Football Playoff Preview: Paint Valley to host Tuscarawas Central Catholic
For the second consecutive season, the Paint Valley Bearcats will be playing in Week 11 during the Division VII OHSAA Playoffs, but the difference this year compared to last season is the Bearcats are hosting the game.
PV (7-3) will host the Tuscarawas Central Catholic Saints (8-2) on Saturday night at 7 p.m., with both teams coming off big Week 10 wins to end their regular season. The Bearcats defeated Huntington, 28-0, and TCC won against East Canton, 52-7.
"TCC is very athletic with a big offensive line," PV head coach Pete Hollon said. "They have great speed at all the skill positions. They throw the ball very well, and we anticipate them throwing 30-40 times."
Looking at the '14 schedule of the Saints, they were 5-2 in the Inter-Valley Conference, a third-place finish. All eight of their wins came against teams who finished at .500 or with an overall losing record.
The two losses by TCC came against Ridgewood (9-1) by a 30-14 score in Week 6, and in Week 7 against Garaway (10-0) by a 28-0 score.
TCC scored 295 points this season but allowed just 121, ending the regular season with a three-game winning streak.
Also for TCC, they last reached the playoffs in '09, a season where they were 7-4 overall, losing in the first round of the playoffs. This is also the first winning record for the Saints since that playoff season, going 5-5 the two previous seasons before '14.
Now for the Bearcats, getting to play at home in Week 11 is something they are really looking forward to doing, as last year their playoff game was on the road.
"For the most part, we have treated it like a normal week because at 7 p.m. start on Saturday. They seem to be more business like this year," Hollon said. "A home game at PV is always an event, but with it being a playoff game, we expect an overflow crowd, so hopefully it will charge our kids with plenty of energy and emotion."
As for the host Bearcats, they are the No. 4 seed in Region 25, last year playing in Region 26 when they qualified for the postseason.
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In '14, PV won a share of the Scioto Valley Conference championship with the Zane Trace Pioneers. Both teams had 6-1 records in the conference.
Looking at PV, they've won six of their past seven games to end the regular season, scoring a total of 304 points, while their defense allowed just 144 points in the past 10 weeks.
The losses for PV this season came in Week 1 against Summit Country Day by a 24-17 score, followed by a Week 3 loss to Minford at 42-35 and in Week 9 vs. Piketon at 36-23.
As the game is set for Saturday, Week 11 for PV has been the goal of the Bearcats since losing last year in Week 11.
"Since that long bus ride home from Lehman Catholic last year, this has been our mantra – get back to Week 11," Hollon said. "Winning the SVC is a special accomplishment, but the atmosphere of playoff football is unlike any other.
"We have been blessed to qualify (for the playoffs) nine times now, and we never take it for granted. It never gets old, and playoff football is truly special."