The road to a state championship continues for several high school football teams across Stark, Carroll and Tuscarawas counties as the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs move into the second round Friday, Nov. 6.
Regional quarterfinal games will kick off at 7 p.m., with the winners advancing to the regional semifinals the following week.
Several local teams advanced with victories in Friday night’s opening round, while others earned first-round byes after securing one of the top four seeds in their respective regions.
Among the notable matchups, Canton McKinley will travel to Austintown Fitch, Massillon will host Columbus St. Francis DeSales, West Branch will welcome Poland and undefeated Indian Valley will begin its postseason against West Muskingum.
Dover, Claymont, Garaway, Newcomerstown and Strasburg-Franklin also advanced following opening-round victories.
Here is a breakdown of the second-round matchups involving local and surrounding-area teams:
Division I
Region 1
No. 7 Canton McKinley (8-3) at No. 2 Austintown Fitch (8-1)
No. 5 Hudson (8-3) at No. 4 Jackson (9-2)
Division II
Region 7
No. 7 Louisville (9-2) at No. 2 Sunbury Big Walnut (10-0)
No. 6 Columbus St. Francis DeSales (8-3) at No. 3 Massillon Washington (9-1)
Division III
Region 11
– No. 5 Dover (9-2) at No. 4 Athens (9-1)
Dover advanced after defeating Columbus South 41-7 in the opening round. The Crimson Tornadoes will look to extend their winning streak when they travel to Athens.
– No. 9 Jackson Ironmen (8-3) at No. 1 Steubenville Big Red (8-2)
Steubenville will open its postseason Friday night at Harding Stadium after earning a first-round bye as the region’s top seed. Big Red will host Jackson, which advanced to the regional quarterfinals with a 28-14 victory over Columbus Linden-McKinley. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Division IV
Region 13
No. 7 Northwest (9-2) at No. 2 Rocky River (10-0)
No. 8 Orrville (8-3) at No. 1 Streetsboro (8-2)
No. 11 Poland (7-4) at No. 3 West Branch (9-1)
Region 15
No. 8 West Muskingum (9-2) at No. 1 Indian Valley (9-0)
No. 5 Claymont (10-1) at No. 4 Johnstown-Monroe (8-2)
Indian Valley enters the second round undefeated after earning a first-round bye. The Braves will host West Muskingum, which advanced with a 35-14 victory over Philo.
Claymont secured its second-round appearance by defeating Beaver Local 30-12. The Mustangs will travel to Johnstown-Monroe, which also received a first-round bye.
Division V
Region 18
– No. 10 Coldwater (7-4) at No. 2 Triway (9-1)
Region 19
– No. 9 Ridgewood (7-4) at No. 1 Ironton
Ridgewood advanced with a 49-6 victory over Proctorville Fairland in the opening round. The Generals now face top-seeded Ironton.
Division VI
Region 21
No. 6 United Local (9-1) at No. 3 Columbia (9-1)
United Local will travel to face third-seeded Columbia in the regional quarterfinals Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles advanced with a victory over Warren John F. Kennedy in the opening round, improving to 9-1 on the season. United will look to continue its postseason run against Columbia, which earned a first-round bye. The winner will advance to the regional semifinals Nov. 13.
Region 23
No. 5 Newcomerstown (9-2) at No. 4 Monroe Central (7-3)
No. 7 Garaway (8-3) at No. 2 Nelsonville-York (9-1)
Newcomerstown earned its spot in the regional quarterfinals with a 38-22 victory over Centerburg.
Garaway advanced in convincing fashion, shutting out Marion Elgin 42-0. The Pirates will now travel to face second-seeded Nelsonville-York.
Division VII
Region 27
– No. 6 Strasburg-Franklin (8-3) at No. 3 Toronto (9-1)
Strasburg-Franklin continued its postseason run with a 56-21 victory over Frontier. The Tigers will face Toronto in the regional quarterfinals.
Road to the state championship
Under the OHSAA playoff format, the higher-seeded team hosts through the regional semifinals. Neutral sites will be used beginning with the regional championship games.
The remaining postseason schedule includes:
Nov. 6: Regional quarterfinals
Nov. 13: Regional semifinals
Nov. 20: Regional championships
Nov. 27: State semifinals
Dec. 3-5: State championship games
All seven state championship games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
Tickets for playoff games will be available through the OHSAA website at www.ohsaa.org/tickets.
