Fort Frye, Waterford host first-round playoff games
BEVERLY — The Fort Frye Cadets open postseason play Friday night at home against a very dangerous Buckeye Trail Warriors squad.
The Cadets finished the season with wins in three of their final four games including last week’s 35-7 win over Point Pleasant.
Fort Frye scored all five of their touchdowns in the opening half with four different weapons scoring at least once.
Quarterback Grady Hesson scored a pair of rushing touchdowns while Kainan Bradford, Tyce Beardsley and Clayton Miller each added one.
At one time the Warriors and Cadets were Pioneer Valley Conference foes and Fort Frye head coach Eric Huck knows his team will be up for a challenge.
“It’ll be a big test. They are big up front. They have some good athletes and they run the ball very well,” said Huck. “Defensively they’re big up front. It’ll be a good match up.”
The Cadets played four teams that advanced to the playoffs and composed a 1-3 record against those teams.
Buckeye Trail comes into the game on a hot streak after scoring a 44-28 win last week over Newcomerstown.
That win was the third straight victory for the Donnie Kerns-coached Warriors.
Trail played six teams that advanced to the playoffs finishing with a 2-4 record against them.
Fort Frye comes into the game with the No. 4 seed in the D-6, Region 23 final regular season standings while Buckeye Trail is No. 13.
#12 FAIRBANKS (7-3) at #5 WATERFORD (8-2)
WATERFORD — The Wildcats wrapped up the regular season last week with a 55-0 win over the Belpre Golden Eagles to finish with six consecutive wins.
The No. 5 seeded Wildcats will host the #12 seed Fairbanks Panthers in the opening round of the playoffs Friday night.
The Wildcat defense has been stout all season long and have given up just 52 combined points during their six-game win streak.
Six times on the season the ‘Cats have limited their opponents to a touchdown or less.
Waterford played no less than six teams on the season who advanced to the playoffs compiling a 4-2 record against those teams.
Wildcat head coach Eric McCutcheon and his staff have been busy developing a game plan for the Panthers, a team that reeled off seven consecutive wins before dropping a heartbreaker to West Liberty Salem (29-27) in their season finale.
“They put a bunch of guys in the box and try to stop you. We will try to establish the run against them,” said McCutcheon. “They do have to travel two-and-a-half hours and we get to play on our home field in front of our home crowd and our student body so that’s a huge advantage for us.”
In Waterford’s win last week over Belpre, Colten Jones ran for 260 yards and five touchdowns on 17 carries.
#10 FRONTIER (4-6) at #7 SOUTH GALLIA (6-3)
CROWN CITY — The Frontier Cougars killed two birds with one stone on a huge night last Friday when they downed the River Pilots 7-6.
The win not only snapped a 13-game losing streak to River but clinched a post season berth for the Damon Metheney-led Cougars for the third time in four seasons.
The Cougars travel to Crown City to take on a Rebels squad that finished the season with wins in five of their final six games.
Frontier got a second quarter six-yard touchdown pass from True King to Austyn Kephart and the extra point kick by Davyn Ferrell proved to be the game winner in last week’s win over River.
The loss snapped a three-game losing streak for Frontier who finished the season with an 0-3 record against teams heading to the playoffs.
South Gallia is coached by Bryan Morrow and comes into the game with a 1-3 record in four games against teams that qualified for the postseason.
The two teams did not play a common opponent in 2024.
#16 WARREN (7-3) at #1 WATTERSON (10-0)
COLUMBUS — A huge 35-16 season finale win over arch rival Marietta not only clinched a postseason berth for the Warren Warriors but also gave them their first Twin States League title.
The reward for the Warriors is a trip to Bishop Watterson to take on an Eagles squad that comes into the game averaging 42 points per game while allowing just over six.
The Eagles went a perfect 7-0 record against teams in the postseason suggesting their schedule was anything but an easy one.
Warren got a big game from Eric Carr against Marietta as he rushed for a pair of touchdowns while also hauling in a 30-yard pass from quarterback Jacob Sealey.
Sealey also fired touchdown passes of 49 and 7 yards respectively to Tanner Pepper.
Warrior head coach Jimmy Peyton knows the type of challenge his team is up against Friday night.
“They are a top tier Division III football team year in and year out,” said Peyton. “We’re definitely not going to run from it. We invite the opportunity and will prepare the best we can and go out and execute a game plan.”
Eagle quarterback Carter Bellisari completed 13-of-19 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns in their win last week over St. Francis DeSales.
#15 CALDWELL (5-5) at #2 NORTHMOR (10-0)
GALION — The Caldwell Redskins played as tough of a schedule as anyone this season as they played no less than seven teams who will be playing in the postseason this weekend.
Things will not get any easier in the postseason for the Redskins who open play on the road against the unbeaten Northmor Golden Knights.
Caldwell finished their season last week with a commanding 37-0 win over the Shenandoah Zeps to qualify for the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.
Redskin head coach Chance Rucker compares the Golden Knights to an opponent the Redskins played a few weeks back in Toronto.
“They’re very similar to Toronto because they are going to spin the ball,” said Rucker whose team lost to Toronto 28-21 two weeks ago. “They throw it about 75 percent of the time. If we play tough and control the clock we’ll have a shot at winning.
The ‘Skins went 2-5 in those seven games against postseason competition while the Knights went a perfect 4-0.
#9 COLONEL CRAWFORD (8-2) at #8 MONROE CENTRAL
WOODSFIELD — On paper Friday night’s D-7, Region 23 battle between visiting Colonel Crawford and the Monroe Central Seminoles looks as intriguing as any.
The Jake Bruner-coached Eagles finished their season with wins in five of their final six games including last weeks 42-6 win over Wynford.
The Jonathan Calder-led Seminoles had just one blemish on their schedule, a week eight 44-14 loss to the undefeated Barneville Shamrocks.
Monroe Central went 4-1 on the season against teams headed to the playoffs although three of those four teams actually finished the regular season with a losing record.
The two played one common opponent with both scoring lop-sided victories over the River Pilots.
Quarterback Tucker Howell is an All-Ohio candidate for the Seminoles.
#10 CENTERBURG (7-3) at #7 EASTERN (8-2)
REEDSVILLE — Both visiting Centerburg and the Eastern Eagles come into Friday nights playoff opener playing some really good football.
The Trojans finished the season with five wins in their final six games including a 35-21 win last week over Fredricktown.
The Jason Jackson-coached Eagles won three in a row to finish the season with wins over Trimble (41-20), Belpre (55-13) and Southern (44-7).
Eastern went 3-1 in games against opponents in the playoffs while the Andy Colella-coached Trojans went 3-2.
Eastern now has two running backs with more than 1,000 yards on the season. Sophomore Treyvon Bearhs rushed for 109 yards on 10 carries Saturday night to give him 1,032 yards on 79 carries this season. He joined senior Tyler Hill, who has 1,118 yards.