Four Cincinnati-area teams play on Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the Ohio football playoffs.
Elder and Colerain square off in Division I in what should be a must-see contest at Mason High School.
Clinton-Massie plays Middletown Fenwick in Division IV.
Here is a look at Saturday's games:
Elder (9-3) vs. Colerain (11-1), Mason H.S., 7 p.m.
Colerain was the No. 1 seed in the Division I, Region 2 heading into the playoffs, with Elder holding the fifth spot. A 14-0 loss to Winton Woods seems to have rejuvenated the Panthers’ offense, which has averaged 36.8 points per game since during a four-game winning streak. Elder QB Peyton Ramsey’s completion percentage has been 67 percent or above in three consecutive contests, including 15 of 19 last week. He has thrown for 2,562 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 1,152 yards and 15 scores.
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Colerain has played three GCL opponents this season and has won two, suffering its lone loss of the year to LaSalle in Week 3. The first two contests the Cardinals have played against South foes were decided by three points, and Colerain clobbered St. Xavier in a rematch, 42-14 last week.
It’s amazing that a top-seeded Division I team could reach this point of the season throwing the ball a total of 80 times, but the Cardinals’ running game has been that good. QB Deshaunte Jones leads the team with 1,591 ground yards – averaging 10.1 yards per carry – and Monalo Caldwell has 1,054. The duo has combined for 41 scores.
Colerain’s defense has been another key to its success, as the Cardinals allowed a GCL-low 193 yards per game during the regular season and have given up just 403 yards in two postseason games. Colerain is likely a slight favorite but this game could be decided in the final minutes.
The last two playoff games between these two teams were decided in overtime with Colerain winning 35-34 in 2012 playoffs and Elder winning 27-20 in 2008.
Clinton-Massie (11-1) vs. Fenwick (12-0), Xenia H.S., 7 p.m.
Clinton-Massie advanced with a six-point win over No. 2 Indian Hill last week and now faces the top seed in Division IV, Region 14. Third-seeded Clinton-Massie has scored 110 points in two playoff games and have now eclipsed the 40-point mark 10 times in 12 games. Clinton-Massie lost to Steubenville, a fellow Division IV team that is still unbeaten.
Fenwick has not lost a game all year, although three of its wins have been decided by a touchdown and its average margin of victory is 8.5 in its two postseason games. Michael Jeffers has had the hot hand in the Fenwick’s backfield recently, going for over 100 yards three straight weeks. The seeding points to Fenwick as the favorite but this game could go either way, especially after Clinton-Massie disposed of Indian Hill last week in a matchup of teams both named the Falcons.
