all phases for the Eagles. He has 485 yards receiving, 273 yards in kick returns, 196 yards in punt returns, 119 yards in interception returns and 10 total touchdowns. He has 45 tackles and six interceptions on defense.

Ethan Clawson (LB/TE) has 77 tackles and 27 tackles for loss, Stover has 76 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, Wes Skinner (DL/TE) has 20 tackles for loss and eight sacks and Fountain (DL) has 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

For the Tigers, Wiltrell Harston has 1,590 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns on 246 carries. Jalen Slaughter is 105-for-191 passing for 1,661 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions and Ardell Banks has 759 yards receiving and 11 scores on 35 receptions.

Linebacker Dorian Pringle has 52.5 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and two blocked kicks. Defensive lineman Mike Wright Jr. has 10 tackles for loss, linebacker Brandon Carman has 5.5 sacks and defensive lineman Chase Bond has two fumble recoveries.

“You maintain a consistent level of focus and effort,” Page said. “When your effort stays high for four quarters and the other team slips or makes an error, you have the ability to capitalize because of your effort. I think that’s something our guys have done a good job of (this season).”

—Michael Rich

Division III

No. 3 Watterson vs. No. 2 Jackson

The only previous times Watterson has won more than 11 games came in 1999 when it was a state runner-up, and then again in 2010 when it captured its second state title, earning 13 victories both times.

If the Eagles can beat Jackson in a Division III, Region 11 semifinal Nov. 11 at Chillicothe, they’ll become the third team in program history to surpass 11 victories in a season.

With a 41-22 victory over sixth-seeded London on Nov. 4 in a regional quarterfinal, Watterson improved to 11-1.

Jackson, meanwhile, is 10-2 after defeating seventh-seeded Granville 41-7 and can duplicate the 11-win seasons it put together in 2015 and 2019. The Ironmen lost in a regional final in 2015 and a regional semifinal in 2019.

In the only previous meeting between the programs, Jackson won 14-0 in a regional semifinal in 2015.

“Everybody’s really good that’s left (in the playoffs),” Watterson coach Brian Kennedy said. “This is probably the best team we’ll have played to date. They’re very comparable to Tiffin (Columbian, which we lost to 40-37 in Week 4). Across the board, they’re really good everywhere.”

Jackson’s two losses came to undefeated Ironton (29-26 on Aug. 26) and Dresden Tri-Valley (14-13 on Sept. 2).

The Watterson-Jackson winner will play top-seeded Thornville Sheridan or fifth-seeded Bloom-Carroll on Nov. 18 for the regional title.

The Eagles led London 21-14 at halftime before seizing control in the second half as sophomore running back Zack Weber had his best prep game offensively. He rushed for 168 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries.

It also was a memorable game for junior linebacker Dominic Purcell, who had a receiving touchdown and finished with 13.5 tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack.

Jackson’s offense features senior quarterback Jacob Winters, who has committed to Ohio University, and running back Cade Wolford, who had 109 yards on 24 carries as the Ironmen rushed for 241 yards overall against Granville.

“They run it 80 percent of the time,” Kennedy said. “Jackson runs two-back with a tight end and has more of a traditional running game. They’re big up front and their quarterback is a monster (at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds). They don't throw it a ton. ... We’ve seen a lot of good running teams and this is probably the best run team we’ve seen.”

—Jarrod Ulrey

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Ohio high school football playoff regional semifinal preview