AKRON, Ohio — Six Akron-area high school football teams play Friday, November 13, in the regional semifinal round of the Ohio playoffs, with every game kicking off at 7 p.m. at the home field of the higher-seeded team, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s regional semifinal pairings released November 8.
The Akron Beacon Journal’s Week 13 breakdowns size up a slate headlined by two Division II, Region 5 matchups — No. 3 Nordonia (10-1) at No. 2 Walsh Jesuit (8-2) and unbeaten No. 4 Mayfield (11-0) at No. 1 Highland (10-1) — plus No. 5 Hudson (9-3) visiting No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward (10-1) in Division I, Region 1.
Walsh Jesuit reached this round by beating Hoban 20-7 on November 6, avenging a 30-0 regular-season loss to the Knights, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. “I saw a group of guys that didn’t want their last game to be last week,” Walsh coach Nick Alexander told the Akron Beacon Journal. “They fought. It was the best overall team performance that we have had all year.”
Nordonia arrives behind senior quarterback Steven Fakult, who has thrown for 2,470 yards and 27 touchdowns this season, according to the Akron Beacon Journal’s breakdown. Walsh counters with freshman quarterback Kinzy Shea, who took over as the starter in Week 7, and running back Dominick Courtad, who has run for 734 yards and 10 touchdowns, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Walsh owns a 15-1 edge in the series, including a 49-18 win when the teams last met on November 7, 2025.
Highland’s home game against Mayfield is a first-ever meeting between the schools, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Hornets quarterback Colton Wadle, who was hurt in last week’s 31-7 win over Brecksville, is slated to play, Highland coach Mike Gibbons told the Akron Beacon Journal. “Anytime you have a chance to play at home in a game like this I think it’s big,” Gibbons told the Akron Beacon Journal.
Mayfield counters with quarterback Dario D’Agostino, who has thrown for 1,940 yards and 24 touchdowns for the 11-0 Wildcats, and a defense allowing just 148.6 yards per game, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Hudson earned its trip to St. Edward with a 44-14 win over Jackson on November 6, behind quarterback Hayden Lipinski and running back Reno Ferri, who has run for 1,495 yards and 22 touchdowns this season, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. St. Edward, making its 32nd playoff appearance, is led by quarterback Langston Lucas, who has thrown for 1,415 yards and 16 touchdowns and is also the Eagles’ leading rusher, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Two more area teams play outside the biggest-school divisions. In Division IV, Region 13, No. 5 West Geauga (10-2) visits No. 1 Streetsboro (9-2), where Rockets running back Logan Fincham has carried for 1,412 yards and 22 touchdowns, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. In Division VII, Region 25, No. 3 Mogadore (9-2) travels to No. 2 Cuyahoga Heights (10-1) — Mogadore’s 40th playoff appearance, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Streetsboro’s run carries its own storyline. Rockets coach Pete Thompson told the Akron Beacon Journal his players used the school’s levy situation as motivation all season, adopting the motto “G.A.B.O.S.” — short for “Game ain’t based on sympathy.” West Geauga, meanwhile, runs a run-first offense modeled on Kirtland’s, averaging 285.9 rushing yards a game against just 33.3 passing, with Anthony Dzurilla coming off a 297-yard, four-touchdown game against Norton, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
The Akron-area slate is part of a statewide regional semifinal night that also features unbeaten Big Walnut hosting Massillon in Sunbury in Division II, Region 7. On the soccer side, the Hudson girls stayed perfect to reach a state final, giving the Explorers a second deep November run to follow.
The Akron Beacon Journal’s staff predictions pick St. Edward over Hudson, Highland in a one-point game over Mayfield, and Walsh Jesuit over Nordonia. Those are predictions, not results — no game on this slate has been played yet.
What happens next: Friday’s winners advance to the regional finals on Friday, November 20, at neutral sites, with state semifinals on November 27 and the state championship games in Canton the following week, according to the OHSAA. NewsForce247 will have results from all five games Friday night.
Photo: Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA