OHSAA Division III Playoff Preview: Regions 9 + 10

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OHSAA playoffs begin this month and with the brackets being posted on Sunday, it's time to take a look at who the teams that fans could see in Dayton for the final four will be. In this article we'll preview regions 9 and 10 of Division III.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 9 (Northeast)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Favorite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lutheran East: A team that has made the final four it's home year in and year out, the Falcons are once again the prohibitive favorite to represent northeast Ohio in Division III. A strong senior core led by potential Mr Basketball winner [player_tooltip player_id='1222354' first='Jesse' last='McCulloch'] gives the Falcons a great chance to repeat as state champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Contenders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Youngstown Cardinal Mooney: With a balanced scoring attack featuring a handful of seniors, Mooney will be tough to stop. Ursuline is the only team to beat them since Christmas break started.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LaBrae: The second seed in the region, they already took down third seed Crestwood in late December and could meet again for a district title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fairview: The top seed in their district, the Warriors are led by Sophomore duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2328306' first='Will' last='Allen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2328307' first='Burke' last='Lowry']. Their up-tempo style makes them one of the top scoring teams in the region and in position to compete for their first ever district title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sleepers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wooster Triway: Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1943739' first='Brayden' last='Holt'] is a big time scorer and Triway would play the district semifinals and championship game in Wooster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Canton Central Catholic: With lots of size and a tough schedule that prepared them for the playoffs, Canton Central Catholic could be the team that takes the district over two of the top three seeds in the whole region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 10 (Northwest)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Favorite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ottawa Glandorf: The Titans have been to the final four in the first three years of [player_tooltip player_id='1222349' first='Colin' last='White']'s career, he's got once last chance to get back and finally hoist the state championship trophy. Can he succeed in his last dance?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Contenders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Toledo Emmanuel Christian: [player_tooltip player_id='1705961' first='Nate' last='Miles'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1290033' first='Jalen' last='C Brown'] have eyes on a TAAC title before a then setting their sights on a district championship. Both are attainable if they close the season strong.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Margaretta: The second seed in their district, they attacked top seeded Ashland Crestview and would play them in the district semis. Sophomore due of [player_tooltip player_id='1827697' first='Julian' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1950589' first='Judah' last='Keller'] are a top pair in northwest Ohio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Columbus Academy: The top seed from Columbus, Academy has an experienced team with Junior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2082034' first='Theo' last='Falkenhain'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2213494' first='Anderson' last='Davis'] leading the way. Their tough conference schedule with a majority of Division I and II schools helped prepare them for a playoff run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sleepers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Genoa Area: [player_tooltip player_id='1708687' first='Ryan' last='Plantz'] is a star Sophomore who can single handedly take over a game, he'll likely meet [player_tooltip player_id='1432044' first='Ethan' last='Stokes'] and Oak Harbor in a district quarterfinal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coldwater: This district is LOADED with OG, Spencerville, Wayne Trace and Bluffton. I went with Coldwater because they are unbeaten in MAC play and are near the border of NW and SW district teams, giving them an element of surprise against a group of teams that are very familiar with each other.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->