The high-school football playoffs are rapidly approaching for several teams in the Tri-Valley Conference.
In the penultimate week of the regular season, Athens (8-0), Nelsonville-York (8-0), and Trimble (5-2) all make road trips to take on conference opponents. Alexander (6-2) faces division rival Nelsonville-York at home.
All four have legitimate shots at making the playoffs.
Alexander is ranked 17th in Division V, Region 19, and might miss the playoffs without some help. A team must be in the top eight of its region to qualify. That leaves the Spartans in a must-win situation for both of their remaining games.
If the playoffs were to start today, Athens would be the fifth seed coming out of Region 12 for Division III schools, Nelsonville-York would be seeded second out of Region 19 for Division V, and Trimble would be the seventh seed from Region 23 in Division VI.
Because Alexander has lost two straight contests, the TVC-Ohio championship appears to be a battle between Athens and Nelsonville-York.
Athens travels to Wellston (4-4) in what appears to be a very winnable game. Wellston is without its best player, running back and middle linebacker Jaylen Prater, who has orally committed to Northwestern. He broke his ankle during last Friday’s game.
Head coach Ryan Adams said his absence will change the dynamic of the game.
“One big variable now is, ‘What are they going to do without him?’?” Adams said. “It creates uncertainty and a little bit of nervousness for us as to what we will see from their offense.”
Athens has its own injury problems as well. Starting defensive back and linebacker Chris Russell will sit out to rest an injury, while quarterback Josh Skinner’s status is still up in the air with an injured shoulder.
The Bulldogs know they can’t get caught looking ahead to the season finale against Nelsonville-York, especially when dealing with injuries.
“We’ve got some things to prove by not having those guys in there, but our team does a pretty good job of attacking what’s in front of us each week,” Adams said. “They’re going to come out with a lot of emotion and energy, and we have to be ready for that.”
The Bulldogs also hope this year’s team can make history for Athens. If they win, it will be the first 9-0 Athens team since 1971.
Fellow TVC-Ohio leader Nelsonville-York faces a reeling Alexander team, which suffered a 40-7 rout at Athens last week.
Nelsonville-York is looking to keep its success going. Remarkably, eight games into the season, the Buckeyes have won every game by more than 20 points.
Trimble faces TVC-Hocking foe Southern (2-6). With a 5-1 conference record, the Tomcats have been dominant in league so far.
Trimble has been led all year long by quarterback Justin Jewell, running back Austin Keith and wide receiver Konnor Standley. Keith and Standley are also standouts on defense.
Keith has rushed for 737 yards and nine touchdowns on the year, averaging more than 7 yards per carry.
Three of Trimble’s last four games have been shutouts.
If Trimble wins, the team has a good chance to make the playoffs. If Athens and Nelsonville-York win as well, each will be almost guaranteed a spot, putting three teams from the area into postseason play.
as506610@ohiou.edu
