Walsh Jesuit vs. Archbishop Hoban; Avon vs. Highland OHSAA Division II football regional finals preview

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Highland's road back to the OHSAA Division II regional football finals began the morning after their loss in last year's title game to Avon.

Safety Grant Phillips organized a team meeting to watch film, which his teammates and coach Mike Gibbons have said set the tone for their offseason and approach to what has become an unbeaten run back to the Region 6 final.

"These guys all got together and they had a film session the next day," Gibbons said after a 34-0 victory at Aurora in Week 10 for the Suburban League's American Conference crown. "It hasn't stopped. They've done it every single day."

Highland's motivation brings them back to Avon (13-0), which is again the top seed in the region after beating the Hornets in last year's regional final. It is one of two big Division II regional finals at 7 p.m. Friday involving Northeast Ohio teams in the cleveland.com coverage area.

Both are rematches from last year. Here is a look at them:

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Walsh Jesuit (13-0) vs. Archbishop Hoban (11-2)What: Division II, Region 5 final

When:

Where: Tiger Stadium in Twinsburg

What to know: Walsh Jesuit senior quarterback Keller Moten admitted Friday after the Warriors' 42-28 win vs. Austintown Fitch that the thought of playing Hoban again crept into his mind. How could it not? This will be the third time in four years they have met in the Region 5 finals. Hoban had an 11-game win streak against Walsh, which snapped it with a 19-14 victory in Week 7 against the Knights. Moten scored the go-ahead touchdown in that one, one of two rushing scores with 141 yards on 16 carries. He also threw for 152 yards and a score in the first meeting. Can he and his teammates do it again? They must slow a Hoban offense that has leaned on the run game with sophomore Brayton Feister coming off a 290-yard performance with five TDs in a 48-13 win against Nordonia. Feister and Co. looked ahead to this Friday with a caveat that it's the next step to a bigger goal. "It holds weight because that's the rivalry in school, but at the end of the day, you want that gold trophy," senior cornerback Tylan "Juice" Boykin said. "So if you're in our way we gotta step through you." Hoban is playing in its 10th straight regional final under coach Tim Tyrrell, who has guided his teams to eight state finals and five OHSAA crowns in that span. Walsh seeks its first state semifinal appearance since 1999.

Avon (13-0) vs. Highland (13-0)What: Division II, Region 6 final

When:

Where: Ely Stadium in Elyria

What to know: Avon has set the standard in Region 6, winning it six times in the last seven years. That includes the Eagles' 28-14 victory last year against the Hornets in Strongsville. Unlike last year, Highland must now contend with Avon senior quarterback Nolan Good. A collarbone injury kept him out of Avon's final two playoff games, as Blake Elder stepped in and found Matt Maxey nine times for 128 yards and an early score. Maxey has since become Avon's all-time leading receiver, one of three big-play targets for Good with seniors Grant Barr and Cole Kepner. Good found Barr early in last week's 41-10 rout of Wadsworth, the Suburban League's National Conference champion. The quarterback completed 16 of 22 passes for 171 yards and rushed for another 102 yards with two scores on six carries, leading the Eagles to Friday's matchup with the other Suburban League champ. The Hornets are coming off a 38-14 win against then-unbeaten Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, which scored early on a long run that work up Highland's swarming defense. That unit has five shutouts, complemented by an offense that features junior running back Casey Myser and senior quarterback Dylan Borla. Myser gained at least 200 yards for three straight weeks from Highland's regular-season finale at Aurora to the regional quarterfinals. He rushed for two TDs and 84 yards on 23 carries against Anthony Wayne, while Borla completed all 13 of his passes for 232 yards and two TDs to Nick Dobkowski and Luke Berkmeyer. Borla also rushed a for a score. This game could come down to Highland's defensive front, led by Miami (Ohio) commit Carson Noonan and tackle Ryan Zywiec, vs. Avon's offensive line that includes Cincinnati commit Jeremiah Kelly at tackle, longtime starting center Connor Bingham and emerging tackle Max Hauck. Avon has rushed for 620 yards in the last two weeks behind them.

Other regional finals: Sunbury Big Walnut (12-1) vs. Massillon (11-2) at Arlin Field in Mansfield, Cincinnati Anderson (13-0) vs. Cincinnati LaSalle (11-2) at Jake Sweeney Automotive Stadium in Cincinnati

Playoff brackets

Region 5 | Region 6 | Region 7 | Region 8

Playoff previews

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