The official start of practice for bowling and wrestling teams happens next week across the state. Wrestling and bowling teams can begin practice Nov. 13.

Bowling can start the regular season Nov. 20, while wrestling can begin Dec. 4.

The Garfield football team finished with a 6-4 record this season and coach Bob Sax said the Rams are looking forward to 2010.

“We lose four starters from this year’s team, so we are really excited about next year,” Sax said. “But we need to have a good offseason and continue to come together as a team.”

Garfield lost to Buchtel in the regular-season finale last week. The Rams had just eight seniors on the 2009 team, so Sax was proud of how the squad matured throughout the fall.

“I felt like we got better as the season went on and I really liked how we handled adversity,” Sax said. “We just picked a bad time to play our worst game of the year.”

Rivals.com is reporting that Louisville senior WR Bobby Swigert (6-1, 175) visited Boston College last weekend. The Web site said Swigert plans to make a college decision sometime soon.

Cincinnati Aiken 6-foot-2 sophomore guard William Moore is getting interest from Akron, Kent State, Xavier and West Virginia, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer. Moore has been offered by Ohio University.

Aiken senior 6-1 point guard Kenny Knight made an oral commitment to Kent State earlier this year.

OHSAA Regional Quarterfinal Football Pairings (Local Teams Only)

Friday Night Games (All games start at 7:30 p.m.)

DIVISION II

Region 5

(8) Ravenna (8-2) at (1) Mentor Lake Catholic (9-1) – Can Parnell Taylor, Zach Thomas and company rush the ball effectively and lead the visiting Ravens to a victory?

(7) Highland (6-4) at (2) Warren Howland (9-1) – Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Wiita family after Highland senior Kory Wiita was severely injured in Week 10. We hope he stays strong and gets better. We wish him the best. The game is definitely secondary, but can the visiting Hornets regroup and secure a playoff win?

(5) Aurora (8-2) at (4) Canfield (9-1) –The Greenmen seek to defend the Division II title they won last year at Canfield.

Region 7

(8) Cols. Marion-Franklin (8-2) at (1) Louisville (10-0) – The Leopards were ranked No. 1 in the final AP Division II poll. Can the Leopards win five more games and finish 15-0 with a state title?

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DIVISION III

Region 9

(8) Field (8-2) at (1) Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (10-0) – The visiting Falcons make their third playoff appearance in a row. The Cardinals are loaded with talent. Field will have to win the turnover battle and control the ball to win.

(7) St. Vincent-St. Mary (6-4) at (2) Poland Seminary (8-2) – The visiting Fighting Irish must limit their turnovers to win and be at their best defensively. Look for playmakers Doran Grant and Mark Murphy to be key if St. V-M secures a victory?

(6) Parma Padua Franciscan (7-3) at (3) Archbishop Hoban (7-3) – A rematch of a North Coast League regular season game that the Knights won 10-6. If Lawrence Wynn rushes the ball effectively and LaTroy Lewis and Greg McMullen lead the defense, look out for Hoban.

(5) Buckeye (8-2) at (4) Hubbard (9-1) – The visiting Bucks look to extend their season at Hubbard’s expense.

Region 11

(8) Marlington (8-2) at (1) Steubenville (9-1) – The Dukes face a tall task of knocking off the Big Red at home.

(6) Northwest (7-3) at (3) Rayland Buckeye Local (8-2) – The Indians will need to be at their best on both sides of the ball to extend their season.

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DIVISION V

Region 17

(8) Waynedale (7-3) at (1) Cuyahoga Heights (10-0) – Waynedale must be at its best to defeat an undefeated team on their own field.

(5) Hillsdale (8-2) at (4) Ashland Crestview (9-1) – Hillsdale hopes its first appearance in the playoffs doesn’t end after one game.

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Saturday Night Games (All games start at 7 p.m.)

DIVISION I

Region 2

(8) Canton McKinley (6-4) at (1) Tol. Whitmer (9-1) – The visiting Bulldogs are fresh off a 35-21 win over rival Massillon in Week 10. Can McKinley keep the momentum going with a tenacious defense that features Jewone Snow and Steve Miller and offense that includes Kyle Ohradzansky, Bryce Wilder and Angelo Powell?

(7) Brunswick (7-3) at (2) Twinsburg (9-1) – A rematch off an NOC game that Twinsburg won in the regular season. Can the visiting Blue Devils keep up with the Tigers speedy Dion Johnson, Andrew Collier, Aaron Macer and others.

(6) North Canton Hoover (7-3) at (3) Massillon (7-3) – An intriguing matchup with college-level talent. The Vikings are fresh off a blowout win over a winless team and the host Tigers are coming off a stinging loss to rival McKinley. Players to watch include Hoover running back Erick Howard and Massillon quarterback Robert Partridge. Who’s defense steps up and makes the key stops?

(5) Wadsworth (9-1) at (4) GlenOak (8-2) – Another interesting matchup that pits the champions of the Suburban League against the champions of the Federal League. The Grizzlies rely on Caleb Busson, Jack Snowball, Bart Randolph, Aarick Jones and Anthony Schrock. The host Golden Eagles counter with Collin Daniels Mitchell, Brionte Dunn and Alex Meredith. GlenOak defenders Spyro Spondyl and Andrew Garman could be the difference.

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DIVISION IV

Region 13

(7) CVCA (7-3) at (2) Girard (10-0) – CVCA looks to rebound after Week 10 loss to rival Manchester. The Royals must face undefeated team and get the rushing game going that features Alex Utley.

(6) Woodridge (8-2) at (3) Martins Ferry (7-2) – The Bulldogs make their first playoff appearance after earning co-champion status in the PTC County Division with Mogadore (a team that defeated this season). Woodridge quarterback Anthony Westren, running back Anthony Kelly and receivers Brandyn Peters and A.J. Graham must make plays and Cameron Hilling has to lead the defense to extend this playoff run.

(5) Cortland Lakeview (7-3) at (4) Manchester (9-1) – The host Panthers are confident after defeating rival CVCA 35-14 in Week 10 to win the PAC title. Running backs Craig Dougherty and Brit Hunter must continue to rush the ball successfully for Manchester.

Region 14

(6) Bellville Clear Fork (7-3) at (3) Orrville (7-3) – Chase Hoobler and Sam Miller have college-level talent and their contributions are vital to the host Red Riders.

(5) Ottawa-Glandorf (8-2) at (4) Triway (8-2) – Derek Carmichael and Brandon Butcher guide the host Titans attack.

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DIVISION VI

Region 21

(6) Warren John F. Kennedy (7-3) at (3) Mogadore (9-1) – Jake McAvinew and Kodey Chance lead yet another Wildcats team into the playoffs. Drew Babbitt, Zach Glagola and Matt Traugh are also vital to Mogadore’s success.

(5) Dalton (9-1) at (4) Bucyrus Wynford (10-0) – A battle between two teams that know how to win. Special teams could come into play with balanced offenses and defenses.

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The Ohio State softball fastpitch winter clinic will be Jan. 23-24 in Columbus. The clinic will be held at the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility. More info at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.

Here are my thoughts on this week’s playoff games:

*The best games - North Canton Hoover at Massillon in Division I and Ravenna at Lake Catholic in Division II.

The Vikings have a chance because in its two losses, the Tigers defense gave up far too many big plays. Hoover is tested and look for it to use  the passing game at time to surprise the home town Tigers.

Ravenna needs to get Pernell Taylor loose in the secondary to set up the star back in the running game.

*Rematches - Padua plays at Archbishop Hoban in a battle of two teams that struggle to score in big games. Knights won the last meeting, 10-6, and I expect the same. Ditto that for Brunswick at Twinsburg, which the Tigers win in Week 5 at Brunswick. Tigers are more experienced and the Blue Devils aren’t what they have been in recent years.

*Upset special - No. 8 Canton McKinley will upset top seed No. 1 Toledo Whitmer in Division I, Region 2.

*Who will show up? – The Fighting Irish of St. Vincent-St. Mary can look one minute like world beaters, the next like the Cleveland Browns – nah, check that – Ohio State in big bowl games the past few seasons. Running back Mark Murphy needs a big game.

*Best wishes- We wish the Wiita family well and hopefully his Highland teammates will bring him back a playoff victory at Warren Howland. Also think it would be great for neighboring Woodridge and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy to win on the road, especially a Bulldog team that has reached the playoffs for the first time.

Area boys’ basketball teams can start practice on Friday, per OHSAA rules. Girls’ basketball practice started Oct. 30.

When you are a writer, you see things from different angles than the public, particularly fans that follow one high school team.

On Saturday, Canton McKinley defeated Massillon, 35-21, which is always special in and of itself. Here were the Bulldogs, a team that had blown a 34-2 lead two weeks earlier in a 38-34 loss to North Canton Hoover, reaching the playoffs on third level points.

It was a glorious moment for McKinley coach Ron Johnson, who has been roasted this season by Bulldog fans as if he was the most evil character a writer could concoct. After the game, he told me that the players never quit and that is what made him so proud of the kids.

So McKinley heads to Toledo Whitmer Saturday hoping to pull off another upset and go further into the playoffs.

For Hudson players and fans, the McKinley victory was a crushing loss because the Explorers were the team bumped out of the playoffs. On the face of it, this is ridiculous. Hudson is 8-2 and McKinley is 6-4.

What killed the Explorers were some opponents who just had awful seasons. Jackson, normally a .500 team at least, took the pipe and was 0-10. Lakewood, the worst Division I program in Northeast Ohio and frankly is a waste of time watching, had its usual one win season. The Rangers were Hudson’s opponent in Week 10, giving virtually nothing in computer points to the Explorers.

Hudson coach Tom Narducci, quarterback Richie Piekarski and the Explorer seniors

People talk about win or go home themes for the playoffs. As Hudson now knows, sometimes you go home early when you win because you lose. Life is not always fair.