MADISON TOWNSHIP — Assistant coach LeRoy Smith had barely make it out of the locker room after Madison’s 21-14 win over Mansfield Senior last week when he was asked who the Rams might meet in the first round of the playoffs.
“It looks like Toledo Central Catholic, Smith said glumly, “again.”
The good news is the Rams avoided a regional quarterfinal match-up with Toledo Central Catholic, the perennial powerhouse that ended Madison’s last two playoff runs (in 2012 and 2005) en route to Division II state championships.
The bad news is the Rams drew a first-round opponent every bit as formidable.
No. 7 seed Madison (7-3) visits No. 2 seed Clyde (8-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a Division III, Region 8 quarterfinal.
The Fliers are the reigning Region 8 champs — Clyde beat Toledo Central Catholic for the regional crown last fall — and are making the 10th postseason appearance in school history. The Rams are in the playoffs for the second time in three years and fifth time overall.
“It’s great to play in the playoffs,” sophomore Tyrell Ajian said after last week’s win over Senior High. “It’s a great opportunity and we’re looking forward to it.”
Clyde was the preseason favorite to win the Sandusky Bay Conference but had a share of the conference title slip away in the rain last week. The Fliers fell to Huron 7-6 in overtime, lifting Huron to the outright SBC crown. Huron scored first in overtime and booted the PAT to make it 7-0. Clyde scored on its possession on a 20 yard pass from quarterback Austin Baker to prolific wideout Eric Wiseman, but the Fliers’ two-point conversion run was stuffed.
Including Huron, the Fliers faced five playoff-qualifying teams during the regular season. Clyde was 3-2 against those teams. Madison was 2-1 against the three playoff-qualifying teams on its regular season schedule.
“It doesn’t matter who you play in the playoffs. Everyone’s good,” Madison running back Juwan Howard said last week. “I’m just ready to play with my team.”
Howard has rushed for 1,405 yards and 14 touchdowns and became just the third back in school history to have eight 100-yard rushing games in last week’s win. Ajian, who will line up as Madison’s wildcat quarterback, has run for 355 yards and four TDs, averaging 9.9 yards a carry. Logan Pack is Madison’s short-yardage hammer. The fullback has six touchdowns. Quarterback Austin Finley has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 60 percent of his passes. His favorite targets are Alec Keen (21 catches, 392 yards), Ajian (17 catches, 302 yards) and speedster Frank Douglas (10 catches, 302 yards).
The defense is led by Keen, who has 98 tackles from his spot in the secondary. Ajian has a team-best five interceptions, while Dakota Gombosch has a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Kanyon Tackett has nine tackles for loss, including a critical sack against Senior High last week.
Baker is the trigger man in Clyde’s high-flying aerial attack. The quarterback has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. Wiseman has nearly 1,000 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns. Darius Morton is the leading rusher in Clyde’s running back-by-committee approach.
The role of prohibitive underdog is nothing new to Madison. The Rams won opening-round playoff games on the road in 2005 and 2012.
“I just love our team. I believe in them,” Madison coach Sean Conway said after the win over Mansfield Senior. “Don’t count them out next week.”
