HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SPOTLIGHT
Games at 7 p.m. Saturday DIVISION IV Bloom-carroll (7-0) at Licking Valley (6-1)
When Bloom-carroll graduated two first-team All-ohioans in quarterback Otto Kuhns and kicker Cameron Shirkey, it stood to reason that the Bulldogs might take step a backward. Kuhns is playing at Eastern Illinois and Shirkey at Marshall.
“I wasn’t thinking that way,” Bulldogs coach Wade Bartholomew said. “I thought we’d be pretty good still. We had several quality veterans coming back and some talented young kids, as well. I was excited about the season. I thought we’d compete. I can’t say I thought we’d be 7-0 at this point, but who would?”
Anchored by a defense that has allowed an area-best 28 points, BloomCarroll finds itself in a rematch of a 2019 regional final with Licking Valley. The Panthers won 22-6 on the way to a state runner-up finish. The teams split regular-season meetings in 2015 and 2016.
“We ran up against a real good team last year, and I’m honored to get another chance to coach against Randy (Baughman),” Bartholomew said. Somewhat inconsistent this season, Licking Valley escaped upset-minded Logan Elm 21-14 in the first round but responded with a 49-0 rout of a oneloss Heath team last week.
DIVISION V
Harvest Prep (7-1) at Ironton (8-0)
Fresh off a nail-biting, 20-17 win with plenty of late drama at Columbus Academy last week, Harvest Prep hopes to use its team speed and bigplay potential to derail a top-seeded Ironton team that was state runner-up a year ago.
“We were in Division VII last year, but we’ve gone deep enough in the playoffs a few times that we’ve seen our share of teams in rural areas in southern and eastern Ohio that play smashmouth football,” Harvest Prep coach Milan Smith said. “Our styles may seem different in many ways but share many of the same objectives and principles. We’ll line up and play smashmouth with them if we have to.” The centerpiece of Ironton’s success is senior running back/linebacker Reid Carrico, an Ohio State recruit projected to play inside linebacker. Carrico has rushed for 1,170 yards – averaging
12.6 yards per carry – and 21 touchdowns. Quarterback Tayden Carpenter offers a passing balance with 1,097 yards and 18 TDS.
Harvest Prep has its own marquee player in running back Jayden Jennings, who has rushed for 1,585 yards (on a 10.3-yard average) and 21 TDS.
“We fumbled it away a few times against Academy and had to reach down and find a way to win,” Smith said. “If this Ironton game is going to be the great matchup I think it can be, we need to play a lot cleaner game than we did last week.”
North Union (7-2) at Pemberville Eastwood (6-1)
Just eighth-seeded, North Union stunned top-seeded Findlay LibertyBenton 28-7 last week.
“We came out on the opening drive and just punched them in the mouth,” North Union coach Nick Hajjar said. “Their defense had hardly been scored upon (58 points) all year, and I think maybe they were a little shell-shocked. Our defense ended up being the one that controlled the game. Honestly, we felt like we matched up well with them, but you just never know until you get in the moment.”
The Wildcats are hoping for an encore performance against an Eastwood team that went 11-1 last season and was state runner-up as recently as 2017. Trevor Moran has rushed for 1,125 yards
with 16 TDS to pace North Union. DIVISION VI
West Jefferson (7-1) at Coldwater (8-0)
With a state-record 42 consecutive winning seasons from 1960 to 2001, including state titles in 1976 and 1982, West Jefferson has a tradition envied by many. But its regional semifinal opponent, Coldwater, represents smallschool royalty in Ohio with six state titles, six runners-up and 24 straight playoff appearances. Coldwater is trying to snap a string of three straight seasons not making the final four. West Jefferson was a state semifinalist in Division V last season. “Although we’ve never played Coldwater before, we’ve seen them a lot during their championships and this team looks no different from those in the past,” West Jefferson coach Shawn Buescher said. “What stands out most is how they run to the ball defensively. They present quite a challenge.” Coldwater’s defense faces its own challenge of slowing down the passing game of West Jefferson, which is scoring 41.3 points per game. Junior quarterback Tyler Buescher has passed for 2,779 yards and 27 TDS. His top target is Tyler Oberle, who has 64 receptions for 1,148 yards and 14 TDS.
Steve Blackledge sblackledge@dispatch.com @Blackiepreps