Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

The misquotation of “Play it again, Sam” from the movie “Casablanca” is the perfect quote for the Ironton Fighting Tigers and Wheelersburg Pirates.

The two teams meet in the first game of the regular season each year. They’ll get together again in week 12 as they tangle in the Division V Region 17 semifinals of the Ohio High School Athletic Association postseason playoffs.

Ironton (8-2) will face Wheelersburg (10-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Portsmouth’s Trojan Coliseum.

In the season opener, Wheelersburg led 21-16 at the half and pulled away in the second half to win 42-16.

Ironton and Wheelersburg have played twice in a season on one other occasion. Ironton beat Wheelersburg 36-12 at home in 1995 and then beat the Pirates 41-8 at Portsmouth’s Spartan Stadium in the playoffs.

Ironton has played Portsmouth twice in the regular season and playoffs. Ironton won 16-15 in the 2001 regular season but lost 35-28 in the playoff rematch.

The Fighting Tigers lost twice to the Trojans in 2002: 25-7 in the regular season and 25-20 in the playoffs.

The other Region 17 semifinal game has top-seeded Columbus Bishop Hartley (9-2) playing St. Clairsville (11-0) at Zanesville.

Saturday’s two winners will meet in the regional championship game with the winner advancing to the state semifinals.

 

Ohio High School Athletic Association

Regional Semifinal Football Playoff Pairings

Pairings are shown with seeds and records.

Home team listed first.

Division I – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15

Region 1

1 Hudson (11-0) vs. 8 Cleveland St. Ignatius (7-4) at Brunswick Judy Kirsch Field

4 Mentor (10-1) vs. 12 Canton GlenOak (8-3) at University of Akron InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field

2 Lakewood St. Edward (9-2) vs. 7 Powell Olentangy Liberty (9-2) at Mansfield Arlin Field

3 Westerville Central (10-1) vs. 6 Austintown-Fitch (8-2) at Canton Fawcett Stadium

Region 2

16 West Chester Lakota West (6-5) vs. 9 Liberty Township Lakota East (9-2) at Mason Dwire Field at Atrium Stadium

4 Dublin Coffman (11-0) vs. 5 Huber Heights Wayne (10-1) at Bellefontaine AcuSport Stadium

2 Cincinnati St. Xavier (9-2) vs. 10 Cincinnati Colerain (8-3) at Hamilton Virgil M. Schwarm Stadium

3 Pickerington Central (11-0) vs. 6 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (8-3) at Dayton Welcome Stadium

Division II – Games at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14

Region 3

1 Bedford (11-0) vs. 4 Willoughby South (8-3) at Solon Stewart Field

2 Mayfield (10-1) vs. 3 Madison (10-1) at Mentor Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium

Region 4

1 Grafton Midview (11-0) vs. 5 Avon (10-1) at North Royalton Serpentini Chevrolet Stadium – Gibson Field

2 Macedonia Nordonia (11-0) vs. 3 Perrysburg (11-0) at Sandusky Strobel Field at Cedar Point Stadium

Region 5

1 Lewis Center Olentangy (11-0) vs. 4 Wooster (8-3) at Mansfield Arlin Field

7 Dublin Scioto (7-4) vs. 6 Worthington Kilbourne (8-3) at Upper Arlington Marvin Morehead Stadium

Region 6

1 Cincinnati LaSalle (10-1) vs. 5 Harrison (8-3) at Hamilton Virgil M. Schwarm Stadium

2 Cincinnati Mt. Healthy (11-0) vs. 3 Kings Mills Kings (11-0) at West Chester Lakota West Firebird Stadium

Division III – Games at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14

Region 7

1 Hubbard (11-0) vs. 4 Aurora (10-1) at Niles McKinley Bo Rein Stadium

2 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (9-2) vs. 6 Poland Seminary (10-1) at Uniontown Lake Alumni Field

Region 8

1 Toledo Central Catholic (9-2) vs. 4 Bowling Green (8-3) at Millbury Lake Community Stadium

2 Clyde (9-2) vs. 3 Norwalk (11-0) at Sandusky Perkins Firelands Regional Medical Center Stadium

Region 9

1 Dresden Tri-Valley (11-0) vs. 4 The Plains Athens (11-0) at Zanesville Sulsberger Stadium

7 Columbus St. Francis DeSales (9-2) vs. 3 Jackson (11-0) at Chillicothe Herrnstein Field

Region 10

1 Wapakoneta (11-0) vs. 5 Tipp City Tippecanoe (9-2) at Sidney Memorial Stadium

7 Bellbrook (8-3) vs. 3 Trotwood-Madison (10-1) at West Carrollton All Sports Stadium

Division IV – Games at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14

Region 11

1 Cleveland Benedictine (10-1) vs. 5 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (6-4) at Richfield Revere Joseph F. Pappano Stadium

7 Bay Village Bay (7-4) vs. 6 Chardon Notre-Dame Cathedral Latin (7-4) at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium

Region 12

1 Wooster Triway (11-0) vs. 4 Kenton (9-2) at Ashland High School Community Stadium

2 Bellevue (9-2) vs. 3 Wauseon (11-0) at Fremont Harmon Field at Don Paul Stadium

Region 13

1 Columbus Beechcroft (10-1) vs. 5 Zanesville Maysville (10-1) at Gahanna Lincoln Stadium

2 Columbus Marion-Franklin (10-1) vs. 3 Steubenville (8-3) at Byesville Meadowbrook Eugene Capers Field

Region 14

1 Kettering Archbishop Alter (11-0) vs. 4 Cincinnati Wyoming (10-1) at Monroe Fighting Hornet Stadium

2 Clarksville Clinton-Massie (11-0) vs. 3 Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (10-1) at Mt. Orab Western Brown Kibler Stadium at LaRosa’s Field

Division V – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15

Region 15

1 Canton Central Catholic (11-0) vs. 4 Columbiana Crestview (7-4) at Minerva Dr. Robert H. Hines Stadium

2 Youngstown Liberty (10-1) vs. 3 Youngstown Ursuline (7-4) at Warren Mollenkopf Stadium

Region 16

1 Huron (10-1) vs. 4 Coldwater (10-1) at Tiffin National Field at Frost-Kalnow Stadium

2 Findlay Liberty-Benton (11-0) vs. 3 Marion Pleasant (11-0) at Dial-Roberson Stadium at Ohio Northern University, Ada

Region 17

1 Columbus Bishop Hartley (9-2) vs. 4 St. Clairsville (11-0) at Zanesville Sulsberger Stadium

2 Wheelersburg (10-1) vs. 3 Ironton (8-2) at Portsmouth Clark Athletic Complex – Trojan Coliseum

Region 18

1 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (11-0) vs. 4 Jamestown Greeneview (10-1) at Centerville Stadium

7 Hamilton Badin (8-3) vs. 6 West Jefferson (7-4) at Kettering Roush Stadium

Division VI – Games at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14

Region 19

1 Loudonville (11-0) vs. 4 Mogadore (11-0) at Canton Central Catholic Lowell Klinefelter Field

2 Sugarcreek Garaway (11-0) vs. 3 Kirtland (11-0) at InfoCision Field at Uniontown Green Memorial Stadium

Region 20

1 Defiance Tinora (11-0) vs. 5 Spencerville (9-2) at Lima Spartan Stadium

7 Van Buren (9-2) vs. 3 Bucyrus Wynford (10-1) at Tiffin National Field at Frost-Kalnow Stadium

Region 21

1 Fredericktown (11-0) vs. 4 Centerburg (9-2) at Mount Vernon Yellow Jacket Stadium

2 Lucasville Valley (9-2) vs. 3 Grandview Heights (9-2) at Nelsonville-York Boston Field

Region 22

1 Lewisburg Tri-County North (10-0) vs. 4 West Liberty-Salem (10-1) at Clayton Northmont Good Samaritan Stadium, Matt Dudon Memorial Field

7 Versailles (7-4) vs. 3 Minster (8-3) at Piqua Alexander Stadium, Purk Field

Division VII – Games at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15

(UNLESS OTHERWIDE NOTED)

Home team listed first

Region 23

1 Norwalk St. Paul (10-1) vs. 4 Ashland Mapleton (8-3) at Bellevue Stadium

2 Berlin Center Western Reserve (10-1) vs. 6 Lucas (7-4) at Orrville Red Rider Stadium

Region 24 – Double-header

1 Arlington (10-1) vs. 4 McComb (8-3) at Findlay Donnell Stadium at 7 p.m.

2 Tiffin Calvert (9-2) vs. 3 Columbus Grove (7-4) at Findlay Donnell Stadium at 1:30 p.m.

Region 25

1 Shadyside (10-0) vs. 4 Bainbridge Paint Valley (8-3) at Zanesville Maysville Athletic Complex

2 Glouster Trimble (11-0) vs. 3 Caldwell (11-0) at New Lexington High School

Region 26

1 Maria Stein Marion Local (11-0) vs. 5 Fort Recovery (7-4) at Wapakoneta Harmon Field

2 Sidney Lehman Catholic (9-2) vs. 6 Troy Christian (8-3) at Piqua Alexander Stadium, Purk Field