Week 11: OHSAA football playoffs beckon
Five Tuscarawas County teams and seven more from the surrounding area have qualified for the OHSAA football playoffs, which begin on Friday.
The first two rounds will be played at home sites. Games will be played at neutral sites starting with the regional semifinals. All of the state championship games will be played Dec. 1-3 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
All games in the first two rounds will be played on Friday nights. Starting with the regional semifinals, Divisions I, II, III and V will be played on Friday and Divisions IV, VI and VII will be played on Saturday. All games will kick off at 7 p.m.
Teams earning top eight seeds and home games for this weekend were Indian Valley in Division IV, Region 15; Garaway in Division V, Region 17, and Newcomerstown in Division VI, Region 23.
More:Newcomerstown football feature
Dover and New Philadelphia open on the road, at Columbus DeSales in Division II and Canfield in Division III, respectively.
More:New Philadelphia, Dover open OHSAA football postseason on the road
Here is a preview of the games:
Philo vs. Indian Valley
Division IV, Region 15
The Braves (7-3) are the No. 4 seed and come in with six wins in their last seven games, and in those six wins they've outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points per game. Indian Valley has balance on offense, with RBs Gavin Henry (92 rushes, 862 yards, 15 TDs) and Grady Kinsey (89-816-8) providing the rushing yards and Sam Carter (64-of-103, 926 yards, 5 TDs) providing air support. The Braves' defense is led by Quake Beatty (117 tackles), Jaxon Burcher (91) and Breydan Parsons (86).
Philo (5-5), the No. 13 seed, is a member of the Muskingum Valley League. The Electrics' best win came against West Muskingum (8-2), 20-14, in Week 5. They also played Carrollton in Week 2, losing 14-7. Philo played five teams that qualified for the OHSAA postseason. The Electrics also balance the run and pass. QB Talon Preston scored three touchdowns in Week 10, a 28-14 win over Maysville, and completed 11-of-16 passes for 143 yards.
This is the fourth postseason meeting between the Braves and Electrics. Indian Valley defeated Philo 30-12 in the first round last season; they also met in 2013 (Indian Valley won) and 2017 (Philo won).
Smithville vs. Garaway
Division V, Region 17
The Pirates (10-0) are the No. 2 seed while Smithville (6-4), a member of the Wayne County Athletic League, is No. 15. Garaway, which extended its regular-season winning streak to 20 games with a 29-0 victory over Ridgewood in Week 10, posted shutouts in four of its last five games and six overall. The Pirates allowed just 34 points all season.
Offensively, the Pirates share the ball as well as anyone. Ethan Miller scored eight touchdowns, an average of once every 11 carries, and he had a team-best 487 yards. Dillon Soehnlen has 446 yards and four TDs, while QB Logan Yoder has 364 yards rushing (and nine TDs) and 1,682 yards and 20 TDs through the air. Jensen Garber (35-407-3) and Brady Roden (22-353-6) are the top targets.
Smithville enters 6-4 but didn't beat a team with more than three wins. A common opponent was Dalton, which defeated Smithville 35-7 two weeks after losing to Garaway 35-0.
Other games
Division IV, Region 14
Shelby at West Holmes
Division IV, Region 15
Philo at Indian Valley, 7 p.m.
Carrollton at Steubenville, 7 p.m.
Division V, Region 17
Orrville at Fairless, 7 p.m.
Ridgewood at Berkshire, 7 p.m.
Harrison Central at Norwayne, 7 p.m.
Division VI, Region 23
Malvern at Dawson-Bryant, 7 p.m.
Division VII, Region 25
Conotton Valley at Hillsdale, 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tuscarawas County Week 11 OHSAA high school football previews
