Ohio’s expanded playoff format has some positives
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STEUBENVILLE -- OK, so by show of hands -- how many of you still believe the OHSAA made a mistake by expanding the football playoff field now that Week 1 is in the books?
Bear with me while I do some counting. Social media posts indicate most fans remain steadfast in their opposition to the expansion. An informal poll I conducted produced similar results.
When first announced, I was not totally sold on the expansion. But after the opening weekend, I'm starting to think that perhaps it was not such a horrible idea after all. Sure, there were blowouts but there also were some upsets, a few nail biters and more teams were given the opportunity to experience the post-season. And, I'm guessing the 224 games did provide some revenue for the OHSAA.
The OHSAA reported during the weekend that under the new format, as you know the top 16 schools in each region qualified for the playoffs, at least once school from every seed won a first-round game. Overall, in the first round, the better seeded teams went 191-33 at home for an 85.3 winning percentage.
In the final three years (2017-2019) of the previous playoff format when the top eight schools per region qualified and only seeds one through four hosted, the better seeded teams won their first-round games at 74.4 winning percentage (250-86).
Perhaps one of the best opening round games took place at Harding Stadium. Big Red came from behind in the third quarter and held on for a 41-35 victory over Tallmadge in the Division III, Region 9 playoffs. Steubenville is seeded sixth in the region and Tallmadge was the 11th seed.
The teams combined for 973 yards of offense and all 76 points were scored in the first three quarters. The Blue Devils finished with 423 passing yards and 58 on the ground. Big Red, on the other hand, was pretty balanced -- 268 rushing and 224 passing. There also were 206 yards of penalties in the nail biter.
Junior Spencer Ostovich had a monster game on both sides of the ball for the now 9-2 Big Red. He ran over, around and through the Tallmadge defense for 207 yards and four touchdowns. He also recorded a couple of sacks and put pressure on the Tallmadge quarterback, forcing an errant throw to thwart the Blue Devils' final scoring opportunity.
The game was filled with big plays. Two Big Red scores came via long passes -- a 66-yard Phaeton Hill to Inky Jones connection and a 58-yard scamper by Tylik Sims on a perfectly executed screen pass. Tallmadge has TD pass plays of 42 and 74 yards.
Hill completed 8 of his 16 passes for 224 yards and the two scores. Jones had four grabs, including a nifty one-handed reception to keep a scoring drive alive, for 106. He also delivered a key defensive play, stopping the Tallmadge quarterback short of the goal line and forcing a fumble which resulted in a touchback and gave Steubenville the ball back.
Big Red will continue its playoff run Friday when it travels to Geauga County for a date with third-seeded Kenston.
Unfortunately, the playoff experience did not go well for four other schools in The Herald Star/Daily Times coverage area. Despite the losses, however, the coaches involved took positive thoughts away from the opportunity.
"I am extremely proud of our kids," Toronto coach Josh Franke said after his Red Knights dropped a 44-13 verdict to Independence. "They battled the entire game and we have a really young football team. We had a ton of freshmen and sophomores out there playing in a playoff game and that is going to benefit us down the line.
"These kids got to experience playing playoff football and they are going to be better next year for it."
Mike Collopy's first year at the helm of Edison ended with a 50-0 playoff loss to Akron Manchester. Under Collopy, the Wildcats posted an outstanding 7-4 record.
"This is the first year that we've been in the playoffs since 2002 and obviously, we saw what we need to do," Collopy said following the contest.
Thanks to a key late season win over Harrison Central, Buckeye Local landed a spot in the playoff field. The Panthers traveled to Garaway and suffered a 40-10 setback.
"We've won games this year that we haven't won the past," first-year Buckeye Local coach Jim Hoover said. "We won the V.A.L.E.S. Trophy, we won our homecoming game, we made it to the playoffs, regardless of the format. We don't have any control of the playoff format. We won enough games to get in.
"Obviously, it didn't turn out the way we wanted it but this is an example of what we want to become -- what Garaway has here."
Harrison Central made the playoff field and drew the very difficult task of traveling to Kirtland, the defending Division V champion and winners of now 51 straight contests. Kirtland dealt the Huskies a 56-0 setback.
Anthony Hayes saw the trip as an opportunity for his Harrison Central team to see firsthand what "championship football" looks like.
"This is a wonderful opportunity that lies ahead of us and a chance for our players to go out and play against the best in the state of Ohio," he said. "We're not so much looking at the outcome of it as much as we are you have an opportunity to play against the best.
"These guys are the poster child for how to build a championship program. They don't take days off, they don't take shortcuts, they don't make excuses. They go out and get after it. For us, it's a chance to say, 'hey, we know what their blueprint is,' now we get to go out and see it."
Not sure if any of this information will change your opinion, but it does offer some facts to support the argument that maybe, just maybe the new format is not all that bad.
Don't forget:
I probably heard more complaints about the digital ticketing aspect of the playoffs then I did the actual expansion.
Be that as it may, but it is what it is -- Big Red fans need to remember tickets for Friday's game at Kenston can only be purchased at www.ohsaa.org/tickets.
The OHSAA has said tickets can be purchased online until the event is sold out. Presale tickets will go on sale three to five days prior to an event taking place.
TOP GUN
In just one half of work Friday at Hundred, Madonna quarterback Santino Arlia threw for 414 yards (he completed nine of his 13 passes) for six touchdowns. The Blue Dons rolled to a 58-0 victory.
The yardage total gave the senior signal caller a school record for a single game. The six scoring tosses tied the Madonna record he established earlier.
Arlia now holds all Madonna passing records for attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns for a single game, a season and a career.
He and fellow Blue Dons will look to end the regular season on a high note when they travel to Morgantown Trinity Friday. Madonna remains in the hunt for a spot in the West Virginia Class A playoffs.
In the Hundred game, Arlia threw two scoring tosses to Evan Quering and Coleton Littleton. Mason Thompson and Seth Humberson also turned Arlia aerials into scores. Humberson's lone reception produced a 70-yard touchdown.
Lucas McAllister, Arlia's backup, also had a strong night, completing five of his eight passing attempts for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Top stats:
Running wild
• 207, Spencer Ostovich, Steubenville, 4 touchdowns
• 109, Corey Lyons, Weir High, touchdown
• 87, Cam Baker, Toronto, touchdown
Gunslingers
• 414, Santino Arlia, Madonna, 9 of 13, 6 scores
• 263, Malachi Stromile, Weir High, 8 of 16, 2 scores
• 224, Phaeton Hill, Steubenville, 8 of 16, 2 scores
Hands team
• 4, Inky Jones, Steubenville, 106, touchdown
• 4, Corey Lyons, Weir High, 90
• 3, Coleton Littleton, Madonna, 131, 2 touchdowns
• 3, Mason Thompson, Madonna, 94, touchdown