Top-seeded Steubenville played like it at Harding Stadium. The Big Red overpowered No. 9-seeded Jackson 47-17 on Friday, Nov. 6, in a Division III, Region 11 regional quarterfinal, according to the statewide scoreboards published by The Columbus Dispatch, the Mansfield News Journal and the Ironton Tribune.
Jackson’s Ironmen made the long trip up the Ohio River at 8-3, carrying one of southern Ohio’s proudest programs into one of the state’s toughest road environments. Harding Stadium on a playoff Friday is a test few visitors pass, and Steubenville made sure the Ironmen felt it early and often on the way to a 30-point win.
The victory moves the Big Red into the regional semifinals as Region 11’s team to beat. Steubenville has built its season on the same formula that has defined the program for decades — physical line play, a punishing ground game and a home crowd that turns Harding Stadium into one of Ohio’s great small-school atmospheres.
Jackson’s season ends at 8-4. The Ironmen reached the region’s final eight and ran into the bracket’s top seed on its home field, a draw that has ended many strong seasons in the Ohio Valley over the years.
Around Region 11 on Friday, Dover blanked Athens 41-0 for its ninth straight win, Licking Valley edged Granville 22-15 and Columbus East beat Thornville Sheridan 42-28, according to the Dispatch, Mansfield News Journal and Ironton Tribune scoreboards.
Steubenville’s semifinal opponent is Dover, which brings its own nine-game winning streak into the matchup. The Tornadoes’ 41-0 shutout of Athens was one of Friday’s most lopsided results anywhere in the state, and it sets up a meeting of two of eastern Ohio’s hottest teams.
Steubenville and Dover meet Friday, Nov. 13, in the Division III, Region 11 semifinal, with the regional final on Nov. 20 and the state semifinals on Nov. 27. The Division III state championship game is set for Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton during the Dec. 3-5 finals weekend.