SHELBY — Orrville football coach Brent Besancon knows what his Red Riders are walking into Friday night at Shelby.
The former Madison coach is all too familiar with the buzzsaw that the unbeaten Whippets have become. If not, he will have a chance to be reminded at the 7 p.m. kickoff.
“It’s going to take a complete game and mistake-free football game to even compete (against Shelby),” Besancon said after Orrville held on to win at Clear Fork, 35-28, in round one of the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs.
Shelby, the region’s top seed, had a bye in the first round after posting another 10-0 season, authoring its first back-to-back undefeated regular seasons since the 1967 and 1968 campaigns.
Orrville (7-4), the No. 9 seed in the 12-team regional playoff, had a playoff win at the Colt Corral that mirrored its season, filled with ups and downs.
The Red Riders opened the 2025 season win four wins in its first five games, all against teams that finished below .500 on the season.
Orrville stumbled in the second half, losing three of its last five, including giving up 51 points to Canton South in Week Six and falling short of Wooster Triway (9-1), 27-21, in Week 10.
The Red Riders come into the Whippet Athletic Complex to take on a rested, confident and stacked team led by coach Rob Mahaney and senior QB Brayden DeVito, who spent the bye weekend in Colorado watching Air Force fall to Army, 20-17. DeVito will play for the Falcons next season.
Besancon will spend the week looking at film and trying to figure out a way to slow down DeVito and a Shelby offense that averaged 46 points per game this year. The Whippets’ defense was equally good, allowing just 10 per night.
If DeVito is not in a class by himself, it certainly doesn’t take long to call the roll. He completed 73 percent of his passes (139-190) for 2,258 yards and 28 TDs with just three interceptions. He also averaged 9.4 yards per carry, finishing with 906 yards on 96 carries with 21 more touchdowns.
Those numbers are even more amazing when you consider the fact, DeVito and the other starters played in just 25 of the 40 quarters during the regular season due to lopsided scores.
Two Crawford County teams ready for second round
Galion (9-1) and Colonel Crawford (10-1) will both play in second-round games on Friday at 7 p.m.
The No. 2-seeded Tigers, whose only loss came to Shelby in Week Four (45-34), will host No. 10-seed Medina Cloverleaf (7-4) at Unckrich Stadium at Heise Park in another Division IV, Region 14 game.
Galion had a bye in week one. The Colts knocked off Bay Village Bay, 42-35, in the first round, going on the road to beat the region’s No. 7 seed.
Colonel Crawford will travel about 30 minutes on Friday night to play Mount Gilead (9-1) in a Division VI, Region 23 game.
The No. 5-seed Eagles opened the 2025 playoffs by routing Beaver Eastern at home, 35-7.
In the win, Connor McMichael ran for 95 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. Brayden Holt had two TD passes.
Mount Gilead, the No. 4-seed, had a bye in week one. The Indians cruised through the regular season, the only blemish a 46-0 loss in Week Seven to 9-1 Centerburg.
Mount Gilead claimed wins against Fredericktown (8-3) and Northmor (6-4) during the season.
Statewide playoff pairings
DIVISION I
Region 1
No. 8 Berea-Midpark (7-4) at No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward (8-2)
No. 7 Massillon Jackson (6-5) at No. 2 Mentor (10-0)
No. 11 Medina (4-7) at No. 3 Canton McKinley (8-2)
No. 5 Perrysburg (9-2) at No. 4 Toledo Whitmer (8-2)
Region 2
No. 8 Lebanon (8-3) at No. 1 Middletown (8-2)
No. 7 Hilliard Bradley (6-5) at No. 2 Troy (8-2)
No. 6 Huber Heights Wayne (7-4) at No. 3 Findlay (6-4)
No. 5 Springfield (7-4) at No. 4 Springboro (7-3)
Region 3
No. 8 Delaware Olentangy Berlin (6-5) at No. 1 Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (10-0)
No. 10 Groveport Madison (6-5) at No. 2 Pickerington Central (9-1)
No. 6 Upper Arlington (9-2) at No. 3 Pickerington North (9-1)
No. 5 Powell Olentangy Liberty (7-4) at No. 4 Lewis Center Olentangy (8-2)
Region 4
No. 8 Fairfield (6-5) at No. 1 Cincinnati Elder (10-0)
No. 7 West Chester Lakota West (7-4) at No. 2 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (7-3)
No. 6 Liberty Township Lakota East (8-3) at No. 3 Cincinnati St. Xavier (7-2)
No. 5 Cincinnati Winton Woods (9-2) at No. 4 Cincinnati Princeton (8-2)
DIVISION II
Region 5
No. 9 Youngstown Boardman (6-5) at No. 1 Akron Archbishop Hoban (8-1)
No. 7 Macedonia Nordonia (8-3) at No. 2 Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (8-1)
No. 11 Uniontown Green (6-5) at No. 3 Austintown Fitch (8-1)
No. 5 Hudson (9-2) at No. 4 Uniontown Lake (7-3)
Region 6
No. 8 Brecksville-Broadview Heights (7-4) at No. 1 Medina Highland (10-0)
No. 7 Toledo St. Francis de Sales (7-4) at No. 2 Wadsworth (10-0)
No. 6 Olmsted Falls (7-4) at No. 3 Avon (9-1)
No. 5 Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (7-4) at No. 4 North Ridgeville (9-1)
Region 7
No. 8 Columbus Walnut Ridge (8-3) at No. 1 Sunbury Big Walnut (9-1)
No. 7 Ashland (10-1) at No. 2 Columbus St. Francis DeSales (8-2)
No. 6 North Canton Hoover (9-2) at No. 3 Massillon Washington (7-3)
No. 5 Westerville South (9-2) at No. 4 Canal Winchester (9-1)
Region 8
No. 8 Cincinnati Withrow (9-2) at No. 1 Cincinnati Anderson (10-0)
No. 7 Harrison (8-3) at No. 2 Kings Mills Kings (9-1)
No. 6 Lima Senior (9-2) at No. 3 Trotwood-Madison (6-3)
No. 5 Cincinnati La Salle (8-3) at No. 4 Xenia (8-2)
DIVISION III
Region 9
No. 8 Chagrin Falls Kenston (7-4) at No. 1 Canfield (9-1)
No. 10 Geneva (9-2) at No. 2 Cuyahoga Falls CVCA (9-0)
No. 6 Akron East (9-2) at No. 3 Gates Mills Hawken (8-2)
No. 12 Maple Heights (8-3) at No. 4 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (8-1)
Region 10
No. 8 St. Marys Memorial (8-3) at No. 1 Medina Buckeye (10-0)
No. 7 Lima Shawnee (8-3) at No. 2 Wapakoneta (10-0)
No. 6 Toledo Central Catholic (7-4) at No. 3 Lexington (9-1)
No. 5 Rocky River (9-2) at No. 4 Richfield Revere (8-2)
Region 11
No. 8 Granville (8-3) at No. 1 Columbus Bishop Watterson (9-0)
No. 7 Carroll Bloom-Carroll (8-3) at No. 2 Newark Licking Valley (10-0)
No. 6 Delaware Buckeye Valley (9-2) at No. 3 Steubenville (7-2)
No. 5 Columbus Hamilton Township (9-2) at No. 4 Dresden Tri-Valley (8-2)
Region 12
No. 8 Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (7-4) at No. 1 London (10-0)
No. 7 Oxford Talawanda (10-1) at No. 2 Tipp City Tippecanoe (10-0)
No. 6 Kettering Archbishop Alter (8-3) at No. 3 Hamilton Badin (9-1)
No. 5 Washington Court House Miami Trace (10-1) at No. 4 Jackson (8-2)
DIVISION IV
Region 13
No. 8 Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (8-3) at No. 1 Perry (8-2)
No. 10 Salem (7-4) at No. 2 Cleveland Glenville (7-3)
No. 6 Streetsboro (9-2) at No. 3 Mentor Lake Catholic (8-2)
No. 5 Norton (10-1) at No. 4 Beloit West Branch (9-1)
Region 14
No. 9 Orrville (7-4) at No. 1 Shelby (10-0)
No. 10 Lodi Cloverleaf (7-4) at No. 2 Galion (9-1)
No. 6 Sandusky Perkins (8-3) at No. 3 Napoleon (8-2)
No. 5 Bellevue (8-3) at No. 4 Lima Bath (8-2)
Region 15
No. 8 Lancaster Fairfield Union (7-4) at No. 1 New Lexington (9-1)
No. 7 Circleville (8-3) at No. 2 Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (9-0)
No. 11 Johnstown (8-3) at No. 3 Plain City Jonathan Alder (9-1)
No. 5 Columbus East (10-1) at No. 4 Chillicothe Unioto (10-0)
Region 16
No. 8 Washington Court House Washington (6-5) at No. 1 Cincinnati Indian Hill (10-0)
No. 7 Cincinnati Wyoming (10-1) at No. 2 Germantown Valley View (9-1)
No. 6 Brookville (10-1) at No. 3 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (9-1)
No. 5 Clarksville Clinton-Massie (10-1) at No. 4 Cincinnati Taft (10-0)
DIVISION V
Region 17
No. 8 Canfield South Range (7-4) at No. 1 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (7-2)
No. 7 Akron Manchester (8-3) at No. 2 Girard (10-0)
No. 6 Youngstown Liberty (9-2) at No. 3 Poland Seminary (8-2)
No. 5 St. Clairsville (8-3) at No. 4 Garrettsville Garfield (8-2)
Region 18
No. 9 Oak Harbor (9-2) at No. 1 Liberty Center (10-0)
No. 7 Fairview Park Fairview (9-2) at No. 2 Wooster Triway (9-1)
No. 11 Port Clinton (7-4) at No. 3 Genoa Area (9-1)
No. 5 Findlay Liberty-Benton (11-0) at No. 4 Creston Norwayne (8-2)
Region 19
No. 9 McConnelsville Morgan (8-3) at No. 1 Wheelersburg (10-0)
No. 10 Chillicothe Zane Trace (9-2) at No. 2 Gahanna Columbus Academy (8-2)
No. 11 Belmont Union Local (8-3) at No. 3 Nelsonville-York (10-0)
No. 5 Portsmouth (8-3) at No. 4 Barnesville (8-2)
Region 20
No. 8 Richwood North Union (7-4) at No. 1 Williamsburg (10-0)
No. 7 Camden Preble Shawnee (10-1) at No. 2 Lewistown Indian Lake (8-2)
No. 11 Cincinnati Mariemont (7-4) at No. 3 Casstown Miami East (9-1)
No. 5 Carlisle (9-2) at No. 4 St. Paris Graham (8-2)
DIVISION VI
Region 21
No. 8 Wickliffe (9-2) at No. 1 Kirtland (10-0)
No. 7 Sugarcreek Garaway (8-2) at No. 2 Columbiana Crestview (10-0)
No. 6 Dalton (8-3) at No. 3 Columbia Station Columbia (9-1)
No. 5 Smithville (9-2) at No. 4 Hanoverton United (9-1)
Region 22
No. 9 Carey (7-4) at No. 1 Castalia Margaretta (9-1)
No. 10 Collins Western Reserve (9-2) at No. 2 Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (9-1)
No. 6 Attica Seneca East (8-3) at No. 3 Archbold (8-2)
No. 5 Sherwood Fairview (10-1) at No. 4 Paulding (10-0)
Region 23
No. 9 West Lafayette Ridgewood (9-2) at No. 1 Centerburg (9-1)
No. 10 Caldwell (8-3) at No. 2 Beverly Fort Frye (8-1)
No. 6 Toronto (10-1) at No. 3 West Jefferson (9-1)
No. 5 North Robinson Colonel Crawford (10-1) at No. 4 Mount Gilead (9-1)
Region 24
No. 9 Portsmouth West (6-5) at No. 1 New Madison Tri-Village (10-0)
No. 7 Ironton Rock Hill (7-4) at No. 2 Springfield Northeastern (9-1)
No. 6 Anna (8-3) at No. 3 Mechanicsburg (8-2)
No. 5 Coldwater (7-4) at No. 4 St. Bernard Elmwood Place (9-1)
DIVISION VII
Region 25
No. 8 Warren JFK (6-5) at No. 1 McDonald (10-0)
No. 7 East Canton (9-2) at No. 2 Fairport Harbor Fairport Harding (10-0)
No. 6 East Palestine (8-3) at No. 3 Mogadore (9-1)
No. 5 Malvern (7-4) at No. 4 Monroeville (8-2)
Region 26
No. 8 Edon (9-2) at No. 1 Lima Central Catholic (9-1)
No. 7 Pandora-Gilboa (8-3) at No. 2 North Baltimore (10-0)
No. 6 Sycamore Mohawk (9-2) at No. 3 Leipsic (9-1)
No. 5 Gibsonburg (8-3) at No. 4 Columbus Grove (7-3)
Region 27
No. 8 Bowerston Conotton Valley (8-3) at No. 1 Jeromesville Hillsdale (9-1)
No. 7 Strasburg-Franklin (8-3) at No. 2 Waterford (8-2)
No. 11 Danville (6-5) at No. 3 Lancaster Fisher Catholic (8-2)
No. 12 Glouster Trimble (7-4) at No. 4 Willow Wood Symmes Valley (8-2)
Region 28
No. 8 Sidney Lehman Catholic (10-1) at No. 1 Maria Stein Marion Local (10-0)
No. 10 New Bremen (7-4) at No. 2 St. Henry (9-1)
No. 11 Cedarville (6-5) at No. 3 Cincinnati Country Day (9-1)
No. 12 Fort Recovery (6-5) at No. 4 Beaver Eastern (10-0)
