LEXINGTON — Lexington football coach Andrew Saris looked across a windswept field at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin a year ago and remarked on the importance of a postseason run on his young team.
It was minutes after his team fell, 35-7, to Toledo Central Catholic in a Division III regional semifinal. Saris was reflective on what three extra games in 2024 meant to his team.
“As a football coach, that is extremely important. That’s almost a third of a regular season, extra reps these kids got to get better. For us to get that is extremely beneficial. I think great programs continue to make those playoff runs and get that extra experience,” Saris said a year ago.
He pointed out taking on a powerhouse like TCC could also pay future dividends.
“That’s a team that sets the standard,” Saris said. “Bigger, faster, stronger. If you want to try to beat a team like that, you have got to perform.”
Saris and his Minutemen (9-1) hope those dividends are evident Friday when TCC (7-4) comes to Lexington for a second-round Division III, Region 10, playoff rematch at Robert H. Whitney Stadium at 7 p.m,
Lexington has the higher seed (No. 3) and has won 16 of its last 20 games. But the Fighting Irish (No. 6) have a storied football history.
TCC is making its 22nd-straight playoff appearance under head coach Greg Dempsey and 27th overall in school history. Central Catholic has a 58-18 postseason record under Dempsey with five state titles (2005, 2012, 2014, 2022, 2023) and two state runner-up finishes (2015, 2024).
The Fighting Irish are also loaded with talent with a dozen D-1 recruits, according to a pre-season Facebook post, including five members of the senior claass.
TCC also has momentum coming off a home playoff win Friday night against Ontario, 35-0.
TCC scored on five of their initial six possessions against the Warriors, building 35-0 halftime lead. The entire second half was played with a running clock and TCC advanced to the second round for the 15th-straight year.
The Fighting Irish started the season 0-3 with losses to teams that featured a combined final record of 28-1, but have won seven of their last eight.
But Lexington has momentum of its own, including a 43-35 win against then-unbeaten Division II Ashland in week 10, clinching an outright Ohio Cardinal Conference title for the first time since 2008.
The Minutemen have won eight straight games with their only loss coming in week two against 10-0 Shelby and also have the advantage of playing at home on Bill Stoner Field, a place where Lexington hasn’t lost since Week Two of the 2024 season.
The Minutemen also had a week off to heal up bruises that accumulated through 10 weeks of football.
Lexington also has a stacked roster, including senior quarterback Joe Caudill (Michigan State) and senior receiver Brayden Fogle (Georgia).
Caudill scored the only Minuteman TD against TCC last year and passed for 256 yards. Fogle had four catches for 136 yards against the Fighting Irish, averaging 34 yards per catch, despite often being shadowed by four-star TCC cornerback Victor Singleton Jr., who has committed to Texas A&M.
But it was senior WR/DB Seven Allen who helped make the difference against Ashland in week 10.
Allen scored a career-high three touchdowns against the Arrows on a 25-yard run, a 94-yard catch and a 60-yard interception return.
