Football Playoff News & Notes

Lets talk football, I hardly ever do that, right?

It's playoff time, and it's the OHSAA's biggest tournament, so there's so much more information floating out there than any other sport.

Here's some information as it relates to Orrville being in the playoffs and some historical information too.

OHSAA Football News Release
These are just the best. Every single piece of information you need when it comes to this years OHSAA football playoffs. All-time playoff records, appearances, and the full listing of match-ups for all 24 regions. Just awesome.  Take your time and sift through all this greatness.  Link to the release is here in case it doesn't appear below.



Orrville Playoff Stats
Appearances - 21 (5th most among public schools, and 2 more appearances than the four other area teams, Dalton (10), Hillsdale (2), Norwayne (2) & Triway (5), combined.

Playoff Wins - 25

First round home games - 6 (1985 vs Van Wert (W, 35-15), 1999 vs Crestwood (W, 41-17), 2005 vs Akron St Vincent-St Mary (L, 21-14), 2006 vs Canton Central Catholic (W, 48-27), 2009 vs Clear Fork (W, 28-7) and 2010 vs Triway.

Appearances
Orrville is one of eleven schools with 20+ appearances, and has the 5th most appearances among public schools. The list is as follows..private schools are bolded to prove a point.

Newark Catholic (31), Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (29), Ironton (28), Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (24), Mogadore (24), Steubenville (23), Wheelersburg (23), Cleveland St. Ignatius (22), Columbus St. Francis DeSales (21), Columbus Bishop Watterson (21), Orrville (21).

Nope...no disparity between public & private schools....move along, people.  Nothing to see here.

7-3 record
Orrville was one of 35 teams with a 7-3 record to qualify.  They were the only team in Division 4, and one of only eight teams in the state to finish 7-3 AND host a first round home game.  Quite a testament to our strength of schedule.

But not as much as Division 2, Region 8 qualifier Harrison,  who finished the year 5-5 and 5th, just one spot away from hosting a home game.  How'd they do it...here's their season schedule & results. Two wins over 9-1 teams certainly helped.

Usually one or two teams a year make it in with a 5-5 record, but it's usually as a 7 or 8 seed.  According to the press release, some team made the playoffs in 2001 witha 3-6 record.  Those three wins had to be against good teams.  How is a team good enough to win 3 games against tough teams, but then lose 6 others?  Odd.

My State Champion Picks
Going to do this for every other division other than ours.
Division 1 - Cleveland Glenville.  It's either them or St. Ed's.  Glenville was so close last year.  If they can get out of their region, they might do it.
Division 2 - Cincinnati Winton Woods
Division 3 - Columbus Bishop Watterson
Division 5 - Youngstown Ursuline.  This may be the easiest pick of the bunch.  Does anyone even give them a game?
Division 6 - Delphos St John's.  Them or Marion Local until someone knocks them off.

Playoff Sites
Over the years, the Riders have played all over northeast, central and even parts of western Ohio.  I'd say the farthest away we've played would have to have been in 1989 when we played Ironton at Peden Stadium on the campus of Ohio University (a scant 3-hour drive...for a first round playoff game).  But how many different stadiums have we competed in during our 21 appearances in the state playoffs?

Without looking I can name 19 different locations where we've played playoff games.

1. Peden Stadium in Athens
2. Red Rider Stadium
3. Akron Rubber Bowl
4. Ohio Stadium
5. Massillon's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
6. Canton Fawcett Stadium
7. Arlin Field in Mansfield
8. Sulsberger Stadium in Zanesville
9. Uniontown Lake High School
10. Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin
11. Sullivan Black River
12. Wooster's Follis Field
13. Canton Central Catholic Klinefelter Field
14. North Canton Hoover
15. Finnie Stadium in Berea
16. Sharkey Stadium in Barberton
17. Lakewood Stadium
18. Ashland Community Stadium
19. Youngstown Liberty

I left these out upon looking it up.
20. Findlay Donnell Stadium
21. Dover Crater Stadium
22. Struthers
23. Parma Byers Field
24. Fostoria
25.  Mansfield Madison Ram Field

So the final count is 25 fields.

In terms of frequency, fields we've played at more than once are...
1. Canton Fawcett Stadium - 7
2. Orrville Red Rider Stadium - 6 (counting 2010)
3. Mansfield Arlin Field -4
4. Ohio Stadium, Berea Finnie Stadium, Zanesville Sulsberger Stadium, Massillon Paul Brown Stadium, Lakewood Stadium & Canton Central Catholic's Klinefelter Field - 2

Those nine fields have been the sight of 29 of our 45 playoff games since 1980.

So...there you go.