Thirteen central Ohio high school football teams will play in regional semifinals on Friday, Nov. 13, with a berth in the regional finals on Nov. 20 at stake in every game, according to a preview of the round published by The Columbus Dispatch. Eight of the 13 teams face each other in Divisions I, II and III, and several of the matchups are rematches of close games from earlier this season or from last year’s postseason.
The headline rematch sends sixth-seeded Pickerington North (9-3) to second-seeded Upper Arlington (9-2) in Division I, Region 3. The teams last met in last year’s playoffs, a 30-27 Upper Arlington win, and North linebacker Demetrius Curtis acknowledged to The Columbus Dispatch that the matchup is “personal” after last year. The winner advances to face top-seeded Gahanna Lincoln or No. 4 Olentangy Liberty in the regional final.
Upper Arlington coach Justin Buttermore told The Columbus Dispatch he is hoping for a defensive struggle, largely because injuries at running back and wide receiver have thinned his offense through the second half of the season. His defense has allowed 177.3 yards per game, and linebacker Vance Nicol leads the Bears in total tackles with 81, solo stops with 32 and sacks with four.
Pickerington North’s defense presents its own problem for the Bears. Led by Curtis and four-star safety Geo McKnight, the Panthers have piled up 105 tackles for loss and 40 sacks while allowing only 8.4 points per game, according to The Columbus Dispatch. North’s task includes slowing Upper Arlington junior quarterback Reign St. Clair, who has thrown for 1,703 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
The other Division I, Region 3 semifinal is also a rematch. Olentangy Liberty (7-4) visits unbeaten Gahanna Lincoln (11-0) after the teams’ regular-season meeting came down to a 2-point conversion in overtime that Gahanna stopped for a 14-13 win. Liberty has won seven of its last eight games, including a 15-0 shutout of Olentangy Berlin last week, while Gahanna edged defending state champion Olentangy Orange 13-10, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Gahanna coach Bruce Ward told The Columbus Dispatch he expects another tight game, particularly against a Liberty defense that has allowed more than 17 points just once all season. The Lions average 26.1 points per game, and Ward credited Liberty’s front seven as among the best his team has seen this year.
Quarterback injuries hang over the Division II, Region 7 semifinal between top-seeded Watterson (10-0) and fourth-seeded New Albany (9-2) at Ohio Dominican. Watterson, which has won 40 consecutive games, is not expected to have junior quarterback Dash Hoy, who suffered an ankle injury in a 36-6 win over Whitehall on Nov. 6; coach Brian Kennedy told The Columbus Dispatch that sophomore Alex Daniels will likely start. Hoy has passed for 1,105 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 668 yards and 11 scores.
New Albany has the same uncertainty. Senior quarterback Drew Jackson was injured early in the fourth quarter of a 28-20 win over Canal Winchester last week, and coach Mark Solis declined to discuss the injury or name a starter when he spoke with The Columbus Dispatch on Nov. 10. Jackson has passed for 1,492 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Watterson-New Albany winner plays second-seeded Big Walnut or third-seeded Massillon Washington — a matchup NewsForce247 previewed in our look at unbeaten Big Walnut’s latest playoff showdown with Massillon.
Elsewhere in the round, Columbus Academy (8-3) travels to Beverly Fort Frye (10-1) in Division V, Region 19, seeking its first regional final since 2003. Academy held off Worthington Christian 23-21 last week behind quarterback Michael Tishkoff, who has passed for 1,875 yards and 18 touchdowns, while Fort Frye beat Piketon 37-0 and is chasing its fifth state semifinal berth and first since 2022, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
In Division III, Region 11, third-seeded Columbus East (10-1) visits unbeaten Licking Valley (11-0). East surged past Thornville Sheridan 42-28 last week with two long kick returns, including Michael Thompson-Ayers’ 65-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and may need similar special-teams help against a Valley team that needed three fourth-quarter sacks from Peyton George to edge Granville 22-15, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Friday’s winners advance to regional finals on Nov. 20 at neutral sites, one step from the state semifinals. For central Ohio fans, the round offers a concentrated night of rematches — North and Upper Arlington separated by three points a year ago, Gahanna and Liberty by one point in overtime this fall — with seasons ending for half the field before the weekend is out.
What happens next is straightforward: all regional semifinals kick off Friday night, and the surviving central Ohio teams will learn their regional final opponents and neutral sites over the weekend. NewsForce247 will have results from Friday’s games as the finals field takes shape.
Photo: Ohiodominican, CC BY-SA