Potters field another playoff team
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For the fifth time in school history, East Liverpool will host a playoff game when Columbus Marion-Franklin makes the drive to Patterson Field on Friday.
The 11th seeded Red Devils finished the season 6-4, while the Potters earned the sixth seed with an 8-2 record, East Liverpool’s best regular season finish since 2010.
Marion-Franklin plays in the Columbus City League South Division and finished runner-up with a 6-1 league mark. The Red Devils have made 17 previous appearances in the state playoffs and have an all-time playoff mark of 14-17. The team was a state semifinalist in 20009, 2011 and 2013.
East Liverpool is in the playoffs for the eighth time. The Potters are 4-7 all-time in the playoffs.
The Red Devils started the season with consecutive losses to Westerville Central, Bishop Hartley and Groveport-Madison. Marion-Franklin then won three straight league games before losing to Columbus West. The Red Devils then beat Eastmoor Academy, Briggs and Columbus South to end the regular season.
East Liverpool’s two blemishes were against playoff teams in Beaver Local and Salem.
The Potters are led offensively by quarterback Ben Myers. Myers has passes for 1,452 yards with 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 677 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior running back Xavier Lara has 1,105 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. James Madison recruit Dre’Keim Abercrombie has 33 catches for 485 yards and six touchdowns. On the defensive side, Abercrombie has 69 total tackles and 29 tackles for a loss. Leeland Price is the team’s leading tackler with 76.
The winner of this game will travel to No. 3 seed West Holmes on Nov. 6.
BEAVER LOCAL AT CLAYMONT
Beaver Local (6-4) finished the season with two straight wins to gain the 12th and final spot in Div. IV, Region 13.
The Beavers will be traveling to No. 5 seed Claymont (9-1) on Friday. The Mustangs come into the game having lost to Region 13 leader and Div. IV state champion favorite Indian Valley by one point in the regular season finale.
The Mustangs have outscored their opponents 345-44.
Beaver Local, on the other hand, has outscored its opponents 246-212.
The Beavers and Mustangs have played four other times. From 2011-2014, the Mustangs outscored the Beavers 168-20 in four wins.
Drew Pasteur’s Fantastic 50 predicts Claymont to win by 32.
The winner will go on to play at No. 4 seed Johnstown (8-2) on Nov. 6.
WARREN JFK AT UNITED
United Local’s football team has dominated the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference with four straight championships and over the last six seasons the Golden Eagles (8-1) have made the playoffs every time. But during that strong run, United has only won two playoff games and has never got out of the second round. This is the ninth playoff appearance for the Golden Eagles.
Warren JFK (6-4) has won 17 playoff games since 2020 and has been to a state championship game twice during that time. This is the 30th overall playoff appearance for JFK with the team winning state titles in 1991 and 2016.
The only common opponent the two Div. VI, Region 21 opponents share is Valley Christian which lost o United, 45-7, and JFK, 51-12. Even though United is the sixth seed and JFK the 11th, it would seem that this could be a fairly even matchup. United outscored its league opponents 297-42, but has only faced two playoff teams all season. The Golden Eagle starters have not played into the fourth quarter since Sept. 4.
Warren JFK will enter the game with an extra day to prepare as it closed out its season with a 66-0 win over Cleveland JFK on Thursday. Warren JFK opened the season against unbeaten Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Gray Division champion Garfield and kept it competitive with a 37-28 loss. Warren JFK’s other wins came from winless Struthers, 8-2 Grand Valley, 5-5 Lutheran East and 6-4 Cleveland Central Catholic.
The winner of this game will head to 9-1 Columbia Station Columbia in the second round. Warren JFK lost to Raiders 42-7 on Oct. 2, so the measuring stick for what comes next is already there.
COLUMBIANA AT BROOKFIELD
After facing adversity with two blowout losses to playoff-bound United and Woodmore, Columbiana won five straight to end the season to capture the ninth seed in Div. VI, Region 21.
The Clippers (8-2) will travel to MVAC Gray Division runner-up Brookfield (8-2) on Friday. The Warriors had held opponents under eight points six times this season and their only losses have come to Toronto and Garfield who had a combined record of 19-1. Last week against Lisbon, Hayes McCoy ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while Danny Mangiarelli added 85 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns. Brookfield is led by 1,000-yard rusher Rico Smith and quarterback Blake Hammond.
The Clippers and Warriors have previously played in 1990, 1995, 1996 and 2019 with each team. getting two wins. Columbiana has won the last two.
Drew Pasteur’s Fantastic 50 prediction web site has Brookfield winning by 28 points. This is Columbiana’s, 15th state playoff appearance, all under coach Bob Spaite.
Brookfield is in its 12th playoff with the high point being a 1978 state championship.
SALEM, WEST BRANCH
Salem (8-2) and West Branch (9-1) both earned byes in their respective divisions and regions. The fourth seeded Quakers are waiting on the winner of Friday’s Div. III, Region 9 first round contest between No. 5 seed Cleveland Glenville and No. 12 University. State-playoff power Glenville is projected to win that game by 38. Salem was eliminated by Glenville 49-0 in last season’s Div. IV playoffs.
Third-seeded West Branch is waiting on the winner of No. 6 Woodridge and No. 11 Poland in Div. IV, Region 13. West Branch has played Woodridge in five out of the last seven seasons and has won them all. West Branch has played Poland one time since 1987.