Look no further than Northeast Ohio for one of — if not the — most difficult region for teams to navigate with the high school football state playoffs beginning Oct. 30.
In Division II, Region 5 might be it. That’s because the strength of the teams from top to bottom is there. There’s also plenty of storylines and questions.
What’s up is down, and what’s down is up. Predicting which team will be Region 5 champion is a crapshoot.
If a Week 1 result was a preview of anything in Region 5, it was Walsh Jesuit’s 34-0 shutout of Medina Highland, one of the programs that was reassigned from Region 6.
Highland then turned it around, won nine straight and finished ahead of the Warriors as the No. 1-rated team in the region.
Other notable new entries in Region 5 were Wadsworth, with Brysen Hall — one of Ohio’s top quarterback recruits — and Coach Jeff Rotsky’s VASJ Vikings.
Highland won the Suburban League’s National Division. On the other side of the Suburban League, Mayfield won the American Division and is the only 10-0 team in Region 5.
As for Coach Nick Alexander’s Walsh Jesuit team, it finished 8-2 with shutout losses to Akron Hoban and Columbus Watterson, the favorite to the D-II state championship out of Region 7, another rugged bracket of teams that features Massillon and defending Region 7 champion Big Walnut.
There have also been changes at the top, as Highland and Walsh are starting different QBs.
Then there is Akron Hoban, which enters the playoffs at 3-6 (3-5, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association because the Knights played NFL Academy Europe).
Hoban’s schedule featured just three Ohio opponents in Walsh Jesuit, St. Edward and Glenville, going 1-2. The rest were out-of-state competition against strong opponents. That resulted in just three victories and the No. 10 seed in Region 5.
Anyone looking for an X-factor team in the region, Hoban might be it.
Rotsky understands that as he prepares his No. 7 seed Vikings for a marquee matchup against the Knights Oct. 30.
“We’re excited to be here,” said Rotsky. “Hoban, they’re tremendous. But we’re pretty good, and our kids believe they can compete with anyone.”
Rotsky believes his team is battle-tested after a demanding schedule that included games at 10-0 Sandsuky Perkins (a 44-41 loss in two overtimes), at 9-1 and fellow Region 5 member Nordonia (a 41-39 loss), plus wins over 7-3 Columbus DeSales and 8-2 Garfield Heights.
Scheduling for VASJ, an independent, isn’t easy. Rotsky would prefer to be a member of the North Coast Conference with the likes of Lake Catholic, NDCL and others.
“We want to be in that league,” said Rotsky. “It’s just not right. For us, it’s very hard to schedule. Why should our kids not have a chance to compete for a conference championship?”
Rotsky understands his team will unquestionably be the underdog vs. Hoban, whose QB is Major Cribbs, the son of former Browns player Josh Cribbs.
“There is nobody in America who thinks we can win this football game,” said Rotsky.
Another son of a former Browns player, Kinzy Shea, whose father Aaron was a tight end for Cleveland, is now the QB at Walsh Jesuit after the starter went down with an injury.
Shea is a freshman. But in the Warriors’ last game at 7-2 Trotwood-Madison, he threw three TD passes in the first half of a 35-8 victory.
“We played Watterson. They’re pretty good,” said Alexander. “We played Hoban, they’re pretty good as well.”
Asked to sort the balance of power in Region 5, Alexander was like most.
“I just don’t know,” he said. “It’s really tough to tell.”
Alexander added: “We did win the region last season. We like to think it goes through us.”
In Region 5, there’s also No. 3 seed Nordonia (9-1), whose only loss is 23-21 to Highland.
Area-wise, Mayfield (10-0) is the No. 4 seed, waiting for the winner of North Royalton-Wadsworth at Wildcat Stadium on Nov. 6. The Grizzlies will be big favorites in that 5 vs. 12 matchup.
The North footall team will be looking for its first-ever playoff victory when it hosts Brush on Oct. 20. (Tim Phillis/For The News-Herald)
North (9-1) is the No. 6 seed and hosts No. 11 seed Brush as the Rangers look for their first-ever playoff victory.
Not to be forgotten is what could be the most competitive matchup of the first round as No. 9 Brecksville-Broadview Heights brings its stingy defense to Lake County against Riverside’s efficient offense in an 8 vs. 9 matchup.
Is there a Cinderella run awaiting Mayfield, North or Riverside? Or will heavyweights Hoban, Walsh, VASJ, Highland, Nordonia or Wadsworth rule the region? Whatever happens, consider this:
Walsh Jesuit awaits the winner of Hoban-VASJ for a Nov. 6 second-round game in Cuyahoga Falls. No matter what, two of those three teams will be eliminated before the regional semifinal round.
Welcome to arguably the toughest region in Ohio.
“Region 5 is the most competitive region in the state,” said North coach Shawn Dodd. “Tremendous coaches, talented teams. Every team is capable of beating each other. There’s no ‘easy path.’ Every team is well-coached, physical. You have to earn your way in, then grind your way through. It’s a challenge but definitely exciting. It’s how the playoffs should be.”
Amen to that, Coach.