By Joshua Morgret

On Twitter: @joshuamorgret

It’s the final countdown!

Here we are in Week 10. The weather feels like October and November weather and the season is almost over.

Of the 12 teams we talk about weekly, at least seven are almost locked into playoff spots while a couple more could sneak in. The others will play their final game of the season tomorrow night and put the pads away in preparation of basketball season.

As you see above, my Instagram link is gone because it was hacked along with my Facebook account that I’ve had for over 13 years. I’ve made a new Facebook (add me or accept my friend request!) but I haven’t dove back into Instagram yet. As always, you can reach me on Twitter!

A lot more has been decided in terms of who is in the playoffs and who is out. Joe Eitel’s website will be referenced a lot in this one with updates from him on where teams can finish in their respective regions.

A big thank you again to everyone for reading! Thank you for Nate Mullins at Heart of Ohio Sports for letting me share my thoughts each and every week.

For the last time in the regular season… Here we go…

High school football

Tiffin Columbian (7-2) – After topping Clyde and Bellevue to start the three-game road gauntlet, the Tornadoes came up short at Perkins, 31-14. Columbian trailed 24-7 in the fourth quarter and were never able to overcome the Pirates. All told, Perkins ran for 100 yards on the ground and threw for another 228 through the air. Barring a Sandusky upset over Perkins, Columbian will finish second in the league. If the Tornadoes top Norwalk and Sandusky does knock off the Pirates, it would be a split league title. All Columbian can do now is go out, take care of business against Norwalk, hope for the best, and get ready for the playoffs. Brayden Roggow continues to impress for the Tornadoes at quarterback, completing 127-of-202 passes for 1,561 yards and 19 touchdowns. At running back, Damien Brockington has racked up 169 carries for 1,285 yards and 20 scores. Jack Koerper leads the receivers with 47 catches for 557 yards and six TD. Columbian faces a winless Norwalk team, but the Truckers have been extremely competitive the last two weeks in losses to Perkins (21-19) and Clyde (35-28). Former Calvert coach Todd Fox has been the head coach for Norwalk for the past few seasons, but was placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 23. Former Perkins coach Jason Ziegler continues to coach in Fox’s absence. Regardless of the Norwalk game, the Tornadoes will open the playoffs in Week 11 at home. With a win there, it would also host a second playoff game in Week 12.

Current playoff look: 1^st in Division III, Region 10 – clinched at least a top-4 spot (can finish 1-3 regardless of Week 10 outcome)

Tiffin Calvert (5-4) – The Senecas pushed Hopewell-Loudon late into the fourth quarter last week before coming up short, 21-18. A win would have almost certainly locked Calvert into a playoff spot, but that is not the case. The Senecas go on the road this week to take on a struggling Lakota team. Outside of a big blowout win by Calvert in 2019, meetings in 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 have been decided by a total of 23 points between the two teams. Harry Shultz has completed 108-of-216 passes for 1,606 yards and 16 touchdowns while Jacob Rombach has run 89 times for 513 yards and six touchdowns. The top receiver for Shultz has been Billy Clouse, who has hauled in 32 passes for 678 yards and six TDs. In Division VII, Region 26, 10 teams have officially clinched playoff spots while five more control their own destiny. Calvert is the highest ranked team that does not control its own destiny – meaning the Senecas could win on Friday and miss the playoffs at 6-4. A win PROBABLY gets Calvert in, but it’s not 100 percent certain. If they get in, they will likely start on the road in Week 11.

Current playoff look: 14^th in Division VII, Region 26 – do not control own destiny (can finish 8-out with a win, 11-out with a loss)

Carey (9-0) – One team that does not have wonder where it will be playing in Week 11 and if they are in or not is Carey. The Blue Devils have now won 24 straight football games dating back to a Week 1 loss to Hopewell-Loudon last season. Carey will be the No. 1 seed in their region and have the chance to host two playoff games if it beats Seneca East this week. The Blue Devils could still end up No. 1 with a loss, but undefeated Ashland Crestview is hot on their tails. Carey has clinched at least a share of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference title, but Seneca East can split it with a win in Carey tomorrow night. The Blue Devils did have to fend off a pesky Upper Sandusky team, 20-14, last week to put themselves in a position to win the league title outright this week. For the Blue Devils, their rushing attack continues to lead the league. Carey is up to 397 carries for 2,375 yards and 35 touchdowns on the ground. The defense from the Blue Devils continues to be absurd as well, allowing just 134 yards rushing… FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON. That is just under 15 yards per game. The mountain in Division VI would be tough with Marion Local and Kirtland, but they are the reigning, defending champions for a reason. Quarterback Lance Rickle continues to lead Carey, completing 44-of-80 passes for 826 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing 93 times for 589 yards and eight scores.

Current playoff look: 1^st in Division VI, Region 22 – clinched at least a top-4 spot (will be No. 1 with a win, 1-3 with a loss)

Seneca East (7-2) – Speaking of the Tigers, how about another heart-pounding win on the final play of the game? To win one game like that in your high school career is wild, but to do it two weeks in a row? Last week, quarterback Blake Foos ran it in from a yard out as time expired to beat Mohawk while this week, it was a 16-yard touchdown pass to stun Wynford, 32-31. Of Seneca East’s seven wins, five have come by seven points or less including comeback wins against Northwood, Fostoria, and Upper Sandusky earlier this season. Despite a 42-0 thumping loss to Colonel Crawford in Week 5, Seneca East finds itself in a position to split the league championship, but of course they will have to do it at Carey. Foos has completed 144-of-241 passes for 1,814 yards and 19 touchdowns this season while running 190 times for 1,033 yards and 14 scores. Austin Perry has set himself apart as the top receiver by far, hauling in 52 passes for 580 yards and five TDs. The Tigers enter the week 10^th in Region 22. A win will certainly get SE a home game in the playoff while a loss likely has them on the road in Week 11.

Current playoff look: 10^th in Division VI, Region 22 – clinched a playoff spot (can finish 3-8 with a win, 8-14 with a loss)

Mohawk (3-6) – I was afraid Mohawk was going to be on the outside looking in if they didn’t beat Carey, Seneca East, or Colonel Crawford, and it appears as that will be the case. After having Seneca East down to one final play and losing, the Warriors got pummeled by CC, 48-6 last week. It’s definitely been an and up down season for Mohawk, starting the year with three straight losses, then winning three in a row before this three-game losing streak. All that is left for the Warriors is a home game against Bucyrus tomorrow night. A win over them might not be enough as Mohawk enters the night No. 19 in Region 26 with the top-16 teams making the playoffs. Again, all the Warriors can do is go out and win and hope for the best in the region around them. They do not control their own destiny and are about .74 points behind 16^th-place Ada, who does control its own destiny. For the season, Ben Bogner has completed 102-of-208 passes for 1,247 yards and eight touchdowns while running 92 times for 456 yards. Zaiden Fry adds 49 attempts for 307 yards while hauling in 44 passes for 567 yards.

Current playoff look: 19^th in Division VII, Region 26 – do not control own destiny (can finish 14-out with a win, 16-out with a loss)

Lakota (2-7) – After a good Homecoming win over Fremont St. Joseph, the Raiders went on the road and came up empty in a 30-0 loss at Edon. Lakota’s two wins have come over teams with a combined 1-17 mark. It has been a tough season this year for coach Mike Lento, with question marks all over the field. Generally speaking, the Raiders’ offense has struggled this year outside of the two wins. Lakota will get the chance to finish the season on a high note when it hosts Calvert in what has been a fairly-closely contested game the last five years. For the Raiders, CJ Biddle has completed 52-of-109 passes for 618 yards while running 119 times for 757 yards. Micah Williams adds 73 rushes for 364 yards. Lakota will certainly want to go into the offseason on a positive, so bringing its A-game against the Senecas will be key to success.

Current playoff look: 23^rd in Division VI, Region 22 (mathematically eliminated from playoff contention)

For other high school football teams in the area:

Clyde (6-3) squeaked past winless Norwalk, 35-28… Bellevue (6-3) thumped Sandusky, 34-14… Hopewell-Loudon (7-2) had a close win over Calvert, 21-18… Upper Sandusky (4-5) came up just short against Carey, 20-14… Buckeye Central (3-6) fell to Bucyrus, 37-34… and Fostoria (1-8) took one on the chin against Eastwood, 63-7.

Current playoff look for those other teams in the area:

Bellevue – 7^th in Division IV, Region 14 – clinched playoff spot (can finish 6-9 with win, 7-9 with loss)

Buckeye Central – 21^st in Division VII, Region 25 – do not control own destiny (can finish 11-out with win, OUT with loss)

Clyde – 7^th in Division III, Region 10 – clinched playoff spot (can finish 2-7 with win, 4-11 with loss)

Fostoria – 20^th in Division IV, Region 14 – mathematically eliminated from playoff contention)

Hopewell-Loudon – 7^th in Division VI, Region 22 – clinched playoff spot (can finish 3-8 with win, 6-12 with loss)

Upper Sandusky – 13^th in Division IV, Region 14 – control own destiny (can finish 11-15 with win, 12-out with loss)

This week's schedule:

Norwalk at Tiffin Columbian LIVE on Heart of Ohio Sports Adrenaline Stream

Tiffin Calvert at Lakota LIVE on Heart of Ohio Sports X-Stream

Seneca East at Carey

Bucyrus at Mohawk

Clyde at Bellevue

Buckeye Central at Colonel Crawford

Fostoria at Lake

Gibsonburg at Hopewell-Loudon

Wynford at Upper Sandusky

College football

Heidelberg (4-2) – After a bye week, the Student Princes are back on the field and get to do it at home against Marietta (3-3) for Homecoming. I’m not sure what to think about the Pioneers. They beat the three teams they should have (Dubuque, Otterbein, and Wilmington) and lost to the three teams they should have (Mount Union, Baldwin Wallace, and John Carroll), so it will be interesting to see how Heidelberg fares. It will also be interesting to see if quarterback Drew Sims or running back Montavious Yearby are back in the lineup for the Student Princes after both missing the two games before the bye week. For the season, Sims has completed 53-of-87 passes for 725 yards and seven touchdowns while Chayne Treharn has completed 19-of-36 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, Yearby leads the way with 86 carries for 384 yards and four scores while TJ Rhamy has 59 rushes for 258 yards and five TDs. Heidelberg has run the ball tremendously well at home this season while struggling to get it going on the road.

Next up: vs. Marietta, 10-22-22 @ 2 p.m.

Tiffin (4-2) – The Dragons also get back to playing after a bye week when it travels to No. 6 Ashland in a huge Great Midwest Athletic Conference showdown. The Eagles are 6-0 and are tied atop the league standings with Tiffin. The winner will likely be the league champ, as both have topped Ohio Dominican, the other top team in the league. Tiffin had been playing really well the last two weeks before the bye with wins over Lake Erie (52-27) and Hillsdale (41-0). So far, quarterback Christian Carter has completed 125-of-193 passes for 1,373 yards and six touchdowns while Darius Pinnix paces the Dragons with 98 carries for 588 yards and five scores. Carter also has eight touchdowns on the ground. Anthony Lowe has established himself as one of the top receivers in the league, leading the Dragons with 51 receptions for 559 yards.

Next up: at Ashland, 10-22-22 @ 1 p.m.

Volleyball

We are in the middle of the OHSAA state tournament. I’ve had volleyball matches every night this week so far and I’ll be headed to Carey High School tonight as the Blue Devils take on North Baltimore before Hopewell-Loudon battles McComb. The winners meet in a Division IV district semifinal next Tuesday at Riverdale High School. We still have a chunk of teams still alive. Calvert hosts a sectional final tonight while Mohawk does the same. New Riegel upset Arlington on Tuesday night and will take on Vanlue in the first match at Mohawk High School tonight. Somehow, New Riegel could be a district team if they can knock off Vanlue after a tough regular season.

Calvert finished off an undefeated run through the Sandusky Bay Conference River division last week. The Senecas did not drop a set along the way and are heavy favorites to win the Division IV district at Fremont Ross next week. I know I’ve said it many times, but the Senecas could be on a collision course with Mohawk in a regional final at Elida in just a few weeks.

Speaking of the Warriors, despite a loss to Colonel Crawford last week, Mohawk bounced back to beat Carey and wrap up the regular season 21-1. The Warriors are having a tremendously successful season under coach Eric Hoover and will be the favorite in that Division IV Riverdale district. They could face Carey in the district final, a team it beat in four sets twice this season.

Monday night, I was at Findlay High School where Tiffin Columbian came up just short against the Trojans in five sets. The Tornadoes topped Findlay earlier in the season, but could not duplicate the feat this week. Despite losing six seniors, the future is extremely bright for Columbian. Freshmen Emma Daughtery, Gabby Shock, and Kaela Jenkins were all big parts of the Tornadoes’ successes this year.

Here’s a look at each team in the area in terms of who they play next or if their season is over:

Calvert (20-2): vs. Cardinal Stritch, tonight, 6 p.m.

Mohawk (21-1): vs. Hardin Northern, tonight, 7:30 p.m.

Carey (16-6): vs. North Baltimore, tonight, 6 p.m.

Seneca East (18-4): vs. South Central, tonight, 6 p.m.

Buckeye Central (11-11): vs. New London at Monroeville, tonight, 7:30 p.m.

Upper Sandusky (8-16): season complete

Lakota (13-10): vs. Fremont SJCC at Danbury, tonight, 7:30 p.m.

Old Fort (13-10): at Danbury, tonight, 6 p.m.

Hopewell-Loudon (10-12): vs. McComb at Carey, tonight, 7:30 p.m.

New Riegel (4-19): vs. Vanlue at Mohawk, tonight, 6 p.m.

Columbian (9-14): season complete

Bellevue (13-9): vs. Vermilion at Lexington, tonight, 6 p.m.

Clyde (13-10): vs. Perkins at Lake, tonight, 7:30 p.m.

Fostoria (2-20): season complete

Here are the league standings. The conference records are final while overall record for some will continue to change until all teams are eliminated from the postseason.

SBC Lake

Team – conference record – overall record

Vermilion – 12-0 – 19-3

Perkins – 8-4 – 15-8

Bellevue – 8-4 – 13-9

Clyde – 6-6 – 13-10

Columbian – 4-8 – 9-14

Norwalk – 4-8 – 7-16

Sandusky – 0-12 – 4-20

SBC River

Team – conference record – overall record

Calvert – 16-0 – 20-2

Danbury – 11-5 – 16-6

Fremont SJCC – 11-5 – 14-8

Old Fort – 10-6 – 13-10

Lakota – 10-6 – 13-10

Hopewell-Loudon – 8-8 – 10-12

New Riegel – 2-14 – 4-19

Sandusky SMCC – 2-14 – 3-19

Gibsonburg – 2-14 – 2-22

Northern 10 Athletic Conference

Team – conference record – overall record

Mohawk – 13-1 – 21-1

Colonel Crawford – 10-4 – 18-4

Seneca East – 10-4 – 18-4

Carey – 9-5 – 16-6

Buckeye Central – 8-6 – 11-11

Wynford – 4-10 – 9-13

Bucyrus – 1-13 – 9-14

Upper Sandusky – 1-13 – 8-15