Inside the State Semifinals
In Div. II, V and VII, each team is facing its opponent for the first time in the playoffs. In Div. III, meanwhile, Toledo Central Catholic and Trotwood-Madison are meeting in the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Central Catholic won the first three meetings, while Trotwood won last year in the state semifinals. In Div. I, Cin. Colerain defeated Pickerington Central 38-20 in the 2013 first round. In Div. IV, Steubenville defeated Shelby last year in the regional final. In Div. VI, Liberty-Benton defeated Marion Local in a 2008 state semifinal game.
There are 11 undefeated teams still alive in the playoffs and there are three state semifinal games that feature two undefeated teams:
Div. IV – 1 Steubenville (13-0) vs. 2 Shelby (13-0)
Div. V – 1 Canfield South Range (13-0) vs. 1 Pemberville Eastwood (13-0)
Div. VI – 3 Kirtland (13-0) vs. 1 Nelsonville-York (13-0)
The semifinal match-up in Div. IV between Steubenville and Shelby features a Steubenville team making its 18th appearance in the “Final Four” against a Shelby team making its first. In a Div. III semifinal, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary is making its 12th “Final Four” appearance against a Dresden Tri-Valley team making its first.
Of the four teams that qualified for the playoffs for the first time in school history this year, only one – Middletown Madison (Div. V) – has advanced to the state semifinals. Four other schools also won their first-ever playoff game earlier this month, including Hilliard Bradley (Div. I, Region 3), Barberton (Div. II, Region 5), East Canton (Div. VII, Region 25) and Portsmouth Sciotoville (Div. VII, Region 27).
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