Ursuline, South Range, West Branch remain on top of Mahoning Matters Super 7 poll
The strength of Mahoning Valley-area football was never more present then last weekend as six of the seven teams in the mahoningmatters.com Super 7 football poll advanced to round 3 of the postseason playoffs. Those teams headed to regional semifinal action include Youngstown Ursuline, South Range, West Branch, Struthers, Lowellville and Mineral Ridge.
Ursuline
For one of the few times this season, Youngstown Ursuline, the No. 1 team all season in the Super 7 poll, was challenged and responded to remain No. 1 in the poll.
The Irish trailed defending D3 state champion Canfield in the second half but rallied to turn back the Cardinals, 16-13.
The Irish are 12-0 on the season and will play VASJ (9-3) in a D3 regional semifinal this Friday night at 7 p.m. The Irish defeated the Vikings 38-18 in Week 8 of the regular season.
South Range
Defending Division 5 state champ South Range (11-1) just keeps rolling and remains No. 2 in the poll.
The Raiders shut out the Ridgewood Generals 35-0 in playoff action last Friday. The Raiders have outscored their last four opponents, 141-28, and are playing their best football at the right time of the season in the playoffs.
The Raiders will meet Lorain Clearview (10-2) in a regional semifinal Friday.
West Branch
West Branch (11-1) and a winner of 11 straight games, survived a fourth-quarter scare from a 10-2 Streetsboro team last week to turn back the Rockets 31-28 in playoff action and remain No. 3 in the poll.
The Warriors used a 79-yard kickoff return by Joey Jackson with just over eight minutes left in the game to reach Ohio’s Sweet 16 in postseason play for a third consecutive season.
The Warriors will play Canton South in a D4 regional semifinal Friday in a showdown of high-scoring offenses.
Struthers
The Struthers Wildcats (9-3) moved up from No. 5 to No. 4 in this week’s poll following an impressive 14-9 D4 playoff win over arch-rival Poland last Friday.
The Wildcats turned the tables on a Poland team which defeated the Wildcats 28-27 in Week 10 of the regular season. Struthers won the rematch by combining its potent rushing attack with a great defensive effort.
The Wildcats will play Mentor Lake Catholic in a D4 regional semifinal Friday night.
Lowellville
When you talk about a team on a roll, it’s the Lowellville Rockets who moved up to No. 5 in this week’s Super 7 poll.
Lowellville (11-1) recorded an impressive 32-7 Division 7 playoff win at Western Reserve last Friday, getting revenge on the only team that had beaten them 21-14 in Week 5 of the regular season.
Lowellville has outscored its first two playoff opponents, Steubenville Catholic Central and Western Reserve, by a 55-7 margin.
The Rockets will play the unbeaten Danville Blue Devils (12-0) in a D7 playoff battle Friday night.
Mineral Ridge
When you talk about a team playing its best football at the right time of the season, it’s the Mineral Ridge Rams who jumped back in the poll at No. 6 this week.
The Rams are 8-4 on the season but have gone on the road in the first two weeks of the Division 6 postseason and upended higher-ranked teams. They bested Jackson-Milton 35-6 in their playoff opener two weeks ago and followed that with a 17-9 postseason win at Rootstown last week.
The Rams will play the Mogadore Wildcats (12-0) in a D6 playoff game Friday evening.
Poland
Poland, which has concluded its season, is No. 7 in this week’s poll.
The Bulldogs, who were 5-5 in the regular season last year, turned things around in a big way in 2023 by going 10-2 and reaching the second round of the D4 postseason playoffs.
The Bulldogs dropped a tough 14-9 decision to the Struthers Wildcats last Friday to be eliminated from playoff action.