DON McCORMACK
Is two weeks into the 2009 high school football season too early to even begin thinking about what has become the end all, be all for pretty much every program in the modern era of the sport — the playoffs?
Naw.
And thanks to Ohio high school football computer-points grand wizard Joe Eitel, we begin tracking how the 10 area active programs standing through two games.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association divides all of the teams in the state into six divisions, based on enrollment figures, then carves each division into four regions, based on geography.
Nowadays, eight teams from each region qualify for postseason play, with the higher-seeded squad being rewarded with the opportunity to host a first-round game — regional quarterfinal contests — the weekend of Nov. 6-7. In the second round and thereafter, the contests are played at neutral locations.
The OHSAA won’t begin releasing its computer ratings until Week 4, but thanks to Eitel — along with our own points poohbah, Slingin’ Steve Goldman, who provides indepth local analysis for us each Friday — fortunately, we don’t have to wait that long.
Without further ado, here’s how Eitel sees our 10-spot standing as we head toward Week 3 contests:
n Division I, Region 1 (30 teams) — T24, Riverside (0-2), with six other teams.
n Division II, Region 5 (30 teams) — 10, Geneva (2-0); 14, Lakeside (1-1); T23, Madison (0-2), with seven other squads.
n Division III, Region 9 (31 teams) — 6, Edgewood (2-0); 16, Jefferson (1-1); 19, Conneaut (1-1).
n Division IV, Region 13 (31 teams) — 1, Perry (2-0); T23, Pymatuning Valley (0-2), with eight other elevens.
n Division V, Region 17 (30 teams) — 19, Grand Valley (1-1).
All of which means that if the playoffs were kicking off this weekend, coach Joe Kearney’s Edgewood Warriors and coach Matt Rosati’s Perry Pirates would among the 192 teams in the Buckeye State to qualify for postseason play.
If the games were this weekend, Kearney & Co. would be playing at Akron Hoban (2-0) and Rosati’s Pirates would be hosting Garrettsville Garfield (2-0), which invades Andover Township on Friday night to tangle with coach Jason Root’s Pymatuning Valley Lakers at Laker Stadium.
Edgewood, which began playing 11-man football in 1944, and PV, which began playing on the gridiron in 1963, are the only two Ashtabula County programs to never reach the playoffs.
Yes, it’s a probably a bit premature to be thinking seriously about the postseason, but tell that to the players, coaches and fans at each and every high school in the state.
In case you missed our Saturday edition, a Geneva Eagle backed up our assessment.
“We’re hoping to go to the playoffs,” Jimmy Haines, he of the 58-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Tyler Erb told our Chris Larick after he and his Eagle buddies ended a 12-year losing streak against Madison with a 30-14 triumph at Memorial Field.
To check out all of Eitel’s meticulous information, visit his Web site at www.joeeitel.com.
McCormack is the sports editor of the Star Beacon. Reach him at donmac@suite224.net.
