Three area teams made it to Week 10 without a loss, but no more than two will finish 10-0. While 9-0 Greeneview plays at 4-5 Cedarville, the potential game of the night is set to kick off only 10 miles away. Xenia is set to play Tippecanoe in a matchup of the Miami Valley’s other two undefeated teams in at Doug Adams Stadium.
Here is what else you need to know before the last Friday night of the 2024 regular season:
Conference titles on the line
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
One conference championship was decided Wednesday night when Meadowdale beat Belmont 22-2. The Lions are 7-3 overall and swept the Dayton Public league to end Dunbar’s reign at the top.
Xenia and Tippecanoe have already clinched the Miami Valley League Valley and Miami divisions, respectively, but the winner of their game will be the outright MVL champion.
Fairmont and Centerville are tied for first place in the GWOC. The Firebirds can clinch a share of their first GWOC championship if they beat visiting Beavercreek while Centerville plays host to rival Wayne.
The Elks are looking for their second straight GWOC title and ninth since 2001.
Bellbrook has a share of the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern title, but Ross will get one if the Rams win at Bellbrook on Friday night.
In the SWBL Buckeye, Valley View and Waynesville are both 5-0 and set to collide in Germantown on Friday night for the outright division championship.
Another de facto conference championship game is set for the Three Rivers Athletic Conference at Northridge. The Polar Bears will put a six-game winning streak on the line when they face Lehman Catholic, who has won eight in a row and like Northridge is 6-0 in league play.
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In the Western Ohio Athletic Conference, Ansonia clinched a share of the title by handing Preble Shawnee its first loss last week, and the Tigers will be outright champs if they beat Mississinawa Valley or Preble Shawnee loses to Dixie.
Greeneview has clinched at least a share of the Ohio Heritage Conference South division, and the Rams will be outright champs with a win at Cedarville or a loss by Madison Plains at Catholic Central.
Playoff positioning to be determined
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
The OHSAA reduced some of the drama from the playoff race by doubling the size of the field last year, but plenty is yet to be decided with one week left in the season.
In Division I, Beavercreek has clinched a playoff spot for the first time in a non-COVID season, but many seeds are still to be determined Friday night according to projections from JoeEitel.com.
In Division II, Region 8, 10 teams have clinched while a handful are still alive for the last six spots, including perennial power Trotwood-Madison. The Rams started 0-5, but they have won 4-0 heading into a matchup with winless Thurgood Marshall. The bad news for them is even with a win they could fall out of the top 16.
In the same region, Xenia is looking to lock down the No. 2 seed while Badin and Butler are also already in.
In Division III, Region 12, Tippecanoe has already clinched the No. 1 seed, and Bellbrook is aiming for No. 2. Bellefontaine and Ohio State quarterback commit Tavien St. Clair are looking to secure a first-round home game with a win at Kenton Ridge while Chaminade Julienne, Meadowdale, Franklin, Talawanda and Carroll are all still alive.
All 16 spots in Division IV, Region 16, have been spoken for, but seeding is still up for grabs. Among teams hoping to move up is Alter. The Knights could finish as high as No. 6, but they could also drop to 15 even with a win.
Greeneview and Waynesville have already clinched two home games in Division V, Region 20, while Arcanum, Madison and Graham are still alive trying to get into the bottom of the bracket.
Only seven spots have been clinched in Division VI, Region 24, but Coldwater will be No. 1. Northeastern, Dayton Christian and Covington control their fates while National Trail is also still alive.
Reigning champion Marion Local will be the No. 1 seed again in Division VII, Region 28 while Minster, Ansonia and Lehman Catholic will all open the playoffs at home. Almost everyone in the region is still mathematically alive with Twin Valley South, Southeastern, Cedarville, New Miami, Tri-County North, Fort Recovery, Mississinawa Valley and Springfield Catholic all still alive, though most of those bubbles will burst.
Statistical leaders
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Xenia’s Deaunte White has been the leader in rushing yards in the area most of the season, but he might need a strong finish against Tipp to claim the rushing title. With 1,589 yards, he leads Zane Henderson of Ansonia — but only by 79. Teon Hill of Northridge is also within shouting distance at 1,466.
Four area passers have gone over 2,000 yards with Lehman Catholic’s Turner Lachey leading the way at 2,532. Trey Sagester of Tri-Village follows him with 2,327 while Bellefontaine’s St. Clair has 2,095 and Grady Lantz of Urbana has 2,003.
Lachey’s top target, Evan O’Leary, is the area’s receiving leader with 1,141 yards while Braylon Newcomb of Bellefontaine has 1,044 and dual-threat Garrett Lundy of Waynesville has 839 receiving yards to go with 921 yards rushing.
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