Here are the pairings for this weekend’s Ohio high school football state championships (all games televised live by SportsTime Ohio and Time Warner Cable and also webcast at www.ohiohssports.com):
DIVISION I Saturday, 7 p.m.
Cleveland St. Ignatius (13-1) vs. Cincinnati Elder (13-1), Canton Fawcett Stadium – St. Ignatius will play for a record 10th state championship. St. Ignatius is ranked 16th in the USA Today Super 25 prep rankings. Elder won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. Elder is ranked 18th in the USA Today Super 25 prep rankings.
This is the first-ever postseason meeting for these two schools. It is the 11th state title game appearance for St. Ignatius and third for Elder.
DIVISION II Friday, 7 p.m.
Sylvania Southview (14-0) vs. Cincinnati Anderson (12-2), Massillon Paul Brown Stadium –Anderson is the defending state champion. This is the second state finals appearance for both schools. Anderson features top junior OL Andrew Norwell.
DIVISION III Saturday, 11 a.m.
Aurora (12-2) vs. Columbus Eastmoor Academy (13-1), Canton Fawcett Stadium – Aurora features OSU verbal OL Adam Bellamy. This is the first state title game appearance for both schools.
DIVISION IV Friday, 3 p.m.
Steubenville (14-0) vs. Kettering Archbishop Alter (12-2), Canton Fawcett Stadium – Steubenville has three state titles, the most recent a Division III title in 2006. Steubenville defeated Alter 34-33 in that title game. This is the second state title game berth for Alter and sixth for Steubenville. Steubenville features top junior QB Dwight Macon.
DIVISION V Saturday, 3 p.m.
Youngstown Ursuline (14-0) vs. Findlay Liberty-Benton (14-0), Massillon Paul Brown Stadium – Ursuline reached the state title game last year. Ursuline also won a state title in 2007. This is the third state title game for Ursuline and first for Liberty-Benton. Ursuline features top junior DE Jamel Turner.
DIVISION VI Friday, 11 a.m.
Delphos St. John's (12-2) vs. Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (14-0), Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium – Delphos St. John’s has claimed four state titles, the most recent in 2005. Hopewell-Loudon reached the state title game for the first time a year ago (lost to Newark Catholic 28-14). DSJ is a perfect 4-0 in state title games.
OSU Verbals, Prospects Outside Ohio
Here is a look at where OSU verbals and prospects outside Ohio will be in action this weekend:
Louisville (Ky.) Trinity (with OSU verbal LB Jordan Whiting) hosts Louisville Eastern in a third-round Class 6A playoff game Friday. Trinity beat Eastern 49-0 earlier this year. Whiting is one of 10 finalists for Kentucky’s Mr. Football award. He has a team-best 73 tackles for Trinity (11-1). He also has 12 tackles for loss, including four sacks.
Louisville (Ky.) Male (with OSU verbal DB Justin Green) visits Scott County in a third-round Class 6A playoff game Friday.
Naples, Fla., (with OSU verbal RB Carlos Hyde) plays Fort Myers Dunbar in a second-round Class 3A playoff game Friday.
Miami (Fla.) Palmetto (with RB Jaamal Berry) plays Miami Killian in a second-round Class 6A playoff game Friday at Florida International University.
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas (with OSU verbal WR Duron Carter) plays Fort Lauderdale Dillard in a second-round Class 5A playoff game Friday. STA is ranked second nationally in the USA Today Super 25 prep rankings.
Other Links
Here is Bill Kurelic’s Commitment Tracker with a recap of last weekend’s high school action:
http://www.bucknuts.com/news/articles/2008/11/24/buckeye-weekend-commitment-tracker-29
Here is a link to JJHuddle.com, where there are results from the state semifinals and previews of the state title games:
http://www.jjhuddle.com/
