Six area high school football teams make playoffs
COLUMBUS ― The high school playoff website JoeEitel.com proved to be prophetic as usual, unofficially predicting late Friday night the destiny of the area's six qualifying football teams for Week 11.
Of the six teams covered by the Marion Star, only one will host a game Friday at 7 p.m. when No. 10 seed Definace Tinora (7-3) makes the long road trip to No. 7 Highland (7-3) in a Division V, Region 18 showdown.
Two of the Rams' three losses were to undefeated squads Liberty Center and Antwerp, while Highland saw its six-game winning streak snapped in Friday's Mid Ohio Athletic Conference championship game against Clear Fork. It is Highland's 11th playoff appearance and its fifth since 2017.
Marion County will be represented by two teams.
No. 14 River Valley (5-5) plays at No. 3 Sandusky Perkins (9-1) in a Division IV, Region 14 game, while No. 16 Elgin (5-5) goes to No. 1 Beverly Fort Frye (9-1) in a Division VI, Region 23 game. Both kick at 7 p.m. Friday.
The Vikings are making a ninth appearance in the playoffs including three straight. They enter the game with a three-game losing skid, while Perkins won the Sandusky Bay Conference's Lake Division.
Elgin is making a sixth playoff appearance. It went in 2020 when all Ohio schools were invited during the COVID-19 season, but this is its first earned bid since 2005. Fort Frye is 8-0 against teams from Ohio and five of its opponents are .500 or better. The Cadets also own wins over Division III schools Zanesville and John Glenn.
Mount Gilead (6-4) is making its first-ever playoff appearance and will be a No. 11 seed that plays No. 6 Worthington Christian (7-3) Friday at 7 p.m. The Indians were unable to field a team for the 2020 playoffs due to multiple coronavirus shutdowns that season.
Mount Gilead and the Warriors have two common opponents this season. The Indians lost to Centerburg 28-14 and Danville 19-8, while WC lost to Centerburg 34-28 and Danville 33-17.
No. 13 North Union (7-3) travels to No. 4 Coldwater (9-1) Friday at 7 p.m. for a Division V, Region 18 game. This is the ninth playoff appearance for the Wildcats and their third straight, while Coldwater is a perennial state power that suffered its first loss of the season in a Midwest Athletic Conference matchup with undefeated Marion Local 35-0 in Week 10.
Northmor (5-5) is a No. 14 seed and will play at No. 3 Bellaire (6-4) in a Division VI, Region 23 game that will be played Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Golden Knights are making a sixth playoff trip and its sixth in a row, while Bellaire is making its 17th appearance and its sixth since 2016.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Six area high school football teams make playoffs
