By Ed Letsinger
MaxPreps.com
The regular season ends this week in Ohio but the playoff picture is anything but settled for several Cincinnati teams.
According to the latest Ohio High School Athletic Association Harbin Rankings and computer points gurus including JoeEitel.com, 19 Cincinnati football teams have either clinched or have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.
In Division I, Region 4, Colerain (8-1) and Elder (8-1) are already in regardless of their regular season finales. Unbeaten Woodward (9-0) should advance by beating Shroder Paideia while Sycamore (7-2) needs to beat Mason and then get help from other teams to qualify. Harrison is on the bubble and needs a win over Division II powerhouse Anderson to have a shot. On the outsight looking in are heavyweights Archbishop Moeller and defending state champion St. Xavier, who meet on Saturday, and Greater Miami Conference stalwarts Hamilton and Princeton.
In Division II, Region 8, Winton Woods (8-1), Anderson (7-2), Turpin (7-2) and Kings (6-3) are in. Western Brown (8-1) and Edgewood (7-2) control their own destiny and should advance with wins over Portsmouth and Mount Healthy, respectively. Little Miami is firmly on the bubble and needs help to advance which would give the area an impressive seven out of eight possible berths.
The opposite scenario exists in Division III, Region 12, where Indian Hill (7-2) is the only local team in the running. The Braves have to beat a strong Wyoming team in a Cincinnati Hills League contest that will determine the league champion then get help from other teams. Norwood is a long shot and needs to beat Talawanda to stay in the conversation.
Wyoming (7-2) and Badin (6-3) control their own destiny in Division IV, Region 16 and by winning they are in. The Cowboys face a big hurdle against Indian Hill (see above) while Badin should handle Fenwick. North College Hill is still in the hunt and needs to beat a strong Lockland team and then get help to advance.
In Division V, unbeaten Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (9-0) is in and should be awarded the top seed by beating Cincinnati Country Day. Lockland (7-2) is already in Division VI with New Miami (6-3) on the bubble.
Needless to say coaches, fans and players alike will all have their calculators and spreadsheets out this weekend to see where their teams shake out after the dust has cleared.
Playing For Perfection
Apparently someone did not get the memo at the beginning of the year that Woodward and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy were pretty good. Picked to finish third by coaches in their respective conferences, both enter the weekend sporting 9-0 records with a chance to finish the regular season with unblemished records.
Woodward (9-0) of the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference and CHCA (9-0) of the Miami Valley Conference are the last two remaining unbeaten teams in all of Cincinnati.
Both teams have been dominant all season. Woodward is outscoring its opponents by 32 points per game. Senior running back Erik Finklea has rushed for 1,091 yards and 14 touchdowns while Deshon Payne (38 tackles) and Adam Brown (35 tackles) have been the leaders on defense.
CHCA is outscoring teams by 25 points per game margin. Junior quarterback Alec Swartz has passed for 1,791 yards while Doyen Harris (58 tackles) and Jake Shomaker (53 tackles) have been standouts on defense.
Trifecta On The Links
Cincinnati golfers had a big weekend at the Ohio state Division I tournament at The Ohio State University.
In one of the best cumulative performances in recent years, Mason took first place in the girls’ tournament while St. Xavier won the boys’ tournament. Individually, Lakota West sophomore Korey Ward earned medalist honors in the boys’ tournament.
Playing on the par 70, 5,560-yard Gray Golf Course, the Comets shot their way to a commanding opening round lead and finished with a state tournament record-tying score of 630 defeating runner-up Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit by 26 strokes. Three Mason golfers placed in the top 10 led by sophomore Erin Michel who finished third (153) followed by senior Alexis Nelson (seventh with a 158) and sophomore Emily Wright (10th with a 160).
St. Xavier took a different route to winning its third state team golf title and first since 1995. The Bombers were eight shots off the lead and in seventh place after round one before mounting a comeback on the par 71, 7,043-yard Scarlet Golf Course. Shooting a 322 in round two, St. Xavier climbed the scoreboard and eventually knocked off defending state champion Dublin Jerome by two strokes, 653-655. The Bombers were led by senior Sean Keating, who shot a team-best 158 to finish third overall and senior Matt Buse who carded a solid 161.
Lakota West’s Ward was in three-way tie for first after the first round then carded a 6-over 77 on the final day to beat runner-up Aaron Seikman of Dublin Jerome by two strokes, 151 to 153. It was a fitting end for Ward, who earned Greater Miami Conference Player of the Year honors and won medalist honors at sectional and district tournaments.
Ed Letsinger covers prep sports in Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. He can be reached at eletsinger@insightbb.com.
