MOUNT VERNON — Four Knox County high school football teams are in the playoff hunt with one month of regular season play remaining.
Two would host first-round playoff games if the postseason began today.
Danville (5-1) was ranked third in Division VII Region 25 in this week’s OHSAA football computer ratings. The Blue Devils had 8.9167 playoff points, less than a point behind second-place Lowellville (9.0833) and less than three points behind first-place Warren John F. Kennedy (11.5253).
The Blue Devils will head to Cardington (1-5) this week for a Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference matchup. They have won three straight since falling to North Union (5-1) on the road, 28-0, in Week 3. They are currently tied for first place in the KMAC alongside Centerburg (5-1).
Danville would host 14-seed Fairport Harbor Fairport Harding (2-4) if the playoffs began today.
Centerburg (5-1) was ranked seventh in Division V Region 19 in this week’s OHSAA ratings. The Trojans had 7.4333 playoff points, less than a point behind sixth-place Wheelersburg (7.8167) and less than a point ahead of eighth-place Portsmouth (6.8469).
The Trojans will head to Mount Gilead (4-2) this Friday for a KMAC battle. They have won five straight since falling to Utica (2-4), 25-19, on the road in Week 1. They are currently tied with Danville (5-1) for first place in the KMAC.
Centerburg would host 10-seed Zanesville West Muskingum (4-2) if the playoffs began today.
Fredericktown (4-2) was ranked 11th in Division V Region 18 in this week’s OHSAA ratings. The Freddies had 6.8833 playoff points, a fraction-of-a-point behind 10th-place Marengo Highland (6.9667) and a fraction-of-a-point ahead of 12th-place Defiance Tinora (6.55).
The Freddies will hit the road this week and take on Loudonville (2-4) in a KMAC matchup. They rebounded with two straight home wins – over Mount Gilead (4-2) in Week 5 and Northmor (4-2) in Week 6 – after falling to Danville (5-1) on the road to begin conference play. They are currently tied with Mount Gilead for second place in the KMAC.
Fredericktown would face six-seed Pemberville Eastwood (6-0) on the road if the playoffs began today.
East Knox (2-4) was ranked 17th in Division VI Region 23 in this week’s OHSAA ratings. The Bulldogs had 1.7667 playoff points, less than a point behind Grandview Heights (2.2727), which owns the region’s 16th and final playoff spot.
The Bulldogs will stay at home this week and take on Northmor (4-2) in a KMAC battle. They lost to Mount Gilead (4-2) at home last week after defeating Cardington (1-5) on the road the week before. They are currently tied with Northmor for fifth place in the KMAC.
East Knox would be on the outside looking in – albeit narrowly – if the playoffs began today.
Mount Vernon (1-5), Knox County’s fifth high school football team, was not listed in this week’s OHSAA computer ratings. JoeEitel.com currently has the Yellow Jackets ranked 24th in Division II Region 7.
The top 16 teams in each region qualify for the OHSAA playoffs, which will begin Oct. 28. Until then, the OHSAA will publish weekly computer ratings, showing where each team stands in the playoff hunt.
For more information on the OHSAA’s ratings system, click here. And for this week’s full ratings list – including each region across all seven divisions – click here.
