EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part II in a 3-part series on Ohio high school football playoff expansion. Part I was published on Wednesday. Part III will publish on Friday.
JEROMESVILLE — Hillsdale reached the pinnacle of Ohio high school football last fall, taking its fans on a wild postseason ride that culminated with an appearance in the Division VII state championship game at Canton.
The Falcons fell to small-school juggernaut Marion Local in the final last December inside frosty Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. It was the Flyers’ fourth straight state championship and 64th consecutive victory.
Marion Local’s path back to Canton got off to an unusual start last fall, bringing the current playoff format into question.
The Flyers were the No. 1 seed in Region 28 and would have faced projected No. 16 seed Lockland in the opening round. Lockland (2-7) opted out of the postseason ahead of the release of the final official computer ratings, however, citing injuries to its already lean 17-man roster.
Lockland’s decision elevated No. 17 Cedarville (4-6) into the 16th spot in Region 28. Cedarville opted out, too, as did No. 18 New Miami (3-6), boosting No. 19 Fort Recovery (2-8) into the final playoff spot in Region 28.
“We are fortunate at Hillsdale to have a lot of kids interested in football, but there are small-school programs that only have 20 kids on their rosters. After the regular season, that number can be even lower,” said Hillsdale coach Trevor Cline, Ohio’s Division VII Coach of the Year.
“If you are a No. 16 seed going into the playoffs against a No. 1 seed and you barely have enough healthy bodies to field a team, then it becomes a safety issue.”
When the Ohio High School Athletic Association went to the 16-team regional format in 2021, the state’s high school football pundits worried what the opening round might look like.
Four year’s worth of data has confirmed their worst fears.
Top-seeded teams are a combined 111-1 against No. 16 seeds since 2021. The average margin of victory in those games is 38.5 points.
The closest first-round game in a 1 vs. 16 matchup last fall was decided by 21 points. It was one of just three first-round games decided by less than 30 points as the 2024 average margin of victory ballooned to 42 points, the highest in the four seasons of the 16-team playoff era.
Of the 28 No. 16 seeds spread across the seven enrollment divisions last fall, only eight had records of .500 or better. In four years, only 34 percent of No. 16 seeds (38 of 112) have been .500 or better.
Does the opportunity to experience the postseason outweigh the negative impacts of a lopsided first-round loss for an overmatched team?
That is the question coaches are asking themselves.
“I don’t think allowing 16 teams per region is too many in regards to getting kids the experience of playing in the playoffs,” new Madison coach Kobi Johnson said.
“I can also see where some schools might have some reservations about playing against a No. 1 seed.”
A 2013 Madison graduate, Johnson experienced the thrill of the postseason during his senior year. The Rams qualified as a No. 6 seed in the eight-team regional format and upset No. 3 Westlake on the road in the regional quarterfinals.
The journey ended when Madison fell to eventual Division II state champ Toledo Central Catholic in the Region 6 semifinals.
“That was an incredible experience,” Johnson said.
It was an opportunity Hillsdale’s Cline was denied. As a senior at Hillsdale in 2011, he quarterbacked the Falcons to a 9-1 record.
Hillsdale’s only loss that fall came in Week 10 against eventual Division IV state champ Norwayne, a game the Falcons led in the fourth quarter.
Hillsdale was one of three teams in the entire state to finish 9-1 that fall and not make the playoffs.
“That was tough,” Cline said. “A lot of people told us we were one of the best teams in our region that year.
“We just needed a chance.”
The Falcons got that chance in 2021, the first year of the 16-team format. Hillsdale was 6-4 in the regular season and qualified as the No. 12 seed in Region 21 of Division VI.
The Falcons won at Middlefield Cardinal in the opening round before losing to small-school powerhouse Mogadore in the regional quarterfinals.
“We feel when you play in the Wayne County Athletic League, if you get to the playoffs you have a chance to be successful,” Cline said. “We benefitted from the expanded playoffs that year and took advantage of it.
“Another benefit of the 16-team format is you can schedule some good teams in the non-conference because a loss doesn’t mean you won’t make the playoffs.”
Danville coach Matthew Blum agreed.
Wins by seed graph by News teamAll three of Danville’s non-conference games last fall were against playoff qualifiers, including northwest Ohio heavyweight Hopewell-Loudon. Danville was 2-1 in the non-conference and advanced to the Division VII state semifinals, where the Blue Devils fell to Cline and Hillsdale.
“I like 16 because it really allows you to be flexible with your out-of-conference scheduling,” said Blum, who is 26-7 with a regional championship and two regional runner-up finishes in his three seasons.
“To be honest, if we didn’t have 16, I would hesitate to schedule games like we did last year against Hopewell-Loudon or a school like Dalton (of the Wayne County Athletic League), who we have in Week 1 of 2026.
“If we don’t have the 16-team playoff, it really makes you think about who you schedule and the implications of a loss.”
Before arriving at Danville, Blum was an assistant at Canal Winchester. In 2018 Canal Winchester was 9-1 and finished ninth in Region 7 of Division II, one spot outside the playoffs.
“I truly believe we could have made a run if it was a 16-team playoff then,” Blum said. “A lot of people would like to see it go back to eight teams per region to make it special.
“The playoffs are special even if you have 16 teams per region. It’s not like we’re letting everyone in.”