The final week of high school football is upon us and there will be a lot on the line when teams meet on the gridiron Friday night.
Whether league titles in the Mid-State League Buckeye Division and the Scioto Valley Conference will be won outright or shared is on the line when games kickoff at 7.
Hamilton Township has run the table to this point in the season. The Rangers are 9-0 and ended Bloom-Carroll’s 27-game MSL winning streak last week 31-28. HT is headed to Logan Elm Friday, where the Braves are 8-1 and have a 5-1 league record.
The Rangers need to beat the Braves to win their first outright title since going 7-0 in the MSL in 2016. A win by the Braves would give each team a share and would be Logan Elm’s first piece of the title since sharing it with Amanda-Clearcreek in 2011.
Not out of the mix is Bloom-Carroll. The Bulldogs host Circleville and a BC win, combined with an LE win would have all three atop the league standings.Â
In the SVC, Unioto (8-1) has gone 6-0 to this point in league play and will be hosting Southeastern (1-8, 0-6) Friday. In second place, Paint Valley and Zane Trace both have 5-1 league records. If the Panthers pull the upset, it would create a two-way tie with the Shermans and the PV/ZT winner.
When it comes to playing in Week 11, three teams in each league already have punched their ticket and three more have a chance, according to joeeitel.com.
In the MSL, Logan Elm, Bloom-Carroll and Hamilton Township all are in. The same goes in the SVC for Unioto, Paint Valley and Zane Trace.
Needing to win and get a little help in the Mid-State League are Circleville, Fairfield Union and Teays Valley. In the Scioto Valley Conference its Westfall, Piketon and Southeastern. (Teams earn first-level points for a win and earn second-level points when teams they beat defeat another opponent.)
A win for Logan Elm (Division IV, Region 19) guarantees a home game as they would finish anywhere from first to fifth in the region. A loss puts the Braves between fourth and ninth. The top eight teams host in Week 1 and the top four are guaranteed a home game in Week 2, should they survive their opener.
HT (DIII, R11) would finish between second and fifth in its region with a win and between four and nine with a loss. BC also is in that region and will finish between third and eighth no matter the outcome.
A win for Unioto (DIV, R16) would place the Shermans as high as second or as low as sixth. A loss puts them between second and eighth.
Paint Valley (DVI, R24) would finish between second and fourth with a win and between second and sixth with a loss.
A win by Zane Trace (DV, R20) would put the Pioneers between third and seventh in their region while a loss has them finishing between sixth and 15th.
Teays Valley (DII, R7) heads to Fairfield Union Friday where a win would have the Vikings finishing as high as 12th in the region but doesn’t guarantee one of the 16 playoff spots. If the Falcons win that game, they could finish as high as 15th in Div. IV, region 15. The loser of the game will be eliminated from contention.
Despite having only one win this season, if Circleville (DIII, R11) would pull the upset at Bloom-Carroll Friday night, the Tigers could slip into the 16th spot and make the postseason.
In the SVC, Westfall and Piketon face off Friday and both still have a shot at Week 11.
A win by the Mustangs (DV, R20) could put them as high as 10th in their region. A win by the Red Streaks (DV, R19) could get them as high as 11th. The losing team is eliminated.
Southeastern has only one win this season but finds itself with an outside shot at the playoffs. An upset of Unioto could get the Panthers (DVI, R24) up as high as the 10th in the region.
