The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Coaches like playoff games on Friday nights
OHSAA announced that the first four weeks of the playoffs would be contested on Friday night only.
Regional alignments for this fall’s high school football season were announced June 6 by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
The regional assignments dictate in which region teams will participate when the 2017 playoffs begin in November.
Regions, as well as divisions, changed dramatically with the OHSAA’s implementation for a Competitive Balance measure earlier this year.
• Playing in Division I, Region 1 are Euclid and Mentor.
There is no change here from a local standpoint.
Region-wise, Region 1 adds two-time state finalist Massillon Perry (which moves up from Division II) and Strongsville (which comes over from Division I, Region 2).
• Playing in Division II, Region 5 are Mayfield, Brush, Benedictine, Riverside, South, North, Lake Catholic and Madison.
The biggest change in this region is the addition of Benedictine, Lake Catholic and Akron Hoban, all of which moved up from Division III.
• Playing in Division III, Region 9 are Geneva, Kenston, Chardon, NDCL and Harvey.
Kenston and Chardon were bumped down to Division III thanks to other schools moving up to Division II through the Competitive Balance measure. Madison was also on the cusp of moving down to Division III, but remains in Division II.
Another newcomer here is NDCL, which moves up from Division IV.
• Playing in Division III, Region 10 is University.
This is the same story as last year.
If the Preppers are postseason bound, they will play more toward the western part of Ohio, much like last year when their playoff games were against Bowling Green and Toledo Central Catholic.
• Playing in Division IV, Region 13 are West Geauga, Hawken and Perry. West Geauga moved down from Division III, while Hawken is up from Division V.
Perry advanced to the state final four last year to play Steubenville. Now the Pirates and the Big Red are in the same region, along with Youngstown Ursuline and Cardinal Mooney.
This region is going to be brutally tough this year.
• Playing in Division IV, Region 14 is Chagrin Falls, which was bumped down from Division III through the Competitive Balance measure.
• Playing in Division V, Region 17 are VASJ, Beachwood, Gilmour, Berkshire and Wickliffe.
VASJ and Gilmour would have been Division VI, but
were bumped into Division V through the Competitive Balance measure.
• Playing in Division VI, Region 21 are Kirtland and Cardinal.
The Hornets would have been in Division V prior to the implementation of the Competitive Balance factors, which pushed them back down to Division VI where they were last year.
Two toughies in this region will be Mogadore — as usual — and Creston Norwayne — which bumps down from Division V.
• Playing in Division VII, Region 21 are Richmond Heights, Newbury and Fairport.
This region got exponentially more difficult with Cuyahoga Heights, Dalton and St. Thomas Aquinas — all playoff veterans and strong programs — being bumped down from Division VI.
In addition to the regional assignments, the OHSAA announced all games in the first four rounds of the playoffs will be played on Friday nights this fall.
“For a few years now, we have studied the possibility of moving all playoff games to Friday nights for the first four rounds,” OHSAA Assistant Commissioner Beau Rugg said. “Due to so many more college football games being played on Saturday nights, attendance at our Saturday playoff games has steadily declined, and more potential playoff sites have said they cannot host games on Saturdays.
“We now have enough playoff sites to handle all the games on one night, and the football coaches association was in support of this change, too, because teams will get to stay on their normal weekly schedule of playing on Friday night.”
This year’s state championship games will be at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton (formerly Canton Fawcett Stadium.)
• Thursday, Nov. 30 — Division I, II, V or VII, 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, Dec. 1 — Division I, II, V or VII, Game times at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 2 — Division III, IV or VI, Game times at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.