The Ohio High School Athletic Association football postseason continues Friday, Nov. 6, with regional quarterfinal games across the state.
All remaining teams are in action as the top-four seeds in each region play its first playoff games this week. There are a number of rematches and first-time matchups amongst the 26 games across the greater Dayton area. All games will be played at the site of the higher seed through the regional finals.
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Here are five things to know before the regional quarterfinals begin:
High School Football Playoff Previews: Beavercreek, Fairmont, Middletown seek revenge wins in second round in D-I
Best games
On the surface, anytime you see No. 4 vs. No. 5 seeds playing will immediately shout those are ones to watch.
We get two of those games this week with Troy (9-2) at Lima Senior (9-1) in D-II, Region 8, and Urbana (8-3) at North College Hill (9-0) in D-IV, Region 16.
Also in Region 16, No. 7 Valley View (8-3) goes to No. 2 London (8-2) with those two programs combining for six regional titles in the past four seasons.
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In D-V, Region 20, No. 6 Fenwick (6-5) plays at No. 3 Miami East (9-1) in one of the most intriguing games of the weekend.
The coin flip of the week comes in Region 24 where No. 6 Mechanicsburg (9-2) goes to No. 3 Chillicothe Zane Trace (9-1).
High School Football Playoff Previews: Trotwood, Bellbrook, Tipp among D-II, III teams eyeing regional semifinals
Is the bye good or bad?
This is the second year of the 12-team format with the top-four seeds in each region getting byes into the quarterfinal round. Those teams getting the higher seed usually mean more of a chance they are clear favorites against lower seeds.
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How much does the week off play a factor when it comes to intangibles such as rust compared to recovery? That all cannot be determined based on a single set of data, but it’s what we have to go on for now.
Teams across the state that got a bye in 2025 had a win rate of 75.8%, or three out of every four games in each region. In the four largest divisions, that rate was even higher at 82.8%.
The most common upset predictably came in games involving the 4-seed. There were 11 total that lost and all but one were against the 5-seed, with the only 12-seed that advanced coming in D-VII.
The 3-seed was close with 10 total losses and all but two being to the 6-seed, and again the only 11s moving on were in D-VII. Only one 2-seed lost in the four largest divisions, and the only two 1-seeds that went one-and-done were in D-V and VI and both lost by at least 28 points.
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The average margin of victory by the lower seed in the four largest divisions was 15.1 points per game. It was 28.1 ppg in the three smallest divisions. The best projected chance in the area for an upset of a 1-seed this season belongs to No. 9 St. Henry (8-3) at Tri-Village in D-VI, Region 24.
Fantastic50.net gives the Redskins a 96% chance to continue its path toward a second consecutive state title. No. 9 Kenton Ridge (9-2) is also given a 65% chance to win at No. 1 Cincinnati Wyoming (9-1) in D-IV, Region 16.
The Fantastic50 site lists eight total lower-seeded teams as the favorite in the 26 area games.
GWOC rematches
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The league’s two most accomplished playoff programs are facing league rivals in a pair of Week 9 rematches.
Springfield and Wayne have combined to win 57 playoff games in 38 appearances. Beavercreek and Fairmont are up to five combined wins after both won first round games. Fairmont will try to be another thorn in Springfield’s side, while Beavercreek hopes for more magic in its return to Wayne.
Beavercreek (5-6) is attempting to win multiple playoff games in the same year they achieved its first win. The area teams to most recently accomplish the feat are Ross in 2020 and Miamisburg in 2016.
Fairmont (5-6) has never won multiple games in the same playoff run. The Firebirds have won one playoff road game — they won at Perrysburg in 2020.
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Springfield (8-2) has the best playoff win percentage in the state for a team that has not won a state championship. The Wildcats have captured five regional titles since 2019.
Wayne (6-4) has four regional titles in its history and played for a state title each occasion. The Warriors have won more playoff games than any other Greater Western Ohio Conference team.
The current guard won’t give up its place against the up and comers easily.
High School Football Playoff Previews: Kenton Ridge, Miami East, Valley View among D-IV, V teams chasing semifinal berths
Cross country trips
The state cross country championships take place in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 7. A handful of area football teams will get a similar feel of making a long distance journey with its trips to its quarterfinal games.
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Coldwater (7-4) gets to drive across scenic Northern Ohio to get to Wooster. The Cavaliers will travel roughly 170 miles and more than two and a half hours to play Triway (9-1).
Versailles (7-4) drove nearly three hours last week to Portsmouth West and this Friday will need close to two hours to get down to the Ohio River to face Cincinnati College Prep (8-2). Urbana also heads more than 90 miles to play its game against North College Hill.
Riverside (8-2) finds itself on the other end getting to play at home and host Cincinnati Country Day (6-5) after it makes close to a 100-mile trek North.
The closest matchups are Fort Loramie (6-5) at Marion Local (10-0), separated by a 12-mile drive, and Beavercreek at Wayne.
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High School Football Playoff Previews: MAC vs. the field: D-VI, VII playoffs reach regional quarterfinals
High school MACation
The Midwest Athletic Conference has seen its members win at least one state title in each of the past seven seasons and in 21 of the 26 years this century.
All seven MAC teams that qualified for the postseason are still alive across three divisions to try and keep up its run of dominance.
Five of those teams have to go on the road this week, and one team is guaranteed to advance as Fort Recovery (4-7) plays at Minster (7-3) in R28.
It is possible each regional semifinal game next week in Region 24 and Region 28 could feature at least one MAC team for a fourth consecutive season — which could really take the MAC versus everyone mantra to a new level.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
