BEDFORD, Ohio — Folks, it's playoff time.
After 10 long and grinding weeks of regular season play, 224 high school teams across Ohio will compete for state football supremacy in seven divisions. Of those teams, 66 are in 3News' viewing area.
WKYC.com gave fans a little preview last week, as unbeaten Mayfield held off defending D-III state champion Kenston 24-21. Both of those schools will have a chance to compete in the postseason starting this weekend.
Now, with the first round beginning Friday night, we are proud to announce that this year's first WKYC.com High School Football Playoff Game of the Week will feature a D-II showdown between Brecksville-Broadview Heights and Benedictine. A Region 6 showdown, it will be a road game for the fifth-seeded Bees against the fourth-seeded Bengals, who play their home contests at Bearcat Stadium in Bedford.
For the Bees and second-year coach Martin Poder, 2019 has been nothing short of a remarkable renaissance following a miserable 0-10 campaign last year. Led by star junior quarterback Joey Labas, the team finished 7-3 and shared the Suburban League's National division championship, and archrival North Royalton.
Further north in Cleveland, Benedictine is back in the playoffs after a one-year hiatus and enjoying its best season so far under coach Carter Welo. The Bengals' only loss this season came against powerhouse Archbishop Hoban, and a 21-point victory over a 9-2 Cathedral Prep team out of Pennsylvania boosted their position in the rankings. Wide receiver and Akron commit Charles Rosser leads the squad.
Dave "Dino" DeNatale and Dennis Manoloff will have the live audio call of the game from Bedford this Friday starting around 6:50 p.m., and it can be heard on WKYC.com, the 3News app, and the 3News Facebook & YouTube pages. In addition, video highlights will be featured that night at 11 on the latest edition of What's Next, as well as online.
Be sure to also tune in to Facebook and YouTube Wednesday at 5 p.m. to watch Dino and Tyler Carey preview the game and the rest of the playoffs on 3News' high school football show. We can't wait!
