{"id":148149,"date":"2021-11-11T04:59:18","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T09:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=148149"},"modified":"2021-11-11T04:59:20","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T09:59:20","slug":"pigskin-pickem-regional-semifinals-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2021\/11\/11\/pigskin-pickem-regional-semifinals-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Pigskin Pick\u2019Em: regional semifinals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SCOTT TRUXELL<\/strong>\/independent editor <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening two rounds of the high school football playoffs are in the books and as expected, there were a few upsets along with a number of games that produced some lopsided results. Now, games are expected to become much closer and much more competitive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week I went 13-4 (76.4 percent), certainly nothing to write home about. My postseason record is now 33-7 (82.5 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nine regional semifinal games involving area teams are on this week\u2019s Pigskin Pick\u2019Em slate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Division III Region 12<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamilton-Badin (11-0) vs. St. Marys Memorial (10-2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since defeating Van Wert in Week No. 5, the Roughriders have been on a roll but they\u2019ll face a stiff test against the Rams. Hamilton-Badin finished as the No. 2 team in the state in the final Associated Press poll and the Rams haven\u2019t allowed a single point in two playoff games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As much as I\u2019d like to see the Roughriders win, the nod goes to Badin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Badin <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Division IV Region 14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clyde (10-2) vs. Van Wert (11-1)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you know it\u2019s a matchup of the last two Division IV state champions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Van Wert pulled away from Wauseon 53-20 while Clyde survived a 42-35 double overtime nail biter over Shelby. I expect this to be a competitive game and it\u2019s one I\u2019m still concerned about. I\u2019m fairly familiar with the Fliers and I can they\u2019re for real and can pose some real challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Having said that, as the week goes along I\u2019ve become more comfortable with Van Wert\u2019s chances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Van Wert <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Division V Region 18<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otsego (11-0) vs. Ottawa-Glandorf (9-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another tough matchup for a Western Buckeye League team but then again, most games usually are tough once you reach the regional semifinal level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otsego is the No. 3 team in the state and is considered the favorite but I won\u2019t be at all surprised if this is close. Ottawa-Glandorf\u2019s defense has given up just 13 points since a Week No. 13 loss to Van Wert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to pick the Titans in an upset but I think the Knights will pull out the win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Otsego<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Division V Region 20 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Versailles (11-1) vs. Taft (9-2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only loss by Versailles this season: 19-17 to Marion Local. After losing two straight to open the season, Taft has won nine straight but I\u2019m going with the Tigers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Versailles<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Division VI Region 24 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mechanicsburg (12-0) vs. Coldwater (10-2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two teams met in the playoffs last year and the Cavaliers enjoyed a 35-14 win, then went on to win the state championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t necessarily think it\u2019ll be a three touchdown game this time but I do Coldwater wins this one. Regardless, the winner will be considered the favorite to win next week\u2019s regional championship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Coldwater <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allen East (9-3) vs. Anna (6-6)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe I\u2019m over complicating it but this is kind of a tough one to pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to pick against MAC teams in the playoffs and it doesn\u2019t seem like prudent to go with a No. 11 seed with a .500 record. I literally feel like I should just toss a coin here but instead I\u2019ll out on a bit of a limb and say Allen East pulls off what some may consider a mild upset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Allen East <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Division VII Region 26<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edon (11-1) vs. Lima Central Catholic (10-2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll just get right to it – Edon\u2019s makeshift schedule has prepared the Bombers for this game. They had to scramble more than once this season to find an opponent on short notice but they teams they scheduled were good, solid opponents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going with the Bombers over the Thunderbirds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Edon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Division VII Region 28<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marion Local (12-0) vs. Riverside (9-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all due respect to Riverside, there\u2019s no sense in dragging this out. Marion Local wins and probably by a fairly hefty margin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: Marion Local <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tri-Village (11-1) vs. St. Henry (9-3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is an intriguing one. As I mentioned earlier, it\u2019s usually not a good idea to pick against a MAC school in the playoffs but Tri-Village certainly has a formidable program. The Patriots knocked off New Bremen last Saturday, can they make it two straight against the MAC? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to say no, St. Henry wins a fairly close one and sets up an all-MAC regional final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pick: St. Henry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SCOTT TRUXELL\/independent editor  The opening two rounds of the high school football playoffs are in the books and as expected, there were a few upsets along with a number of games that produced some lopsided results. Now, games are expected to become much closer and much more competitive.  Last week I went 13-4 (76.4 percent), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-01 10:26:21","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148149\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}