Following the fourth week of playoff football, three teams have emerged in Divisions I, II and IV from Northeast Ohio in hopes of bringing State Championship crowns back home.

Representing Ohio in Division I on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. will be the Glenville Tarblooders who are making their first appearance ever in the state final. In Division II, the Maple Heights Mustangs, who a few years back were 0-10 will duke it out Friday night at 7:00 p.m. in hopes of completing their turnaround. And in Division IV, undefeated Chagrin Falls will try and remain perfect at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.

Here are the match ups for this upcoming football filled weekend:

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Glenville Tarblooders (13-1) VS. Hilliard Davidson Wildcats (12-1)

Saturday, Dec. 5. Kickoff at 7:00 P.M. @ Canton Fawcett Stadium

Despite both Glenville and Hilliard Davidson being talented squads this season, heading into the playoffs the Tarblooders and Wildcats were not favored in either of their regions. In Region I, No. 1 St. Ignatius and No. 2 Solon looked to be the favorites, however head coach Ted Ginn Sr. and the Tarblooders knocked off both the Wildcats and the Comets to reach the State Semifinals where they got by Massillon Washington in a relatively easy manner. Hilliard Davidson is from the Columbus region and only played nine regular season games finishing 8-1. Questions lingered about the Wildcats heading into the postseason, but quarterback Jack Trubiano and the rest of this talented squad have defeated a tough Dublin Coffman team and then last week got by Cincinnati powerhouse Elder 26-20.

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Maple Heights Mustangs (12-2) VS. Cincinnati Winton Woods (12-2)

Friday, Dec. 4 Kickoff at 7:00 P.M. @ Massillon Tiger Stadium

A few years ago, former Mustangs head coach Jeff Rotsky left Maple Heights after turning around the program from 0-10 to 10-0. Rotsky did a great job revitalizing the program, however after he left for a job at Cleveland Heights, the Mustangs program began to slip again. That is until a dedicated coaching staff, led by head coach Todd Filtz arrived. This season, Filtz and his coaching staff have done a tremendous job bringing Maple Heights football back to heights it is very familiar with. After a huge regional final win over Lake Catholic, the Mustangs have all the confidence they need to win the Division II title. Cincinnati Winton Woods lost two games in the regular season and most people thought maybe they could make the regional final. Wow! They were wrong. Winton Woods is not running their triple-option to perfection and it has proven to do wonders the past four weeks. The athletic Cincinnati squad is a very speedy team, but Maple Heights may be a faster squad than Glenville.

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Chagrin Falls Tigers (14-0) VS. Kettering Alter Knights (14-0)
Saturday, Dec. 5 Kickoff at 11:00 A.M. @ Canton Fawcett Stadium

It will be a battle of unbeatens Saturday morning when the Tigers duke it out with the defending State Champion Knights down at Canton Fawcett Stadium. Kettering Alter sure looks to be the favorite providing balance on both the offensive and defensive side of the football, however head coach Mark Iammarino and the Tigers can move the ball on anyone. Chagrin Falls has not seen an offense like the Knights, but if quarterback Chris Trinetti and running back Chris Gorman can provide big plays and score some points early on, the Tigers have as good a shot as anyone in Division IV to hand Kettering Alter their first loss of the season in the biggest stage either team has played on all year long.   

* Rankings are based on OHSAA Computer Point Rankings

DIVISION I REGION 1 SEMIFINAL GAMES:

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# 5 Glenville Tarblooders VS. # 1 St. Ignatius Wildcats

11/14 Kickoff at 7:00 P.M. @ Lakewood Stadium

The Tarblooders and Wildcats met in the first week of the regular season 10 weeks
ago with head coach Chuck Kyle’s squad winning the opening week match up 14-13 on a late touchdown pass by senior quarterback Mark Myers. Since that loss Glenville has trounced every other foe they have faced on their way to a Senate Athletic League Championship and a defense that is only allowing 6.8 points per contest. Ted Ginn Sr. and the Tarblooders were on the road in the first round of the 2009 OHSAA Playoffs and as expected dismantled the North Royalton Bears 41-16. Opposing defenses cannot just focus on one offensive weapon because the Tarblooders have too many. Quarterback Cardale Jones is a dual threat to both run and pass while running back Robert Walton Jr. is a premier tailback in Northeast Ohio. Focusing on Jones and Walton just sets up for wide receivers Latwan Anderson and Shane Wynn to do some damage downfield though, so the Wildcats need to be ready for anything. Unlike last season heading into this game the Wildcats do already have a win over the Tarblooders and know what it will take to defeat such an athletic, quick group of players. Since Week 1 St. Ignatius has become dangerous at airing out the football. Obviously in order to win this game ‘Cats junior running back Robert Grebenc has to run the football behind a big veteran-laden offensive line, but Myers and the rest of the offense need to pass the football. Glenville will dare the Wildcats to throw the football as they could put up to as many as nine defensive players in the box to guarantee stopping Grebenc. You would think this match up between the Tarblooders and Wildcats would be a toss up, especially having so many great match ups over the years and a close game in Week 1, but that is not the case. St. Ignatius should definitely win this football game. Is Glenville faster? Yes. Are they more athletic? Absolutely. However, the Wildcats are the overall better football team; and while Glenville may contain St. Ignatius’ high powered offense, at some point they are bound to make a mistake or four. The only chance the Tarblooders have to win this game is if they play perfect mistake-free football and outcoach one of the best coaching staff’s in the country. We just don’t see that happening Saturday night at Lakewood Stadium. 


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# 3 Mayfield Wildcats VS. # 2 Solon Comets

11/14 Kickoff at 7:00 P.M. @ Byers Field

Why two East side teams are going out to the West side to play this game in Parma draws many questions, especially when Bedford Bearcat Stadium is in both teams’ backyards, but we will leave that up to the OHSAA. This other Division I Region 1 semifinal match up is also a rematch from Week 6 of the regular season when the Comets defeated Mayfield 27-20 at Stewart Field. Now the game is at a neutral site, the Wildcats have players back from injuries that they did not have five weeks ago and Solon defensive end and Ohio State recruit Darryl Baldwin is questionable following a sprained ankle he suffered in the Comets’ first round win over Euclid. All things look to be pointing in head coach Larry Pinto’s squad’s favor. Well…....maybe. The fact is the 27-20 win for Solon five weeks ago was actually not as close as the final score might indicate. Throughout the entire night head coach Jim McQuaide’s squad controlled the tempo and had a defensive mind lapse on Mayfield’s first touchdown, a Lee Longo bomb pass to wide receiver Chuck Zavarella. And despite having a defense that boasts 10 shutout victories in the last two seasons, quarterback Jake Voigt and the Comets offense scored at will on the Wildcats and defensively Solon actually looked to be the better overall unit and have proved it allowing just 9.8 points per contest. It is hard to beat a team twice though, and despite the final score being closer than the game actually was, Pinto’s squad wants revenge and feels they are indeed the better team. Wildcats kicker Carey Spear certainly has a lot to prove as five weeks ago he missed an extra point and two chip-shot field goals in the loss to Solon. Since his time at Solon, McQuaide has never made it past the second round of the postseason, that should change this week though because while Mayfield is certainly a top team in Region I, the Comets have a special group boasting balance on both sides of the football, something the Wildcats are lacking.

DIVISION I REGION 2 SEMIFINAL GAME:

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# 3 Massillon Washington Tigers VS. # 2 Twinsburg Tigers

11/14 Kickoff at 7:00 P.M. @ Canton Fawcett Stadium

Now this game is a toss up. Not necessarily because Twinsburg and Massillon are so evenly matched, but because it is merely impossible to predict which two teams will show up Saturday night at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium. Both Jason Hall and Mark Solis, the respective head coaches, have seen their fair shares of ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ football this season from both of their teams, and it is a matter of which team will show up. If it comes down to athleticism, Twinsburg certainly has the edge. Running backs Joe Hiller and Dion Johnson are a great 1-2 combo for the blue and white, while senior quarterback Andrew Collier keeps defenses guessing due to his ability to throw the football. Collier’s favorite target, Waqueim Comar has the ability to break for the end zone any time he touches the football. Defensively the key is Twinsburg defensive tackle Brandon Bucknell. In “T-Burg’s” recent first round win over Brunswick, Bucknell and the defense held a talented Blue Devils offense to just 14 points on the entire night. Along with the most passionate fans in high school football comes a Massillon Tigers team that may have overachieved in the regular season. Following a 35-21 loss to longtime rival Canton McKinley and a close 17-10 win over North Canton Hoover in the first round of the OHSAA Playoffs questions have been raised about the orange and black. There is no doubt quarterback Rob Partridge is a special player who can move the football with his arm and legs, but in recent weeks the ground attack just has not been there for Massillon. It was certainly evident in their Week 7 loss at Steubenville. Bo Grunder is a dangerous wide receiver, but the Tigers will let their famous fans down if they can’t run the football on Twinsburg. Due to the way these two teams have been “on and off” this season, this game is a toss up, but we won’t be surprised if Twinsburg snags a victory.

DIVISION IV REGION 13 SEMIFINAL GAME:

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# 5 Cortland Lakeview Bulldogs VS. # 1 Chagrin Falls Tigers

11/13 Kickoff 7:00 P.M. @ Aurora InkStop Field at Veterans Stadium

One of the more highly anticipated match ups in the 2009 OHSAA Playoffs was a second round match up between Chagrin Falls and Manchester. Cortland Lakeview ruined those hopes with a 24-13 win over the Panthers at James R. France Stadium and now they are hoping to make it two upsets in-a-row this time against top seeded Chagrin Falls. The Bulldogs will go with what got them this far and that’s junior running back Te Elias, who has 25 touchdowns this season and is literally a scoring machine behind a veteran-laden offensive line. Defensively Cortland Lakeview isn’t perfect, but the Tigers certainly will not put up 41 points on the Bulldogs as they did in their first round victory over Campbell Memorial. Tigers quarterback Chris Trinetti is better than any quarterback the Bulldogs have faced, and the minute they focus on him it will be the Chris Gorman show, as the senior running back is also a viable option for head coach Mark Iammarino. With such a talented Chagrin Falls offense, the defense is sometimes overlooked, but we’re taking notice as the Tigers “D” boasts a steady front seven and is only allowing just 9.8 points per contest. In order to keep their ‘Cinderella’ run alive, the Bulldogs have to find another option besides Elias. It just seems like the Tigers have too many weapons and a win could set up a great match up in the Division IV Regional Final between Iammarino’s squad and either undefeated Girard or Woodridge, who the Tigers only beat 32-26 in Week 3 of the regular season.