Random Thoughts: tickets, NFL, more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

OHSAA’s postseason ticket plan, Ohio State quarterbacks, Week No. 7, undefeated teams and an NFL blunder are among this week’s Random Thoughts.

Ticketless tickets

If you’re planning to attend any Ohio High School Athletic Association postseason tournament or playoff game, you’ll need to go online to get tickets.

Here is the information released by the OHSAA:

“All OHSAA fall tournaments will be using digital ticketing (HomeTown Ticketing) for entry. There will be NO cash accepted at the gate. Tickets can be purchased while outside the venue, but they must be purchased digitally on a smart device.”

“Tickets can be purchased online from the time they are available for purchase until the event is sold out. There will be a discounted presale ticket available for the sectional though regional levels. Presale tickets will go on sale three to five days prior to an event taking place (when opponents are known; it may be a smaller window if opponents are not yet identified.”

“The presale price will be available up to three hours prior to the start of the event. Tickets will remain on sale until capacity has been reached or until the event has reached its halfway point.”

This means all postseason tickets must be purchased at ohsaa.org/tickets.

Something tells me this is a permanent move. Call me old fashioned, but I like having a ticket in hand, regardless if it’s a sporting event, movie, plane or whatever.

Ohio State quarterbacks

For those who clamored for Kyle McCord to replace CJ Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback, what are your thoughts after seeing him in action?

Yes, he passed for over 300 yards but that number is inflated. Many of his completions were short passes tossed to receivers who were flat out faster and more athletic than anyone Akron had on the field. One of his touchdown passes looked more like a jet sweep. He looked not-so-mobile and that was against an inferior defense. He had some early jitters but it’s fair to say that’s understandable.

Jack Miller seemed to throw the ball fairly well in the second half but my point is this: like it or not, a healthy CJ Stroud is the best of the three, but not necessarily by a wide margin. He’s not perfect but he’s done some nice things and he’s a little more mobile than the other two.

The Buckeyes have three young quarterbacks. None of them are bad by any means, they’re just young and inexperienced. Combine that with a shaky defense and you have an Ohio State team that doesn’t look like anything fans have seen in recent memory.

When you presumably throw Quinn Ewers into the mix next year, it’s safe to say one or two of the four quarterbacks will hit the transfer portal.

Week No. 7

It doesn’t seem possible that Friday will mark Week No. 7 of the high school football season, with just three more weeks left in the regular season after Friday’s games.

It’s also time to start paying more attention to the weekly OHSAA Harbin computer points for potential playoff pairings.

Undefeated teams

There are 61 undefeated high school football teams in Ohio.

Here is the breakdown:

Division I: 8
Division II: 7
Division III: 9
Division IV: 9
Division V: 11
Division VI: 11
Division VII: 6

NFL

I don’t have a horse in the race but the NFL owes the Detroit Lions an apology.

The Lions lost to Baltimore on an NFL-record 66 yard field goal that should have never happened. The Ravens should have been flagged for delay of game the play before and wasn’t even close.

An apology won’t help the Lions or their fans, but the NFL should at least admit they blew it on Sunday.

If you have thoughts on any of the above subjects, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com.