ASHLAND — A big-time college recruit quarterback vs. a big-time college coach’s son.
That’s one of the interesting matchups on Friday when the Ashland Arrows (10-1) travel to play Columbus St. Francis DeSales (8-2) in the second round of the Division II, Region 7 football playoffs.
Ashland senior quarterback Nathan Bernhard, headed to play at Appalachian State next season, will match throws against junior R.J. Day, whose dad, Ryan, is busy on Saturdays coaching the nation’s No. 1-ranked college team at Ohio State.
Day is rated a three-star quarterback prospect and is ranked No. 18 out of the state of Ohio and 54th among signal callers in the 2027 class.
The 5-foot-11, 203-pound Day has college offers from Syracuse and Boston College, as well as Mid-American Conference schools like Akron, Bowling Green and Miami.
It’s also a rematch of last year’s second-round game when the Arrows hosted the Stallions and left Community Stadium with a 27-14 victory.
DeSales, which had a bye in the first round, will again post a formidable threat with its only losses coming to 9-1 Hamilton Badin and 9-0 Columbus Bishop Watterson. The Stallions have won four in a row, including a 23-21 victory against Columbus Bishop Hartley in Week 10.
Ashland advanced to Week 12 with a 56-21 against Mount Vernon.
Bernhard and the Arrows certainly attracted the attention of DeSales head coach Ryan Wiggins in November 2024.
“They controlled the ball and limited our chances,” he said after the game. “You can tell they have good chemistry; they play together well.
“I was really worried about (Bernhard) because he can do it all,” Wiggins said. “Do you try to stop the run? Do you try to drop extra guys in coverage? It just seems to me that he can take about anything the defense is giving him.
“I think he’s as good as we’ve seen,” Wiggins said last year.
Last Friday against Mount Vernon, Bernhard scored the 50th rushing touchdown of his career and tied a school record with six touchdown passes. He was 18-of-24 for 327 yards, also surpassing 600 career completions and 10,500 career yards of offense.
Hillsdale hosts Conotton Valley on Friday
Hillsdale (9-1), the top seed in Division VII, Region 27, got a bye in the first round.
The week off gave the Falcons time to recover from a 24-17 loss in Week 10 to Division V Norwayne (8-2), a loss that cost Hillsdale the Wayne County Athletic League title.
Hillsdale will lost No. 8-seed Conotton Valley (8-3) on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Rockets from Harrison County hosted and defeated Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans (6-5) in Week 11, outscoring their opponent, 78-46.
It was the fourth time Conotton Valley scored 50 or more points during the season and came a week after the Rockets put up 66 points in Week 10 against Mathews.
Statewide playoff pairings
DIVISION I
Region 1
No. 8 Berea-Midpark (7-4) at No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward (8-2)
No. 7 Massillon Jackson (6-5) at No. 2 Mentor (10-0)
No. 11 Medina (4-7) at No. 3 Canton McKinley (8-2)
No. 5 Perrysburg (9-2) at No. 4 Toledo Whitmer (8-2)
Region 2
No. 8 Lebanon (8-3) at No. 1 Middletown (8-2)
No. 7 Hilliard Bradley (6-5) at No. 2 Troy (8-2)
No. 6 Huber Heights Wayne (7-4) at No. 3 Findlay (6-4)
No. 5 Springfield (7-4) at No. 4 Springboro (7-3)
Region 3
No. 8 Delaware Olentangy Berlin (6-5) at No. 1 Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (10-0)
No. 10 Groveport Madison (6-5) at No. 2 Pickerington Central (9-1)
No. 6 Upper Arlington (9-2) at No. 3 Pickerington North (9-1)
No. 5 Powell Olentangy Liberty (7-4) at No. 4 Lewis Center Olentangy (8-2)
Region 4
No. 8 Fairfield (6-5) at No. 1 Cincinnati Elder (10-0)
No. 7 West Chester Lakota West (7-4) at No. 2 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (7-3)
No. 6 Liberty Township Lakota East (8-3) at No. 3 Cincinnati St. Xavier (7-2)
No. 5 Cincinnati Winton Woods (9-2) at No. 4 Cincinnati Princeton (8-2)
DIVISION II
Region 5
No. 9 Youngstown Boardman (6-5) at No. 1 Akron Archbishop Hoban (8-1)
No. 7 Macedonia Nordonia (8-3) at No. 2 Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (8-1)
No. 11 Uniontown Green (6-5) at No. 3 Austintown Fitch (8-1)
No. 5 Hudson (9-2) at No. 4 Uniontown Lake (7-3)
Region 6
No. 8 Brecksville-Broadview Heights (7-4) at No. 1 Medina Highland (10-0)
No. 7 Toledo St. Francis de Sales (7-4) at No. 2 Wadsworth (10-0)
No. 6 Olmsted Falls (7-4) at No. 3 Avon (9-1)
No. 5 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (7-4) at No. 4 North Ridgeville (9-1)
Region 7
No. 8 Columbus Walnut Ridge (8-3) at No. 1 Sunbury Big Walnut (9-1)
No. 7 Ashland (10-1) at No. 2 Columbus St. Francis DeSales (8-2)
No. 6 North Canton Hoover (9-2) at No. 3 Massillon Washington (7-3)
No. 5 Westerville South (9-2) at No. 4 Canal Winchester (9-1)
Region 8
No. 8 Cincinnati Withrow (9-2) at No. 1 Cincinnati Anderson (10-0)
No. 7 Harrison (8-3) at No. 2 Kings Mills Kings (9-1)
No. 6 Lima Senior (9-2) at No. 3 Trotwood-Madison (6-3)
No. 5 Cincinnati La Salle (8-3) at No. 4 Xenia (8-2)
DIVISION III
Region 9
No. 8 Chagrin Falls Kenston (7-4) at No. 1 Canfield (9-1)
No. 10 Geneva (9-2) at No. 2 Cuyahoga Falls CVCA (9-0)
No. 6 Akron East (9-2) at No. 3 Gates Mills Hawken (8-2)
No. 12 Maple Heights (8-3) at No. 4 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (8-1)
Region 10
No. 8 St. Marys Memorial (8-3) at No. 1 Medina Buckeye (10-0)
No. 7 Lima Shawnee (8-3) at No. 2 Wapakoneta (10-0)
No. 6 Toledo Central Catholic (7-4) at No. 3 Lexington (9-1)
No. 5 Rocky River (9-2) at No. 4 Richfield Revere (8-2)
Region 11
No. 8 Granville (8-3) at No. 1 Columbus Bishop Watterson (9-0)
No. 7 Carroll Bloom-Carroll (8-3) at No. 2 Newark Licking Valley (10-0)
No. 6 Delaware Buckeye Valley (9-2) at No. 3 Steubenville (7-2)
No. 5 Columbus Hamilton Township (9-2) at No. 4 Dresden Tri-Valley (8-2)
Region 12
No. 8 Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (7-4) at No. 1 London (10-0)
No. 7 Oxford Talawanda (10-1) at No. 2 Tipp City Tippecanoe (10-0)
No. 6 Kettering Archbishop Alter (8-3) at No. 3 Hamilton Badin (9-1)
No. 5 Washington Court House Miami Trace (10-1) at No. 4 Jackson (8-2)
DIVISION IV
Region 13
No. 8 Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (8-3) at No. 1 Perry (8-2)
No. 10 Salem (7-4) at No. 2 Cleveland Glenville (7-3)
No. 6 Streetsboro (9-2) at No. 3 Mentor Lake Catholic (8-2)
No. 5 Norton (10-1) at No. 4 Beloit West Branch (9-1)
Region 14
No. 9 Orrville (7-4) at No. 1 Shelby (10-0)
No. 10 Lodi Cloverleaf (7-4) at No. 2 Galion (9-1)
No. 6 Sandusky Perkins (8-3) at No. 3 Napoleon (8-2)
No. 5 Bellevue (8-3) at No. 4 Lima Bath (8-2)
Region 15
No. 8 Lancaster Fairfield Union (7-4) at No. 1 New Lexington (9-1)
No. 7 Circleville (8-3) at No. 2 Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (9-0)
No. 11 Johnstown (8-3) at No. 3 Plain City Jonathan Alder (9-1)
No. 5 Columbus East (10-1) at No. 4 Chillicothe Unioto (10-0)
Region 16
No. 8 Washington Court House Washington (6-5) at No. 1 Cincinnati Indian Hill (10-0)
No. 7 Cincinnati Wyoming (10-1) at No. 2 Germantown Valley View (9-1)
No. 6 Brookville (10-1) at No. 3 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (9-1)
No. 5 Clarksville Clinton-Massie (10-1) at No. 4 Cincinnati Taft (10-0)
DIVISION V
Region 17
No. 8 Canfield South Range (7-4) at No. 1 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (7-2)
No. 7 Akron Manchester (8-3) at No. 2 Girard (10-0)
No. 6 Youngstown Liberty (9-2) at No. 3 Poland Seminary (8-2)
No. 5 St. Clairsville (8-3) at No. 4 Garrettsville Garfield (8-2)
Region 18
No. 9 Oak Harbor (9-2) at No. 1 Liberty Center (10-0)
No. 7 Fairview Park Fairview (9-2) at No. 2 Wooster Triway (9-1)
No. 11 Port Clinton (7-4) at No. 3 Genoa Area (9-1)
No. 5 Findlay Liberty-Benton (11-0) at No. 4 Creston Norwayne (8-2)
Region 19
No. 9 McConnelsville Morgan (8-3) at No. 1 Wheelersburg (10-0)
No. 10 Chillicothe Zane Trace (9-2) at No. 2 Gahanna Columbus Academy (8-2)
No. 11 Belmont Union Local (8-3) at No. 3 Nelsonville-York (10-0)
No. 5 Portsmouth (8-3) at No. 4 Barnesville (8-2)
Region 20
No. 8 Richwood North Union (7-4) at No. 1 Williamsburg (10-0)
No. 7 Camden Preble Shawnee (10-1) at No. 2 Lewistown Indian Lake (8-2)
No. 11 Cincinnati Mariemont (7-4) at No. 3 Casstown Miami East (9-1)
No. 5 Carlisle (9-2) at No. 4 St. Paris Graham (8-2)
DIVISION VI
Region 21
No. 8 Wickliffe (9-2) at No. 1 Kirtland (10-0)
No. 7 Sugarcreek Garaway (8-2) at No. 2 Columbiana Crestview (10-0)
No. 6 Dalton (8-3) at No. 3 Columbia Station Columbia (9-1)
No. 5 Smithville (9-2) at No. 4 Hanoverton United (9-1)
Region 22
No. 9 Carey (7-4) at No. 1 Castalia Margaretta (9-1)
No. 10 Collins Western Reserve (9-2) at No. 2 Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (9-1)
No. 6 Attica Seneca East (8-3) at No. 3 Archbold (8-2)
No. 5 Sherwood Fairview (10-1) at No. 4 Paulding (10-0)
Region 23
No. 9 West Lafayette Ridgewood (9-2) at No. 1 Centerburg (9-1)
No. 10 Caldwell (8-3) at No. 2 Beverly Fort Frye (8-1)
No. 6 Toronto (10-1) at No. 3 West Jefferson (9-1)
No. 5 North Robinson Colonel Crawford (10-1) at No. 4 Mount Gilead (9-1)
Region 24
No. 9 Portsmouth West (6-5) at No. 1 New Madison Tri-Village (10-0)
No. 7 Ironton Rock Hill (7-4) at No. 2 Springfield Northeastern (9-1)
No. 6 Anna (8-3) at No. 3 Mechanicsburg (8-2)
No. 5 Coldwater (7-4) at No. 4 St. Bernard Elmwood Place (9-1)
DIVISION VII
Region 25
No. 8 Warren JFK (6-5) at No. 1 McDonald (10-0)
No. 7 East Canton (9-2) at No. 2 Fairport Harbor Fairport Harding (10-0)
No. 6 East Palestine (8-3) at No. 3 Mogadore (9-1)
No. 5 Malvern (7-4) at No. 4 Monroeville (8-2)
Region 26
No. 8 Edon (9-2) at No. 1 Lima Central Catholic (9-1)
No. 7 Pandora-Gilboa (8-3) at No. 2 North Baltimore (10-0)
No. 6 Sycamore Mohawk (9-2) at No. 3 Leipsic (9-1)
No. 5 Gibsonburg (8-3) at No. 4 Columbus Grove (7-3)
Region 27
No. 8 Bowerston Conotton Valley (8-3) at No. 1 Jeromesville Hillsdale (9-1)
No. 7 Strasburg-Franklin (8-3) at No. 2 Waterford (8-2)
No. 11 Danville (6-5) at No. 3 Lancaster Fisher Catholic (8-2)
No. 12 Glouster Trimble (7-4) at No. 4 Willow Wood Symmes Valley (8-2)
Region 28
No. 8 Sidney Lehman Catholic (10-1) at No. 1 Maria Stein Marion Local (10-0)
No. 10 New Bremen (7-4) at No. 2 St. Henry (9-1)
No. 11 Cedarville (6-5) at No. 3 Cincinnati Country Day (9-1)
No. 12 Fort Recovery (6-5) at No. 4 Beaver Eastern (10-0)