By: Matt Florjancic
MaxPreps.com
The Sylvania Southview Cougars (14-0) have answered every challenge this year without fail. They enter Friday night’s Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II state championship game having defeated all but one of their opponents by a two-score margin.
When the Cougars step onto the field at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, they will be the only squad facing a defending state champion. Standing in the way of Southview’s goal of winning the season’s final game is Cincinnati Anderson (12-2).
“Our goal all year has been to be here,” Southview coach Jim Mayzes said. “Our goal on several occasions has been to do exactly that. We’ve had some good teams and been successful in achieving the goal of getting there. I don’t think the whole goal is just to get there. The whole goal is to win No. 15. That’s been said hundreds of times in practices by kids, coaches and parents for a long time. We feel blessed that we have the opportunity to achieve our goal.
“When you go into a game, you forget about what your record is,” Mayzes added of being undefeated going into the Anderson game. “You don’t worry about things like that. You’re playing a great team and prepare to struggle. If it’s easy, that’s easy to adjust to. If it’s not easy and you’re not prepared, then that’s not easy to adjust to. I don’t think there’s any added pressure because we haven’t lost. We let go of those wins on Sunday night when we’re talking about what we’re going to do the next game.”
What the Cougars have been talking about is Anderson’s running attack. In the last three playoff games, Anderson running back Kyle Slater has rushed for a combined 735 yards. Slater went for over 250 yards in close victories against Cincinnati Winton Woods and Columbus St. Francis de Sales.
On the season, Anderson averages 38.1 points per game and is on an eight-game winning streak. Since midseason losses to St. Francis de Sales and Winton Woods, the Redskins have won four games by scoring more than 50 points. Their average margin of victory has been 20.6 points.
“They’re survivors,” Mayzes said of Anderson. “They had some injuries in the middle part of the season, lost some starters and went through some bad times. They recovered from that, made it to the playoffs and have been playing very well. They avenged two losses from the middle of the year in the last two weeks. They’re doing a fantastic job. They really run the ball well."
Seeing good running backs is nothing new for the Cougars. During the playoffs, Southview has seen scat backs and punishing runners. One of the runners Southview faced was Medina Highland standout Chris Snook.
Snook is headed to West Virginia University to play for Bill Stewart.
“Last week, Hoban had a kid who the week before had 212 yards,” Mayzes said. “The Snook kid had 1,800 yards rushing. Before that, it was Lexington, who was undefeated and had a great running back. There isn’t any miracle fix that you put out there.
“We play the same defense we play every week and our kids can tackle."
In the state semifinal last Friday, the Akron Archbishop Hoban Knights trailed Southview 14-0 at halftime. Behind good special teams play and a strong fourth quarter, the Cougars defeated the Knights 31-0, earning a state championship berth.
“In the second half, their kids started to feel they were going to lose and our kids were feeling like we’re going to win,” Mayzes said. “Defensively, they went three-and-[out] in the first three possessions of the second half. It closed in on them a little bit and made it look big at the end."
One of the athletes making tackles for the Cougars is linebacker Greg Isley. The middle linebacker leads a defense that has surrendered 21 or more points three times.
Offensively, Southview has benefited all season long from several returning players.
“If you’ve got your whole offensive line back, you can do a lot of things,” Mayzes said. “It gives a young quarterback confidence. I’ve got a whole offensive line and a three-year, 6-2, 215-pound quarterback [in Alex Pidcock]. You match a Division I wide receiver/defensive back in Shaun Joplin and Jimmy Hall, you’re just blessed. That’s all there is to it.”
St. Ignatius tries to restore Cleveland glory
The last time Northeast Ohio had a state championship football team in Division I was 2001. The St. Ignatius Wildcats (13-1) entered that postseason with a 6-4 record and the No. 7 seed in Region I. However, the Wildcats dominated in victories over Strongsville (56-27), Solon (42-14) and Warren G. Harding (40-33) before advancing to the state semifinals.
In the semis, St. Ignatius beat Massillon Washington 49-20 and took care of Cincinnati St. Xavier 37-6 to win the state championship.
This year, the Wildcats were the No. 1 seed in Region I and were just as impressive in victories over St. Edward, Cleveland Glenville, Strongsville and North Canton Hoover.
Waiting for the Wildcats at Fawcett Stadium is Cincinnati Elder (13-1). Elder’s offense can pass the football and scored 505 points in 14 games this year.
Greenmen advance to title game
Aurora (12-2) eliminated defending OHSAA Division III champion Sunbury Big Walnut 20-14 in the state semifinal last Saturday night and will play Columbus Eastmoor Academy for the title. It is the first-ever state championship appearance for Aurora, a team that started the season 2-2.
Columbus Eastmoor Academy (13-1) earned an invitation with a 14-10 victory over Newark Licking Valley.
Based on the fact that Aurora and Eastmoor have won to advance in the postseason, this game could be won on defense. Eastmoor’s stingy defense has given up only 125 points this season.
Big Red seeking championship
Steubenville (14-0) is working toward a second state championship in three years and will have to beat a familiar foe to claim the crown.
In 2006, Steubenville and Kettering Archbishop Alter met in the Division III state championship game with the Big Red winning 34-33 over Alter.
This time around, both teams are after the Division IV crown.
Ursuline wants a championship
Youngstown Ursuline battled all the way to the Division V championship game last year, but fell to Maria Stein Marion Local 20-14. The Fighting Irish (14-0) used last season’s loss as motivation for this year’s undefeated run to the state championship game.
Ursuline will play in the only championship game to feature two undefeated teams when they face Findlay Liberty-Benton (14-0).
Bascom Hopewell-Loudon in similar situation
Much like Youngstown Ursuline, Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (14-0) rolls into the state championship game undefeated and with a chip on its shoulders. The Chieftains lost in the 2007 Division VI championship game to Newark Catholic 28-14.
Instead of struggling to defeat their semifinal opponent when the Chieftains won a shootout 41-38, this year, Hopewell-Loudon routed Malvern 55-20 last weekend.
Delphos St. John’s, a perennial playoff power and 2005 Division VI champion, will battle Hopewell-Loudon in the title game. The last time these teams met in the postseason was in the 2005 state semifinals, a game St. John’s won 31-7.
Matt Florjancic currently works as a freelance reporter and sports announcer for WOBL and WDLW Radio.
