The best prediction I made all year was on SportsTime Ohio’s high school football playoff preview. I said this would be the wildest playoff year ever and there is plenty of evidence to back it.

*Four No. 8 seeds remain as we head to the regional finals, including Canton McKinley. And who would think that McKinley and Massillon would meet again in the regional final after Week 8 when the Bulldogs were 4-4? 

Saturday night’s game at InfoCision Stadium in Akron could draw over 20,000 fans for the first high school football game in the new facility. Massillon’s offense has been shaky in both playoffs games, scoring  just 27 points. The Bulldogs have scored 82 points  in the playoffs (48 against GlenOak after losing 14-0 earlier this season) and 35 in the Week 10 game against Massillon.

If these two teams weren’t the oldest rivals in this state, this would be an easy pick with the Bulldogs mauling the Tigers. McKinley will be the favorite, but who knows how confident Massillon is.

*Defending state champion St. Ignatius looked like a bakery, turning out turnovers as if it was Christmas week as No. 5 Glenville whacked them, 30-13.

*Orrville came into the playoffs at 7-3 seeded No. 3 and just sent undefeated Genoa home for the holidays, 36-35. Big challenge for the Red Riders is stopping a high octane Ottawa-Glandorf that just destroyed Pemberville Eastwood 48-3.

*Woodridge’s first appearance in the playoffs has been terrific, scoring 80 points in two games. If the Bulldogs use their speed well Saturday night against Chagrin Falls in the Division IV regional final at Twinsburg Stadium, they have a very good chance to the Division IV state semfinal.

The Woodridge High School football will play its second state playoff game in the history of the program at 7 p.m. tonight against undefeated Girard at Lake High School.

The Bulldogs defeated host Martins Ferry 49-28 this past week in a Division IV, Region 13 quarterfinal matchup.

Woodridge coach Eric Ervin said his team is confident heading into the game against Girard (11-0).

“The Martins Ferry game was big for us for a lot of reasons, the first being it was the first time in school history Woodridge has qualified for the OHSAA football playoffs,” Ervin said. “Secondly, we had a long road trip in front of us and we weren’t quite sure how that was going to go over, but I think we approached the trip the right way and our kids responded.”

Woodridge (9-2) trailed 14-0 early in the game, but persevered and responded with a stingy defense and explosive offensive effort for the remainder of the game.

“Going down early 14-0 could have been a big issue for some teams, but our guys just continued to believe and fight and fight,” Ervin said. “We always tell them to play the whole game, to play the last minute of the game just like they played the first minute.”

Senior running back Anthony Kelly and senior quarterback Anthony Westren were the primary playmakers in the comeback.

“Offensively, Anthony Kelly again showed why he is such a special player by going out there against a very, very stout Martins Ferry defense and carrying the load for us on the ground,” Ervin said. “Of course, you can’t mention Kelly without mentioning the offensive linemen who just absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage. That ground game combined with the ability of Anthony Westren to make the right decisions, quickly, proved to be a big factor in the game.”

Woodridge’s defense forced six turnovers and was steady in the second half.

“Defensively, again our front seven made play after play after play,” Ervin said. “After we limited their run game, which is what they hang their hat on, they were forced to put the ball up and that is when our defensive backs got in on the action.”

Ervin praised the play of Kelly, Sebastian Dodds and Brandyn Peters on defense. Dodds and Kelly each had one interception and Peters grabbed two interceptions.

“He might have had one of the best all around performances I’ve seen from a football player in quite some time,” Ervin said of Peters. “He had 100 yards receiving, some rushing yards and two big interceptions, one of which went for a touchdown.”

Senior linebackers David Charles and Cameron Hilling have also been key defensively. Senior Brennan Owens and junior Jared Page have paced the offensive line and junior A.J. Graham is a playmaker on both sides of the ball.

After Week One of the five weeks of football playoffs, here are my observations looking back and moving ahead.

*The Federal League rematch of Canton McKinley and Canton GlenOak will be a different game. The Bulldogs were the eight seed going into top seeded Toledo Whitmer and demolished the Glass City bunch, which did not surprise me, McKinley has found its swagger and I expect them to beat GlenOak this time.

By the way and for what it’s worth, I don’t think Hudson, the team edged out by McKinley for that eighth and final spot, could have won that game in Toledo.

*Massillon will be favored to beat Twinsburg, but I for one think Twinsburg can pull the upset.  Twinsburg’s defense must set the tone early on and stop Massillon’s running game and force quarterback Robert Partridge to run for his life.

*Just wonder how Garfield or Buchtel might have done in the playoffs. Something has to be done to get a City Series team in the post season with smarter scheduling and more home games.

*In Division II, Louisville, another No. 1 seed, was kayoed by No. 8 Columbus Marion-Franklin. One has to wonder if quarterback Bobby Swigert had stayed healthy how deep into the playoffs the Leopards go.

*Division III, Archbishop Hoban’s offense is killing them. They could surprise Poland Seminary at Uniontown Lake’s Blue Streak Stadium Friday night, but not if the offense is as bad as its been in big games.

Don’t be shocked if Northwest, a sixth seed, knocks off No. 2 seed Dover. I have Indian fever!

*One of the coolest stories of the year is Woodridge in Division IV. The Bulldogs put a whipping at Martins Ferry in their first playoff appearance in school history (49-28) and winning their first ever league title.  This team can light up scoreboards on on given night.

*Lest we not forget Mogadore. The Wildcats lone loss was to Woodridge and Saturday night I look for them to knock off Norwalk St. Paul at Medina’s Kenneth Dukes Stadium.

Woodridge wraps up its regular season tonight with a Portage Trail Conference County Division game at Waterloo.

The Bulldogs (7-2, 6-1) are hoping to qualify for the state football playoffs for the first time in school history. Woodridge is currently sixth in the Division IV, Region 13 and a win should help them stay in the top eight and make a regional quarterfinal appearance.

Senior Anthony Kelly rushed for 219 yards and two touchdowns and broke the Woodridge single-season rushing record to lead the Bulldogs to a 22-21 win over visiting East Canton a week ago.

Kelly had a 73-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead for good after trailing 21-16. Kelly now has 1,425 yards this season and broke the record set by Terry Lahoski in the 1989 season.

Bulldogs junior Marcus Thompson returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Woodridge hosts East Canton tonight in a key Week 9 matchup with Portage Trail Conference Metro Division and state playoff ramifications.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-1) will look to rebound against the Hornets (5-3, 4-1) after losing last week to Rootstown 34-32.

“Another week and another quality opponent,” Woodridge coach Eric Ervin said. “East Canton has been where we want to go – they were league champs last year and made the playoffs. It’s going to be one great game come Friday night.

“They run the ball very well out of their Flexbone Jet offense and they’ve got guys who can take it to the house on any given play. They’ve got a very good quarterback (Landon Schmidt) and wide receiver (Cody Marshall) combo and they are going to be tough to beat.”

Ervin said Woodridge trailed Rootstown (5-3, 3-2) for “pretty much the entire game.” Yet the “kids never gave up and fought to the very end. We had a chance to recover the onside kick late in the game, but it didn’t work out for us.”

Ervin is hopeful that the Bulldogs defensive linemen play better tonight after struggling last week.

“One thing that really stands out from last week is the way that Rootstown pushed around our defensive front,” Ervin said. “We knew going in that they were big and physical from film, but I think their strength was one thing we did not anticipate. Being a former lineman and a line coach, I was very impressed with their front five.”

Ervin praised the efforts of two Bulldogs, in particular, Brennan Owens on defense and Anthony Kelly on offense.

Hey everyone! This is my column that’s running in the Akron Beacon Journal Friday, but it’s posted on Ohio.com now, as you can see. Thanks to everyone who submitted votes for their favorite high school nicknames. If there are other crazy nicknames from out of state, post them so we can all get some laughs. Thanks again!

The Woodridge football team is one of the hottest teams in the area with a 6-1 overall record and a 4-0 mark in the Portage Trail Conference County Division. The Bulldogs secured home wins against Mogadore (52-7) and Garrettsville (42-0) the past two weeks.

I put together a story for the Akron Beacon Journal for this past Thursday’s sports section. Here are some additional comments that were left out of the story:

Woodridge coach Eric Ervin on the win versus Garrettsville after the score was tied 0-0 after the first quarter:

“I think one of the biggest positives to come out of last week’s game was the fact that we faced some early adversity against a very good Garrettsville team and our players responded to that in a very positive way.”

Ervin on the players that stood out in last week’s win:

“I think a couple of guys that stood out in the game were the guys that really gave us a spark to get things going. Our first touchdown came off of senior defensive back Zach Bickel’s hit on their running back. He forced the fumble and senior defensive lineman Brennan Owens picked it up and rumbled in for the score. On the ensuing kickoff, junior wide recever/defensive back AJ Graham came down the field and laid a huge hit on the kick returner that forced the fumble and junior defensive back Sebastian Dodds picked it up and ran it in for the score. Those two touchdowns in a matter of seconds really changed the game.”

Ervin’s assessment on Week 8 opponent Rootstown (4-3, 2-2):

“Rootstown is another conference team that is on the way up. They have had a lot of success this year and they are going to be another big test for our team.”

Ervin on his team’s depth:

“This is the first time since I have been here that we haven’t started an underclassmen, and we have never had that before.”

Senior middle linebacker Cameron Hilling on the crowd support at Woodridge:

“The student section is just crazy. There is about 10 guys that are wrestlers that are not on the football team, but they take pride in leading the student section. It’s kind of a small community, but the support has been crazy and we are very close.”

Senior quarterback Anthony Westren on the crowd support at Woodridge:

“I have never seen crowds like these before at our games. Both sides of the stands are completely full. There is not even enough stands for the people. There are people standing along the sides to watch the games.”

Westren on the parties at Hilling’s parents house that feature food and Gatorade:

“I think it’s really great our parents come and have fun with us. It’s a nice safe place where you know kids are not going to get in trouble.”

Westren on the playoffs:

“We kind of control our own destiny. We can’t overlook teams and look ahead. The (computer) numbers after week 10 actually mean something.”

The Woodridge football team enters Week 7 fresh off an impressive 52-7 victory over visiting Mogadore this past Friday.]ep

“The first positive would be the win,” Woodridge coach Eric Ervin said. “Mogadore is a great football team with a great football coach (Matt Adorni). We were expecting a much closer game, one that may come down to the wire, but our kids just went out and executed. To be honest, that may have been our best complete game of the season.”]ep

The Bulldogs, 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Portage Trail Conference County Division, led the Wildcats 38-7 at halftime and never looked back.]ep

Woodridge hosts Garrettsville (5-1, 2-1) this week for the Homecoming Game.]ep

“Garrettsville is another quality opponent; week in and week out in our league we’re going to have to battle,” Ervin said. “One thing you know you’re going to get when you face them is a physical game. They have big, tough kids who don’t back down. Brent Marshall may be one of the best defensive players in the league and we’re going to have to do our best to neutralize him.”]ep

Ervin praised the play of the Bulldogs offensive line in the Mogadore game. Woodridge’s starters along the offensive line are: senior tackle Brennan Owens, senior guard Jeremy Robinson, junior center Dillon Shroyer, senior guard Andy Priddy and junior tackle Jared Page.]ep

“Well it all starts with the offensive line,” Ervin said. “They did a great job opening the holes for senior running back Anthony Kelly as well as neutralizing a great defensive pass rush. Of course if those guys are doing their job, senior quarterback Anthony Westren has plenty of time to find the receivers.”]ep

Ervin said linebackers – senior Cameron Hilling, junior Marcus Thompson and senior David Charles – and junior safeties Sebastian Dodds and AJ Graham keyed the defense behind the front four defensive linemen.]ep

“One thing that we need to improve on is our kick coverage and we worked very hard in practice this week to get that corrected,” Ervin said.]ep

I have to admit that I was extremely impressed with the Woodridge Bulldogs football team. In Woodridge’s impressive 52-7 win last Friday at home against Mogadore which I covered, I watched senior quarterback Anthony Westren go 19-of-33 for 304 yards and four touchdowns.

I watched senior running back Anthony Kelly rush for a game-high 165 yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns. I watched wide receiver A.J. Graham finished with five catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

And I watched the defense dominate the Wildcats.

But none of that will matter if the Bulldogs (5-1, 3-0) don’t take care of business this week against Portage Trail Conference County Division opponent Garrettsville (5-1, 2-1).

Woodridge, which has never qualified for the playoffs, was ranked No. 12 in the Division IV Region 13 computer rankings last week but should move up in this week’s rankings after defeating previously undefeated Mogadore.

Mogadore improved their record to 4-0 overall this past Friday with a 28-7 victory over host Rootstown.

Senior quarterback Drew Babbitt threw three touchdown passes and the Wildcats defense was stingy, limiting the Rovers to just 55 yards rushing and 84 yards passing.

“I liked our defense,” Mogadore coach Matt Adorni said. “We forced them to five three-and-outs in the first half. We played physically up front.

“Jake McAvinew had a phenomenal game both ways. He had 10 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss and rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown.”

Mogadore took a 21-0 lead into halftime after neither team scored in the first quarter.

“Offensively, it took us a little more time to get rolling,” Adorni said.

Adorni said Babbitt looked poised and confident as the game progressed.

“He missed a couple of reads early, but I thought he came on strong in the second quarter,” Adorni said. “He put the ball where it needed to be.”

Senior Matt Traugh caught two touchdown passes after sophomore Dustin Owens caught his first varsity touchdown to open the open the scoring.

Adorni also praised the play of junior linebackers Joe Scolaro (12 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss) and Kodey Chance (nine tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, two interceptions).

Senior two-way linemen Andrew Monea was also vital with seven tackles, a sack and with his blocking on offense.