OHSAA Region 2 (NE) Playoff Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OHSAA playoffs are almost here and it's time to get playoff coverage underway! In this article we'll look at region 2 and discuss who I think will win the district and which players you need to watch out for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Northeast 1</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maybe the most balanced district in the whole region, four of the top seven seeds in the three east northeast districts are here. Those teams are Nordonia, Archbishop Hoban, Mentor and GlenOak. Nordonia is led by a big duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1512598' first='Isaac' last='Cherry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1790779' first='Mitchell' last='Wiechecki'], Hoban has guards [player_tooltip player_id='1222351' first='Jonas' last='Nichols'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1404816' first='Will' last='Scott'] alongside some senior shooters. Mentor has the Ioppolo brothers and Matt Biddell leading their charge. Finally, GlenOak is led by JaCorey Lipkins and a pair of Sophomores. If there will be one team besides these four to appear in the district semis, I'd imagine either Jhalil Graham or [player_tooltip player_id='1392313' first='Chance' last='Casenhiser'] carries their team to some upset wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District title prediction: Mentor over Archbishop Hoban</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Northeast 2</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stow was voted the top team in the east side of the northeast districts and got a favorable draw. They are led by a senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1494501' first='Titus' last='Baskerville IV'], [player_tooltip player_id='1494500' first='Nick' last='Timberlake'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1494502' first='Aj' last='Pestello'] plus Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1494487' first='Reece' last='Raymond-Smith']. Dover and Riverside could be tough battles in the district semifinals for the favored Bulldogs, Dover recently beat Morgantown (WV) a defending state champion while Riverside had a great start to their season and can really score the ball. On the bottom side of the bracket, Federal League foes Uniontown Green and Massillon Jackson are favored to meet, this would be a great third meeting between the rivals, they split the two regular season contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District title prediction: Stow over Massillon Jackson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Northeast 3</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Second seed STVM headlines this district with [player_tooltip player_id='867938' first='Lance' last='Hayes'], [player_tooltip player_id='1181712' first='Kevin' last='Hamilton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='867952' first='Darius' last='Stratford'] leading the way. They are likely going to be met by Brush and Walsh Jesuit, two talented squads. Brush played one of the toughest schedules in the state this season and are led by Pitt commit Marlon Barnes. Walsh Jesuit beat the Irish early in the regular season and have a lot of depth on their team with small college prospects in the 2023 and 2024 class. Louisville could be the sleeper, the Leps moved up from Division II to Division I but have four major contributors including stars [player_tooltip player_id='1419902' first='Will' last='Aljancic'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1462979' first='Hayden' last='Nigro'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District title prediction: Akron STVM over Walsh Jesuit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Northeast 4</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saint Edward, the top seed in the west part of the northeast regions got lots of respect with the next highest seeded teams being the 6 and 8 seeds. Those are Maple Heights and Medina, two teams that have caught fire to end the season. Maple Heights has a balanced squad who haven't lost since December. Medina also has a scoring by committee approach, with lots of ball movement and shooters. If a surprise team is going to make a run in this district, a senior guard like [player_tooltip player_id='922604' first='Kellon' last='Smith'] or [player_tooltip player_id='1201866' first='Ryan' last='Walsh'] might be the guy to fuel that push.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District title prediction: Saint Edward over Medina</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->