The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
OAC’s spring plan includes Friday night football
Get ready for Friday Night Lights in the spring, college football style.
On Aug. 13, the Ohio Athletic Conference unveiled its plan for fall sports to be played in the spring, and that includes Friday night football games.
The OAC recently postponed all fall sports seasons because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, and with the announcement of its spring plan is one of the nation’s first, if not the first.
Also included in the announcement were plans for volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer games.
“It’s a great day us,” said John Carroll football coach Rick Finotti. “It gives our guys a clear plan, a clear vision. We have concrete games, dates. As a coach, I’m excited. We’re playing, this is our plan, and we’ll get after it.”
Said first-year Mount Union coach Geoff Dartt: “We are excited to prepare for games in the spring.”
Here’s the OAC’s plan for football in the spring:
• There will be two divisions, an East and West. The East Division includes Baldwin Wallace, John Carroll, Marietta, Mount Union and Muskingum. The West Division includes Capital, Heidelberg, Ohio Northern, Otterbein and Wilmington.
• Each team will play the other four teams in its division (two home, two road) over a five-week period with each team receiving a bye. All games are scheduled on Friday nights at 7 p.m., beginning March 12.
• On April 16, also a Friday, the top seeds of each division will meet for the OAC Championship. The twoseeds will also play as well as the three-seeds, fourseeds and five-seeds. The East Division will host the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 games, while the West Division will host No. 2 and No. 4.
Finotti said his team’s first two games will be against crosstown rival Baldwin Wallace and then Mount Union, which excites Blue Streaks quarterback Jake Floriea.
“It’s finally some football to look forward to,” said Floriea, who accounted for nearly 2,000 yards and had 19 total touchdowns in
2019. “We’ve got an awesome schedule and it’s going to be a tough five games. Our guys are very excited.”
The plans for the three sports do not exceed the NCAA 50-percent waiver so that all student-athletes will retain one of their four seasons of eligibility.
That is notable because some of the OAC’s top football players have indicated they are interested in playing in the fall of 2021. That includes top running backs Josh Petruccelli of Mount Union and Michael Canganelli of John Carroll.
For Canganelli, it’s first things first in the spring.
“I can’t wait to play on Friday nights again during the spring,” he said. “I think the atmosphere is going to be awesome. Night games, snow and I think a lot of people will tune in
for these games, as well. I’m just grateful that we will be able to play some football this year, and I know our team wants to win that OAC championship.”
So do the Purple Raiders. “I’m excited for it, especially to see now that we will still be competing for an OAC championship,” Petruccelli said. “I believe that will keep us motivated to try to grind out good days all fall.”
For men’s and women’s soccer, competition begins Sunday, March 14. The men and women will play at opposite sites each Sunday and Thursday (and Monday, April 5 after Easter).
Sunday contests will begin at 2 p.m., with Thursday matches at either 4 or 7 p.m. at the host’s discretion. On Sunday, April 18, the top seed will host the second
seed for the OAC championship. The third-seed will host the fourth-seed, etc., so that 10 OAC teams play 10 contests.
Volleyball begins March 12 with matches played every Friday night and Tuesday night until the regular season ends on April 9. Each date will feature a doubleheader match, resulting in a conference doubleround robin, with games starting at 6 and 8 p.m.
After April 9, the league will be seeded from 1 to 10 with the top four teams earning a spot in the conference final four, played on April 13. The highest remaining seed will host the next highest remaining seed on April 16 for the OAC Championship. The two non-winners will also meet at the higher seed to complete an 11-date season.