MOUNT VERNON — Two of Knox County’s three playoff qualifiers will be on opposite ends of the state Friday night.
Fredericktown, which earned the No. 14 seed in Region 18 of Division V, will take a two-hour trip north to tangle with third-seeded and undefeated Oak Harbor. Oak Harbor High School sits not far from the banks of the Portage River, which wanders through Ottawa County and empties into Lake Erie.
Meanwhile, 10th-seeded Centerburg will head two-plus hours to the southeast for a Division VI, Region 23 first-round game against No. 7 Reedsville Eastern. Eastern High School is surrounded on three sides by the East Branch of the Shade River. The Shade River meanders across Meigs County before spilling into the Ohio River.
The county’s third playoff qualifier, Danville, earned the No. 1 seed in Region 27 of Division VII. The Blue Devils will host a first-round game and, with a win over No. 16 Bridgeport, would host a regional semifinal game the following week.
Here’s a look at this week’s first-round matchups:
Division V, Region 18
No. 14 Fredericktown (5-5) at No. 3 Oak Harbor (10-0)
The Freddies are in the playoffs for a fifth straight season despite dropping their final two regular season games, including last week’s 35-21 setback at Centerburg. Fredericktown ranked second in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference in total defense, allowing 250.3 yards per game. The Freddies boasted the top passing defense in the KMAC, allowing use 72.9 yards through the air and picking off nine passes. Brode Davis and Carter Mull each have three interceptions. Cirk Parker leads the defense with 97 tackles, while Elijah Roush has 96.5 stops and a team-high 10 tackles for loss.
Fredericktown ranked second in the KMAC in total offense, averaging 348.2 yards per game. Quarterback Blake Sipes rushed for 1,293 yards and 16 touchdowns on 181 carries during the regular season while completing 76-of-134 passes for 1,099 yards and eight TDs. Davis has caught 30 passes for 365 yards, while Gavin Toombs has 19 catches for 296 yards and four scores.
Oak Harbor put the finishing touches on its second straight Northern Buckeye Conference title and undefeated regular season with a a 49-20 win over Milbury Lake. The high-powered Rockets scored 30 or more points in all 10 regular season games and topped the 40-point plateau seven times. In last week’s win at Lake, quarterback Mike LaLonde completed 6-of-7 passes for 124 yards. LaLonde, Blake Nickel, Carson Ridener and Michal Miller each ran for a touchdown. LaLonde completed 20-of-26 passes for 245 yards and a pair of touchdowns and scored the game-winner on an 8-yard keeper in Oak Harbor’s 31-27 win over previously undefeated Eastwood in Week 9.
Oak Harbor’s defense is as stingy as its offense is explosive. The Rockets held opponents to seven or fewer points seven times and authored three shutouts. In last week’s win over Lake, Oak Harbor surrendered just 134 yards.
Division VI, Region 23
No. 10 Centerburg (7-3) at No. 7 Reedsville Eastern (8-2)
The Trojans have won two in a row and five of six after last week’s rivalry-game victory over Fredericktown. Centerburg ranked first in the KMAC in total offense, averaging 350.1 yards per game. Quarterback Blane Ball has thrown for 1,561 yards and 29 touchdowns on 113-of-172 passing. Centerburg mixes the run and pass as well as any team in the area. Sophomore running back Miles Marshall has rushed for 1,079 yards and 15 touchdowns on 120 carries, while Ball has run for 505 yards and six TDs on 111 carries. Trevin Harris is one of Knox County’s top pass-catchers. He has 32 receptions for 472 yards and seven touchdowns, while Chris Marshall has 23 catches for 327 yards and five scores.
Chris Marshall leads the defense with 92 tackles. Harris has three interceptions, while Jackson Ballinger leads the Trojans with 4.5 sacks.
Eastern is a member of the Tri-Valley Conference’s Hocking Division. The Eagles roughed up Meigs County rival Racine Southern 49-7 in the regular season finale. Sophomore running back Treyvon Bearhs rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, topping the 1,000-yard plateau. Quarterback Ethan Edwards completed 8-of-12 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown while Gavin Murphy caught four passes for 91 yards. Eastern allowed just 132 yards in the win.
Division VII, Region 27
No. 16 Bridgeport (3-7) at No. 1 Danville (8-2)
The Bulldogs have dropped three straight after last week’s 62-7 loss to Cameron (W. Va). Bridgeport managed just 183 yards and surrendered 466. Quarterback Avery Jackson threw for 95 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 85 yards in the loss. For the season, Jackson has completed 29-of-63 passes for 416 yards and six touchdowns. Junior A.J. Bishop leads the rushing attack with 857 yards on 116 carries. Bishop ran for 203 yards on 26 carries in a 40-34 loss to Shadyside in Week 9 and 192 yards on 23 carries in a 49-14 loss to Zanesville Rosecrans in Week 8. Defensively, the Bulldogs have given up 30 or more points eight times and 40 or more six times.
The Blue Devils storm into the postseason after winning five straight to close out the regular season, including last week’s 36-6 victory over East Knox in the Devil-Dog Game. Senior running back Aidan Burke rumbled for 181 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Burke rushed for 1,151 yards and eight TDs on 170 carries during the regular season. Freshman running back Cyren Wallace was the lightning to Burke’s thunder this fall, rushing for 425 yards and eight TDs on 43 carries and averaging a KMAC-best 9.9 yards per attempt. Quarterback Jacob Hackman ran for 415 yards and nine TDs on 76 carries and completed 59-of-101 passes for 639 yards and three scores. Wesley Payne was Danville’s top receiver during the regular season, catching 15 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Caleb Lucas had 10 receptions for 131 yards and a score.
The Blue Devils ranked second in the KMAC in scoring defense, allowing just 12.4 points a game. Danville was especially tough against the run, allowing 92.1 yards per game on the ground. Linebacker Josh Byers led the KMAC with 153 tackles while Caleb Lucas was in on 98 stops. Danville topped the KMAC with 17 interceptions. Carson Proper have five interceptions, while Burke had four and Payne and Levi Furay had three apiece.