Tournament brackets set for area softball teams

All area teams, except for Wooster, bracketed up May 3 for the upcoming OHSAA softball tournament. Wooster's bracket meeting is May 10 due to limited teams in Division II. Across the board for the area, top programs Garaway, Hillsdale, Norwayne, Dalton and Tuslaw are favored to make it out of their districts, with some potential hidden gems like Northwestern, Triway or West Holmes.

At the end of the day, RPI heavily weighs total wins, not strength of wins, so seeding is very up in the air for some teams. Don’t be shocked if some teams with lower seeds make a big push due to the strength of their schedule and if some higher seeds fall quickly. Iron sharpening iron — now is when that pays dividends.

Div. IV East 2 District

West Holmes (fifth seed) is one of the area’s top rising programs and is led by a pair of talented seniors — Briar Cline and Zalina Proper. The Knights (9-13) will open sectional finals action hosting St. Clairsville (14th) and will look at a big matchup to open district play against No. 3 Meadowbrook.

Div. V Northeast districts

Earning the No. 1 seed was Norwayne (12-1), which is heavily favored to make it to regionals, where a pending showdown with either Manchester (fifth) or Tuslaw (fourth) awaits. Norwayne will open at home against the winner of Chippewa (22nd) and Beachwood (23rd) in the Northeast 3 bracket. The Chipps (5-12) lost twice to Norwayne during the regular season.

In the Northeast 1 bracket, a pair of PAC rivals landed. The No. 8 Titans (15-6) will open up hosting Brookside (24th) in a sectional final battle, and the No. 25 Red Riders will make the trip to Canton South (16th). For Orrville, it won’t be a small task as it faces the Wildcats three times in a span of nine days. Triway will be an odds-on favorite to make it to the district finals and face a familiar playoff rival, No. 2 South Range.

Arguably, the most competitive district bracket is the Northeast 4t, where the best seeds are Manchester (14-4) and Tuslaw (15-4), a pair of PAC rivals. Both will await their opponent in district play, with No. 21 Northwestern opening up on the road at Girard (10th) in a sectional final. The Huskies (9-11) might be the hidden gem of the tournament with a bevy of talent and a veteran, savvy coach.

Div. VI Northeast districts

One of the best teams in the Wayne County Athletic League, Hillsdale (14-2) picked up the No. 2 seed and is heavily favored to advance out of the Northeast 1 bracket and to regionals. The Falcons’ first big test will come at regionals, where they could play league rival Dalton (13-4, fifth seed) or county rival Mapleton (16-2, third).

Joining Hillsdale in the bracket is No. 22 Waynedale (3-15), which will open on the road against No. 11 United in a sectional final. The Golden Bears could be RPI busters if they put it all together after playing a rugged league slate, as they are much better than their record indicates.

In the Northeast 2 bracket, another of the WCAL’s powers lies in the Bulldogs, who will open at home against Brooklyn (29th) in a sectional final. Dalton and Mapleton are the odds-on favorites to make it out, as the Mounties proved to be competitive in the preseason against the WCAL’s top programs.

Smithville (19th) will open up with a competitive game against St. Thomas Aquinas (16th) on the road.

Div. VI East 1 District

Hiland (5-13) picked up the 10th seed and will open on the road against rival Garaway (16-4), the No. 1 seed, in a sectional semifinal. With a win, the Pirates will host No. 8 Shenandoah in a sectional final. The other half of the bracket features No. 2 Monroe Central, No. 3 Shadyside and No. 4 Fort Frye.

Div. VII Northeast districts

Rittman earned the 17th seed in the Northeast 1 bracket and will open on the road against No. 16 Wellsville Senior. Central Christian picked up the 20th seed and will hit the road to start its run as it travels to No. 10 Mathews.