Defending Division VI champ Coldwater hosts Covington, seeking to make as much as possible out of their 6-4 record in the regular season. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
With the top seeds all having a bye week, seeds five through twelve take center stage for the opening round of the 2025 OHSAA state football playoffs…and there are some interesting local matchups.
We never actually had that perfect week during the regular 2025 season, and finished the year with a 9 of 10 score in last week’s concluding week.
And there were some good ones…none better than Marion Local’s 7-6 nail-biter over rival Coldwater to stretch their consecutive win streak to 74 games.
Others to appreciate…Piqua’s closing win over Sidney, closer than expected, but you never know when these two ancient rivals settle their differences in the red zone.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Impressive, too, was St. Henry’s win over Versailles, completing a 9-1 season for the Redskins, according to one source…their first 9-1 record since their state championship year in 2006.
A lot of other local schools polished their game for the opening round of the playoffs, and in a couple of cases actually qualified for the ‘second’ season with a curtain-call win.
So this week we begin the process of elimination for those teams seeded 5 through 12…while the top four seeds get a week off as a reward for exemplary play. And for the purists, what you have is the other eight seeds, just like it once was, to determine who plays #1 through #4 beginning in Week 2.
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The playoffs picks are always more fun, because there’s more riding on these games. Intensity will be up because now it’s one and your done if you don’t win. What we’ve waited to see all year. We’ll start with……
Piqua @ Cincinnati Withrow (Division II)…As mentioned, Piqua had one of the area’s showcase wins last week over Sidney, a game they didn’t have to have, but certainly a confidence boost for this week’s match with Cincinnati Withrow. Withrow blew through to an 8-2 record over the weak sisters of the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference, and averaged 49 points a game doing it. But don’t let strength of schedule fool you. This is a program with serious talent, and according to some at least three bonafide Division I prospects to play at the next level. Not as big as Withrow teams in the past, but they’ll have the advantage on Piqua in terms of team speed. Piqua needs to be near-perfect, and control the ball and clock as much as possible. But Withrow’s got too many athletes, and I’m picking the orange black (Tigers) to take the Indians out of the playoffs…by at least two scores.
Number #1 object of Ansonia’s focus…New Bremen quarterback Gavin Dicke is one of the top playmakers in the MAC Conference.
New Bremen @ Ansonia (Division VII)…A pair of teams from different sides of the area football spectrum. Ansonia (8-2) is out of the WOAC and is going to run the ball until they have no other choice. New Bremen (6-4) is one of the really athletic young teams in the MAC this year and junior quarterback Gavin Dicke is one of the premier playmakers in that league…with plenty around him to help him make those plays. Ansonia will keep it simple – counters and run the ball between the tackles…the occasional Jet Sweep. New Bremen will spread the field more and make Ansonia defend from sideline to sideline. Tackling in space will be key, and Ansonia’s ability to defend the passing ball-control offense of New Bremen. For Adam Hall’s Tigers this should be reminiscent of playing a Tri-Village team. Based on all we know, we’re picking New Bremen to win and move on to Week 2…by a couple of scores.
Minster @ Lehman (Division VII)…The bad news for Minster is…Lehman quarterback Turner Lachey has passed for 4,300 yards and 49 touchdowns this year, and has no issue with nerves in big games, or against big challenges. The best athlete in the Three Rivers Conference, Lachey is equally good with his arm and with his legs, and he’s going to make Minster protect every open space on the field. The good news is…Lehman (9-1) gives up almost as many points as they score against teams that can match them offensively. And Minster (6-4) has repeatedly shown this year that they can compete and play defense in the MAC. Plus, they can run the ball, and Lehman has had its issues with stopping teams that can control the line of scrimmage. Played at Lehman (Sidney’s Memorial Stadium), this will be fun to watch, but Minster has played the much better schedule. Minster should win this. I’m picking the ‘Cats in a competitive game…by two scores.
Anna quarterback Logan Ziegenbusch looms as Deer Park’s worst nightmare in Round 1 action Friday in Division VI.
Deer Park @ Anna (Division VI)…Interesting because Deer Park has lost five games in a row after winning the first five of the season. Issue? They played five very weak teams to start with, and finished against five good teams. Anna, as we’ve written about for weeks, is going to be a Deer Park nightmare. WLW’s Bill Cunningham is a Deer Park graduate, but no amount of talking is going to help the Wildcats against Anna. I’m picking the Rockets in a blowout…by four scores.
Arcanum @ Preble Shawnee (Division V)…I saw Preble Shawnee two weeks ago against Tri-Village, but came away believing I didn’t see the real Preble Shawnee. They lost that game 40-7 and were never really in it. Preble Shawnee finished the season 9-1, and yet is only a #7 seed, to give you an idea about strength of schedule. And, they beat Arcanum in Week 5, 49-13. There’s nothing to make me believe that it might not happen again. Maybe not by five scores, but I’m picking Preble and quarterback Brody Morton to win, by at least three.
Butler @ Harrison...Which Butler takes the trip to Harrison? That’s the question regarding how the Aviators measure up to a team that has seven wins over teams that look, and play, a lot like Butler. That said, Butler is more than capable, and Harrison is no juggernaut. But you still have to execute, eliminate mistakes, and play with more consistency than you did against Troy and Piqua. There comes a time when you have to play better than the opposing team suspects you can. And that’s Harrison. If Butler can do that they can win. If they don’t, it’s a familiar story of turnovers and missed opportunity, and that’s yet to be proven. I’m taking Harrison by a score, while wishing Butler the best.
Covington @ Coldwater (Division VI)…As interesting as they come for the fact that Covington won five of its last six during the regular season, and they showed a consistency missing over the last couple of years. That said, the Buccs did not face a culture of football during the regular season the likes of what they’ll see when they venture to Coldwater on Friday. It’s just different when you play a defending state champion from that league, despite the fact of Coldwater’s season-long issue with injuries shuffling lineups. But at 6-4, the Cavaliers are playing for pride and to prove to themselves that the future might look more like their past. And Covington? Much has been questioned about ‘whatever happened to Covington football’, following all those great years under Ted Peacock, Kevin Finfrock, Dave Miller, and Ty Cates? Answer: Who hasn’t the same thing happened to? Even Marion Local has rebuilt this year. Chew on that. Covington is young, but Austin Morgan has them competitive and appealing to more kids playing football in the future. Regarding this week…they haven’t come close to seeing a team like Coldwater this year, even this year’s Coldwater. But Covington makes you smile when you think about the old days, and what it would be like to see those days again at Smith Field. Coldwater…by three scores.
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