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Colin Weiland (12), and Ashton Kolenic (8) and the Kenston football team have clinched a playoff berth in Division III, Region 9 and also lead the Western Reserve Conference with two weeks remaining in the regular season. (Paul DiCicco – For The News-Herald)
There are two weeks remaining in high school football’s regular season. That means playoff spots and conference championships are on the line.
With that in mind, we’ll take a look at the current playoff situation as well as the conference races.
So far, seven area teams have already clinched playoff berths — Mentor, Riverside, Geneva, Kenston, Lake Catholic, Perry and Kirtland. Plenty of other teams will clinch berths over the next two weeks.
Who has the best shots? Listed rankings and projections are per Joeeitel.com
Division I
Mentor (5-3) is currently fifth in Division I, Region 1. Having already clinched a postseason berth. Wins over Strongsville (3-5) and Euclid (1-7) would almost certainly clinch a first-round home game in Week 11.
Despite being 1-7, Euclid remains in the playoff hunt at No. 14 in Region 1. There are only 18 teams in the region and 16 of them are headed to postseason play. Remaining games against Cleveland Heights (7-1) and Mentor won’t be easy, though.
Division II
Riverside (7-1) has already clinched a playoff berth in Region 5, despite a 36-35 loss to Kenston on Oct. 6. The Beavers have yet to play Mayfield and Chardon, but are in line to host a game in Week 11.
Benedictine (3-5) is currently in 13th place in Region 5. Wins over Brush (1-7) and Akron SVSM (4-4) are both likely needed to get the Bengals to postseason play.
North (3-5) and Mayfield (3-5) are 17th and 19th, respectively, in a loaded Region 5. They likely need to win out and maybe get some help in the form of teams ahead of them losing to get to Week 11.
Division III
Geneva (7-1) is second and Kenston (7-1) is third in Region 9. Both are well on their way to hosting Week 11 games, having already clinched playoff spots.
VASJ (5-3) is currently sixth and controls its destiny with games against Akron SVSM and Cleveland Central Catholic yet to be played.
University (5-2) is currently seventh, with a trip to Steubenville and a journey to winless Howland remaining. Gilmour (6-2) is currently eighth, with games at Medina Buckeye and Lutheran East yet to be played. Neither team controls its destiny.
Madison, however, does control its destiny. The 7-2 Blue Streaks are ninth in Region 9 and host both Geneva and Conneaut in the coming weeks. One win should clinch it. Two might mean a home game in Week 11.
Chardon (5-3) is currently 12th, with games against North and Riverside. The Hilltoppers control their destiny. On a side note, if Chardon splits, goes 6-4 and is in the 14-16 seed range, what a rough draw it would be first-round playoff game for a top-three seed.
Hawken (5-3) is 14th, NDCL (4-4) is 17th and West Geauga (3-5) is 20th. Hawken and West G both have to play undefeated Perry, which would be worth a boatload of computer points should they win, while NDCL’s point windfall would come if the Lions can beat Lake Catholic in Week 10.
Division IV
Lake Catholic (7-1) has clinched a playoff berth, with Canton South being the only team ahead of the Cougars in Region 13. Coach Marty Gibbons’ squad is in fine shape to host a first-round playoff game. Wins over Walsh Jesuit and NDCL — or maybe just one — would put the Cougars home in Week 11.
Lake Catholic is the only area team in Division IV this year.
Division V
Perry (8-0) has already clinched a top-four slot in Region 17. Wins over West G and Hawken would keep the Pirates — the top-ranked Division V team in the state per the Associated Press — at home for the first two rounds of postseason play.
Berkshire (5-3) is currently eighth, with games against Grand Valley and Harvey yet to be played. Harvey is 4-4 and currently 22nd in Division III, Region 9, which means a Berkshire win over the Red Raiders would greatly benefit the Badgers. But Harvey would need a ton of help to get into the Region 9 playoff field even with wins over Berkshire and Cardinal (5-3).
Chagrin Falls (5-3) is 16th in Region 17. The Tigers likely need to beat both Hawken and Lutheran West to be doing a postseason dance later this month.
Division VI
Kirtland (7-1) is first in Region 21 and has clinched a top-four spot. The Hornets play Crestwood (4-4) and Cardinal the next two weeks as primers for what they hope is a postseason trail that leads them to Canton.
Cardinal (5-3) is ninth and control its destiny per Eitel. Division III Harvey and Division VI kingpin Kirtland remain.
Division VII
Fairport (3-5) is 17th in Region 25. The Skippers have a huge game in Week 9 against Jackson-Milton (6-2). A win there would help the Skippers’ postseason hopes immensely. Vienna Mathews (1-7) in Week 10 is important, too.
Conference call
And now for a look at each conference race (in alphabetical order):
Crown Conference
Walsh Jesuit (7-1) and Lake Catholic (7-1) share the league lead with 1-0 conference marks. They meet on Oct. 13 at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium. The winner is firmly in the driver’s seat. Padua and NDCL are both 0-1 in league play. They’re technically still alive since — well, there are only four teams in the conference — but the biggie is this weekend between Walsh and Lake Catholic.
CVC Chagrin Division
Perry is 3-0 in divisional play, with road games at West Geauga and Hawken remaining. West Geauga and Lutheran West are both 2-1 in the Chagrin Division. The Oct. 13 game between Perry and West G holds huge implications. Lutheran West has already lost to Perry.
CVC Lake Division
For all intents and purposes, the conference title game is Thursday, Oct. 12 when Geneva travels to Madison. Both teams are 3-0 in divisional play. Conneaut (2-1) holds out some hope still. If Geneva beats Madison, the Eagles’ final game against winless Jefferson would be for the outright title. If Madison beats Geneva, it will still face a tough game in Week 10 at home against Conneaut.
CVC Metro Division
Cuyahoga Heights (3-0) looks to be in pretty firm control. Coach Al Martin’s team hosts Trinity and Brooklyn the next two weeks. Independence and Trinity are both 2-1 in the division, but Heights controls its conference destiny.
Greater Cleveland Conference
Cleveland Heights is the only remaining team with a 5-0 league mark, having already beaten both Mentor and Medina. Heights has to play Euclid and Shaker Heights to wrap up a conference title in its first year in the league. Both Shaker and Mentor are 4-1 in league play and hold out some conference hope. Shaker has the tougher road, but can win the league with wins against Medina and Cleveland Heights. Mentor plays Strongsville and Euclid — teams it will be favored to beat — but might be on the outside looking in when it comes to GCC banners.
Northeast Athletic Conference
Pymatuning Valley (2-0) has the league lead and isn’t likely to lose it, with games against St. John and Windham remaining. Fairport and Vienna Mathews are one win off the pace, but PV looks to be the class of the league this year.
Western Reserve Conference
Kenston (3-0) did itself a huge favor in knocking off Riverside, 36-35, last week. That gives the Bombers a lead over both Riverside and Chardon (both of whom are 2-1 in league play). Kenston plays North (3-5) and South (1-7) the next two weeks. Two wins means the unblemeshed WRC title. Riverside and Chardon need some help from the Willoughby-Eastlake district to get back in the title hunt. Either way, the Riverside-Chardon game in Week 10 is a doozy.
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