ASHLAND — Three Ashland County teams are in action Saturday night when the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s state high school football playoffs tee it up.
Undefeated Crestview is at home, while Mapleton has a huge challenge at Lucas, and Hillsdale travels to Middlefield Cardinal.
Here’s a closer look at each of those contests:
No. 15 Northwood (4-4) at No. 2 Crestview (10-0): The Rangers broke a two-game slide and secured a spot in the Division VI, Region 22 playoffs with a 49-48 win over fellow Region 22 playoff qualifier Oregon Cardinal Stritch.
The Cougars put the finishing touches on an unbeaten regular season with a 27-0 blanking of Mapleton, earning the No. 2 seed in Division VI, Region 22. Running back Connor Morse rushed for 1,527 yards and 28 touchdowns on 236 carries during the regular season. Quarterback Hayden Kuhn has completed 72 of 103 passes for 1,367 yards and 15 touchdowns with just one interception. Gabe Smedley has 26 catches for 400 yards and six touchdowns, while Adison Reymer has 23 receptions for 475 yards and four TDs. Morse has a team-high 106 tackles, while Owen Barker has 69 tackles and 10 sacks.
No. 16 Mapleton (3-6) at No. 1 Lucas (8-1): The Mounties won two of their final three games to earn the final playoff spot in Division VII, Region 25. Mapleton gives up 24.8 points a game.
Lucas leap-frogged into the top spot in Region 25 after last week’s impressive 14-0 win over Mogadore. Grant Barrett leads the run-heavy attack with 955 yards and 12 touchdowns on 148 carries. Andrew Fanello has 623 yards and three TDs on 90 carries and 17 receptions for 321 yards and four scores. Zane Finley has rushed for 278 yards and five scores on 40 attempts. Quarterback Andrew Smollen has completed 50% of his passes for 407 yards and four TDs. Defensively, Barrett has 86 tackles, while Noah Langston has 73 stops.
No. 12 Hillsdale (6-4) at No. 5 Middlefield Cardinal (7-3): The Falcons have won three straight heading into the Division VI, Region 21 playoffs. Dual-threat quarterback Jake Hoverstock has completed 62 of 97 passes for 663 yards and eight touchdowns and is the leading rusher in Hillsdale’s balanced ground game with 587 yards and 10 touchdowns on 95 carries. Presley Lewis has rushed for 533 yards and four TDs on 110 carries, while Max Vesper has 425 yards and four scores on 62 carries. Justin Zeigler has a team-high 16 catches for 208 yards, while Vesper has 15 receptions for 176 yards and a touchdown. Cole Sinnett has 14 grabs for 133 yards and three TDs and Carter Brightbill has 11 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Caden Fickes has three touchdowns catches among his eight receptions. Defensively, Jax Rogers leads the way 74 tackles, while Vesper has 71 stops and five interceptions. Ethan Goodwin has 65 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss.
Cardinal has won five of its last six games. Quarterback Logan Strever has thrown for 930 yards, while Zach Czako has rushed for a team-best 679 yards.
