Football playoffs: 7 things to know

This is Week 12 and the second round – regional semifinals – of the high school football playoffs. Games shift to neutral sites following last week’s first round. The Ohio High School Athletic Association will announce sites for next week’s regional finals on Sunday.

Here’s seven things to know about the football playoffs.

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• That seven-team showing by the Greater Western Ohio Conference has been reduced to three: Northmont and Springfield (Division I, Region 3) and Troy (D-II, Region 8). Eliminated in playoff openers were Fairmont and Wayne (D-I, Region 3), and Butler and Trotwood-Madison (D-III, Region 12).

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Northmont (10-1) is paired against defending D-I state champ Pickerington Central (9-2) at Springfield on Friday. Springfield (9-2) gets top-seeded Hilliard Davidson (10-1) at London. Should both Northmont and Springfield win, they would be rematched in a regional final. Central defeated Northmont 41-21 in a playoff opener last season.

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• Troy is on an outstanding 28-5 three-season run under coach Matt Burgbacher, all of which produced playoff teams. Troy (10-1) is looking to extend that success against familiar foe Cincinnati Anderson (8-3) at Miamisburg on Friday.

Anderson knocked Troy out in the first round last season 33-0 and Troy did the same to Anderson in the 2016 opener, 41-35.

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• The Greater Catholic League Co-Ed has three teams in D-III, Region 12. Alter (10-1) plays Badin (8-3) in a rematch at Middletown’s Barnitz Stadium on Friday. The other semi is Fenwick (9-2) vs. Wapakoneta (10-1) at Piqua.

Alter has mounted a 10-game win streak and beat Badin 17-7 in Week 8 of the regular season.

• London (10-1) is next up to take the Clinton-Massie (10-1) challenge (D-IV, Region 16) at Miami Trace on Saturday. Massie is the defending D-IV state runner-up and appears headed to a regional final showdown against unbeaten and top-ranked Cincinnati Wyoming.

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• Madison (11-0) plays Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (9-2) at Lakota East on Saturday (D-V, Region 20). The Mohawks need two more wins to match last year’s squad.

The other semi is Greeneview (10-1) vs. Wheelersburg (10-1) at Chillicothe. It’s the forth time in the last five seasons the Rams have gone two games deep into the playoffs, but not further.

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• Might as well label D-VI, Region 24 with a Midwest Athletic Conference stamp. Coldwater (9-2) plays St. Henry (9-2) at Sidney on Friday in a rematch of a Week 9 game that St. Henry won, 28-10. Defending D-VI state champ Marion Local (10-1) gets Lima Central Catholic (9-1) in the other semi at Wapakoneta.

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• Yet another MAC rep, defending D-VII state champ Minster (8-3), gets top billing in D-VII, Region 28 against Convoy Crestview (10-1) at Wapakoneta on Saturday. The other semi is Fort Loramie (10-1) vs. Lehman Catholic (8-3) at Piqua. Minster handed Loramie its only loss in the season opener, 34-14.

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