H.S. football Week 14: Five area teams in regional finals 

H.S. football Week 14 games

Nov. 21, all games 7 p.m.

Div. II, Region 6 

Avon (11-1) vs. Highland (12-0) 

At Brunswick Auto Mart Stadium

Div. IV, Region 14

Indian Valley (11-0) vs. New Lexington (11-1)

At Stewart Field, Coshocton

Div. VI, Region 21

Garaway (11-2) vs. Kirtland (12-0)

At Louisville Leopard Stadium

Div. VII, Region 27

Danville (8-5) vs. Hillsdale (11-1)

At Ridgewood Generals Stadium, West Lafayette

Div. II, Region 6

Highland (12-0) vs. Avon (12-0)

Last week: Highland 48, North Ridgeville 0; Avon 42, Wadsworth 21

Last year: Avon 28, Highland 20, Region 6 championship game

This week: Highland has lost to Avon in the playoffs each of the past two years. Last year early turnovers proved costly as the Hornets arguably were the better team in that game. Avon’s loss this year came in Week 2 against Spruce Creek Florida, which nipped the Eagles 25-22. The teams have two common opponents, North Ridgeville and Avon Lake. The Eagles beat North Ridgeville 55-7 and Avon Lake 43-12, compared to the Hornets’ win last week over the Rangers and 34-7 win at Avon Lake on Week 3. Highland was its usual self in dismantling North Ridgeville, scoring six first-half touchdowns while pitching a shutout keyed by a second-quarter goal-line stand that seemed to take the wind out of the Rangers’ sails. Gracy Gibb was 8-for-9 passing, making him 17-of-18 over the last two weeks, this time for 217 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a pair of scores among his 61 yards on nine carries. Casey Myer carried 13 times for 106 yards and a TD and will be counted on heavily against Avon. Lucas Gerding caught a pair of TDs, Jake Weber caught one and Nick Dobkowski grabbed the other. Dylan Lazar had 81 yards on 4 carries, including one run on which he covered about 150 yards while zigzagging through the Rangers’ defense. Avon scored three second-quarter touchdowns to break things open against Wadsworth, which was within 28-14 at halftime but never really threatened. Avon was beatable through the air, giving up 255 passing yards to the Grizzlies, though the Eagles picked off a pair of passes.

— Todd Stumpf 

Div. IV, Region 15

Indian Valley (11-0) vs. New Lexington (11-1) 

Last week: Indian Valley 47, Plain City Jonathan Alder 28; New Lexington 47, Unioto 14

Last year: Indian Valley 42, New Lexington 23, Div. IV regional semifinal.

This week: The game is a rematch of the regional semifinal meeting in 2024, right down to the same venue. Grady Kinsey rushed for 156 yards and five touchdowns in that Braves' victory last year. Last week Kinsey did that one better, rolling up 312 yards and scoring six times to lead the win over Alder. That allowed him to break the state record for career rushing touchdowns, when he scored his 125th on the ground, eclipsing the mark held by Daniel Bangura of Harvest Prep. Kinsey also tied the career record with his 133rd total touchdown. Kinsey galloped 68 yards for a TD on the first play of the game and the rout was on. The Panthers rolled up 445 total yards against Unioto to easily win their regional semifinal. NL quarterback Lane Ratliff approached 300 yards of total offensive, accounting for four total TDs, including one on a kickoff return. Terrelle King led a stout defense with a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown.

— Todd Stumpf 

Div. VI, Region 21

Garaway (11-2) vs. Kirtland (12-0)

Last week: Garaway 25, Dalton 16; Kirtland 35, Smithville 7

This week: Kirtland coach Tiger LaVerde is an incredible 256-21 with seven state titles. His Hornets are in the regional finals for the 16thstraight year. Tiger’s son, Jake LaVerde, has returned at quarterback from an injury after missing several games. LaVerde has over 500 yards and five TDs passing this season, while rushing for 682 and eight TDs. The Hornets have a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in John Silvestro (1,760 yards, 29 TDs) and Ty Bledsoe (1,117, 15 TDs). Silvestro ran for 147 yards and a score a week ago — his seventh consecutive game with over 105 yards rushing — and Bledsoe added 72 yards and a pair of TDs as Kirtland ran for 283 yards against Smithville. The Pirates’ ability to stop the run will be the key to keeping it close and having a chance at a huge upset. Defensively, Kirtland has held opponents to seven or fewer points in 10 of 12 games. For Garaway, its defense also made the difference at Dalton to allow the Pirates to secure the win and move on to face Kirtland for the fifth time in 11 years. For the Pirates, Braylan Books was all over the field, racking up 13 tackles. Grady Miller threw for 206 yards with two scoring strikes while Matthew Frey racked up 156 rushing yards for two scores, adding 51 receiving yards. Micah Yoder added a career-best 135 receiving yards, including a 93-yard touchdown.

— Mike Plant

Div. VII, Region 27

Danville (8-5) vs. Hillsdale (11-1)

Last week: Danville 19, Waterford 14; Hillsdale 48, Symmes Valley 7

This week: Danville and Hillsdale will tangle once again in a huge Div. VII playoff game at Ridgewood High School. The teams met last year in the state semifinals with Hillsdale pulling out a 25-22 come-from-behind victory to advance to the state title game. This year’s regional final matchup sees both teams on a roll in the playoffs. The Blue Devils struggled at times during the regular season, but have been on a tear in the playoffs, winning three straight games to advance to their fourth straight regional championship game. Defense has been the calling card once again for Danville, as it forced five turnovers and held Waterford to just 211 yards of offense in the victory last week. Wesley Payne had an interception and a fumble recovery, Owen Gronberg recovered a fumble, and Carson Proper and Aidan Mickley both had interceptions. The Devils will need another strong defensive performance to slow down the Falcons, who has averaged 42 points per game this season. Owen Sloan has been the workhorse in the backfield, rushing for five touchdowns in the win over Symmes Valley. Quarterback Kael Lewis, who hurt the Devils last year, is back along with his favorite receiver, Hayden McFadden. The Falcons won their first nine games of the season before being tripped up by Norwayne, 24-17, in the season finale. But, they have rebounded to score 63 and 48 in their two playoff victories.

— Fred Main