Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

It always seems to come down to the final week of the regular season and this year is no different.
Determining who is in the Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoffs and whom they will play is never fully settled until the final tick is off the clock of the games played week 10.
The Ironton Fighting Tigers (6-3) need a win over Portsmouth (6-3) on Friday to remain in the playoff picture. A win over Portsmouth should give Ironton a total of 41 computer points this week on a combined first and second level.
Wheelersburg will be first in Region 19 of Division V followed by Sugarcreek Garaway and Coshocton.
Zane Trace is fourth and Nelsonville-York fifth, but N-Y can leap frog into fourth by beating Athens. A loss to Athens could send the Buckeyes tumbling down as far as eight.
West Lafayette Ridgewood (8-1) is seventh and eight will probably be Ironton. Union Local could slip in by beating Barnesville.
Harrison Central (6-3) is currently eighth but plays winless Buckeye Local and will only get 11 points this week.
Liberty Union is 10th this week and could jump into the playoffs with a win but it will be an uphill fight. The Lions play Amanda-Clearcreek (6-3) who are favored and need a win to secure their own playoff berth.
The guess here is if Ironton wins, its in at No. 7 or 8.
The Chesapeake Panthers (8-1) are in the playoffs but it is still uncertain whom they will be playing. It appears the Panthers will be fourth and host Barnesville provided the Shamrocks (7-1) beat Union Local (7-2).
The prediction here is a Barnesville win.
If the Panthers beat Fairland, they should finish fourth in Region 23 of Division VI. As of now, Newark Catholic and Hannibal River will battle for the top two spots but the order is still in doubt. Fort Frye should be third.
If Barnesville wins, look for the region to have Centerburg sixth, Bellaire seventh and Bishop Ready eighth.
Bellaire has the inside track to a playoff berth, but the Big Red closes the season with bitter-rival Martins Ferry. Bellaire is favored but that means little in this fiercely contested game.
The Coal Grove Hornets (5-3) loss last week hurt their playoff chances but didn’t eliminate them.
The Hornets must beat Rock Hill and then beginning hoping for a lot of things to happen.
Coal Grove would like to see at least two of three teams lose: Cardington-Lincoln against Fredericktown, Bishop Ready to Fayetteville, and Grandview Heights to Bexley.
Grandview Heights (6-3) faces a 9-0 Bexley and that isn’t a sure loss for the Bobcats. Bexley is unbeaten but they are a Division III school with a weak schedule. Still, the Lions are good enough to beat the Bobcats.
Ready (6-3) has played a soft schedule but so has Fayetteville. This game is a toss-up.
Cardington-Lincoln (6-3) and Fredericktown (4-5) are a pretty even match despite the records. This one could also go either way.
A list of the top 12 teams current rankings in each region of each division is on Page 9.