MANSFIELD — The Ohio high school football postseason has reached the Sweet 16 round and north central Ohio will be well-represented in the regional semifinals.
Of the five teams still alive, three will play at home. Here’s a look at Friday’s regional semifinals.
Division III, Region 10
No. 6 St. Marys Memorial (9-3) at No. 2 Ontario (10-1)
When the Roughriders have the ball: Don’t expect to see many passes flying around Copeland Field when St. Marys Memorial has possession.
The Roughriders, who operate out of the Wing-T, didn’t attempt a single pass in last week’s 42-21 win over No. 3 Cloverleaf. St. Marys piled up 434 rushing yards and never punted.
Fullbacks Tyler Holsinger and Adisen Cantor did a majority of the damage. Holsinger rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while Cantor rumbled for 149 yards and a TD on 20 carries.
Running back Dyllan Fink added 85 yards and a score. Quarterback Logan Payton scored three TDs, all 1 yard runs.
Ontario’s defense pitched a fourth-quarter shutout in last week’s come-from-behind 22-19 win over Tiffin Columbian. Linebacker Zane Curry’s third-quarter pick-six proved to be the game-winning score.
Ontario’s defensive line will face its toughest challenge to date.
Maddix Smith is perhaps north central Ohio’s most disruptive defender. The physical 6-foot-1, 265-pound junior led the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with 11 sacks during the regular season and ranked second with 22 tackles for loss.
Curry has 114 tackles, while Carson Moritz made 83 stops. Linebacker Gavin Miller (68 tackles, 8 TFLs) has a nose for the ball and defensive end Trey Remy (6-5, 235) causes problems with his length and athleticism. Cornerback Cardae Brown tied for the conference lead with five interceptions.
When the Warriors have the ball: Ontario continues to employ a two-quarterback system, depending on what the opposing defense is doing.
Sean Tanner is the starter. He completed 61% of his passes during the regular season for 1,347 yards and 15 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Miller came on in relief of Tanner in the second half last week. He can hurt a team with his arm and is a threat to run (346 rushing yards, seven TDs).
Max Ciroli was one of just two running backs in the MOAC to top the 1,000-yard plateau. He rushed for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns on 133 carries during the regular season.
Brown leads Ontario with 44 catches for 874 yards and 11 touchdowns. The athletic junior had four grabs for 146 yards and a score as Ontario rallied from a 19-7 third-quarter deficit against Tiffin Columbian.
Extra Point: This is the first-ever meeting between the Warriors and Roughriders. … Curry’s interception last week gave Ontario 22 takeaways on the season. The Warriors boast a plus-15 turnover margin.
Division IV, Region 14
No. 3 Perkins (11-0) at No. 2 Shelby (11-0)
When the Pirates have the ball: Quarterback Grant Kuhnle, who transferred to Perkins from Norwalk St. Paul, completed 18-of-23 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 42-14 win over Bellevue. Kuhnle has completed 106-of-175 passes for 1,760 yards and 24 TDs with just two interceptions.
Wideout Kaden Legando is Kuhnle’s favorite target. He had five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown last week, giving him 32 receptions for 643 yards and eight TDs on the season.
Bryce Davie had eight grabs for 106 yards and two TDs last week.
Five ball carriers have rushed for more than 100 yards on the season for the Pirates. JoJo Moore leads the charge with 386 yards and six TDs on 63 carries. Connor Smith has run for 317 and six TDs on 41 carries.
Shelby’s rough-and-tumble defense has allowed just 94 points in 11 games (8.5 ppg).
Linebacker Cadyn Stine leads the team with 104 tackles, including 25 tackles for loss. Fellow linebacker Griffin Yeager has 91 tackles and 18 TFLs.
Shelby’s secondary will be tested this week. Casyn Koch leads the way with six interceptions to go with 44 tackles.
When the Whippets have the ball: Shelby’s offense runs through quarterback Michael Shepherd, who starred at tight end last year before taking over for the graduated Brayden DeVito. Shepherd has completed 68% of his passing attempts (104-153) for 1,861 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for a team-leading 705 yards and 18 TDs on 83 carries.
Brady Bowman ranks among the top high school receivers in state history with more than 4,000 receiving yards. The senior caught five passes for 90 yards and a TD last week, giving him 61 catches for 1,013 yards and 12 scores on the season.
Gavin Baker rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries last week. He has 662 rushing yards and nine scores on the year.
Linebacker Boden Ballinger is the centerpiece of the Perkins defense. The senior has 120 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Junior Carter Koch has a team-high 9.5 sacks to go with 65 tackles. Landon Flores has 98 stops.
Extra Point: Shelby has won 27 straight home games. … The Whippets own a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series. … Perkins’ only win over Shelby came in 1975. … The teams haven’t played since 1979. … Perkins coach Jalen Santoro starred at Bellevue, where he quarterbacked the football team to a state runner-up finish in 2012.
No. 4 Clear Fork (9-2) at No. 1 Ottawa-Glandorf (11-0)
When the Colts have the ball: Clear Fork’s run-heavy offense is led by quarterback Marcus Hoeflich, who has rushed for 914 yards and eight touchdowns on 132 carries. He had 65 yards on 11 carries in last week’s 38-0 win over Otsego.
Nine different players carried the ball last week. Trey Sellers led the charge with 108 yards and a score on six attempts. The senior has 789 rushing yards and eight TDs on 108 carries.
Senior Nash Evans caught a pair of passes for 41 yards and a touchdown last week. He leads the team with 14 receptions for 249 yards and two TDs.
Ottawa-Glandorf led the Western Buckeye League in total defense during the regular season, allowing 241.2 yards per game. The Titans surrendered just 96.9 rushing yards per game and led the WBL with a plus-18 turnover ratio.
Linebacker Ayden Klausing led the way with 78 tackles.
The ball-hawking secondary picked off 14 passes. Jordan Schumaker led the WBL with six interceptions. He was selected the WBL’s Defensive Skill Position Player of the Year.
Carson Yeager picked off four passes, returning one for a touchdown. He also recovered a pair of fumbles.
When the Titans have the ball: Quarterback Tanner Vogt is a threat with his arm and his legs. He ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for another in last week’s 28-14 win over Buckeye.
Running back Oscar Salsburey ranked among WBL rushing leaders during the regular season with 983 yards and 13 touchdowns on 116 carries.
Wideout Deegan Miller led O-G with 36 catches for 613 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season. He caught a 34 yard TD pass last week.
Clear Fork boasts one of north central Ohio’s top defenses, allowing just nine points per game. The Colts have pitched three straight shutouts and haven’t allowed a points since in more than a month.
Linebacker Alex Schlosser ranked second in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with nine sacks during the regular season. Schlosser had a team-best 60 tackles.
Sellers returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown in last week’s 38-0 win over Otsego. He had nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks during the regular season.
Linebacker Brayden Hayes had six tackles for loss and five sacks in the regular season.
The defense got a boost with the return of Davis Hoeflich, who missed time during the regular season with an injury. Hoeflich is the quarterback of the defense from his safety spot.
Extra Point: Clear Fork is making its 20th playoff appearance, tops among Richland County schools. … Ottawa-Glandorf was 0-10 last year and finished last in Region 14. … First-year O-G head coach Ben Kaufman took over for Ken Schriner, who retired after 30 seasons. Kaufman is a Ottawa-Glandorf graduate who played collegiately at Bluffton.
Division VI, Region 21
No. 4 Hillsdale (10-1) at No. 1 Kirtland (10-1)
When the Falcons have the ball: Hillsdale’s offense is built around record-setting All-Ohio quarterback Kael Lewis. The senior has completed 126-of-192 passes for 1,955 yards and 23 touchdowns and hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 2. Lewis also is the team’s leading rusher with 873 yards and 16 touchdowns on 102 carries.
Knox Lewis, the quarterback’s fraternal twin, leads the team with 34 catches for 411 yards and seven TDs. Ayden Salyer has 29 grabs for a team-best 633 yards and 10 scores. Davis Radcliffe has 26 receptions for 408 yards and three TDs.
Freshman running back Mason Sloan took over for older brother and career rushing king Owen, who graduated last year. The younger Sloan has 84 carries for 530 yards and five TDs.
Kirtland’s suffocating defense has given up just 17 points in the past eight games and 88 points all year. The Hornets surrendered just 27 yards in last week’s 50-0 win over Brookfield, while limiting the Warriors to three first downs. Tommy Caimi returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown.
When the Hornets have the ball: Caimi is one of the most prolific players in the Chagrin Valley Conference. The senior has rushed for 1,162 yards and 18 touchdowns on 103 carries, including a pair in last week’s win.
Caimi is one of six Hornets with at least 150 rushing yards on the season. Zander Perko has 611 yards on 82 carries while Sebastian Becker has 501 yards on 40 carries.
Hillsdale’s defense has allowed just 31 points since a 28-14 loss to Smithville in Week 5.
Sloan leads the defense from his linebacker spot with 126 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Drew Daugherty has made 91 stops, while fellow sophomore linebacker Porter Boreman has 82 tackles.
Extra Point: Kirtland won the Division VI state championship last year, while Hillsdale was the Division VII state runner-up. … The Hornets have won eight state titles and have been to the state final 14 times in the past 15 years. … Coach Tiger Laverde is 269-22 in 21 seasons at Kirtland.
Division VII, Region 27
No. 3 Toronto (10-1) at No. 2 Danville (11-0)
When the Red Knights have the ball: Toronto likes to spread the field and throw the ball. Junior quarterback Max Rebich has completed 149-of-219 passes for 2,093 yards and 20 touchdowns, but has been picked off 13 times.
Senior Colt Joynson is the centerpiece of a deep receiving corps. He has 54 catches for 935 yards and 11 TDs. Senior Kenny Jett has 38 catches for 495 yards, while senior Brody Close has 25 catches for 375 yards.
Running back Drake Bouscher has run for 978 yards and 15 touchdowns on 185 carries. The senior ran for 88 yards and two scores in last week’s 20-13 win over Strasburg.
Danville boasts one of the top defenses in all of Division VII. The Blue Devils have given up just 58 points all year and have five shutouts, including three in a row heading into the regional semifinals.
Senior lineman Owen Gronberg was selected the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Gronberg has 84 tackles, including 25 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Linebacker Jacob Byers leads the way with 121 tackles. Fellow linebacker Chris Mosher has 119 stops.
The Blue Devils have forced 28 turnovers while limiting opponents to 143.1 yards per game.
When the Blue Devils have the ball: Danville boasts a balanced offensive attack, averaging 182.7 yards rushing and 166.5 yards passing per game.
Junior running back Cy Wallace was selected the KMAC’s Offensive Player of the Year. Wallace has rushed for 979 yards and 20 touchdowns on 81 carries, averaging 12.1 yards per carry. Wallace ran for four scores in last week’s 34-0 win over Lucas.
Sophomore quarterback Parker Proper has completed 106-of-154 passes for 1,738 yards and 26 touchdowns. He has thrown just two interceptions all season.
Briggs Wallace is Proper’s favorite target. The sophomore has 39 catches for 665 yards and nine touchdowns. Brycen Burke has 29 grabs for 404 yards and seven TDs, while tight end Aidan Mickley has 18 catches for 373 yards and six scores.
Bouscher leads Toronto’s defense with 106 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and three sacks. Jackson Gibson has 82 stops.
Extra Point: Danville has reached the regional championship game each of the past four years and was a state semifinalist in 2024. … Danville running back Cy Wallace needs 35 yards to become the program’s career rushing leader.
