Football fun facts and figures: Week No. 14

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Thanksgiving weekend brings with it the Ohio High School Athletic Association state football semifinals. Seven games will be played around the state on Friday, with the winners advancing to next week’s state championship games in Canton.

To get you ready for Friday, enjoy these random facts and figures.

Minster vs. Norwalk St. Paul

This has the potential to be a very interesting game. The two teams will meet Friday night in the Division VII state semifinals at Spartan Stadium in Lima.

The two teams had something in common last year – both lost to Warren JFK. The Wildcats fell to JFK in the state championship game, while the Flyers lost to the same team in the regional finals.

Something to keep in mind going into Friday’s game – St. Paul (13-0) has outscored their opponents 198-0 in the first quarter, and 424-26 in the first half. During the playoffs, the top-ranked Flyers have outscored their opponents (Wayne Trace, Tiffin Calvert and Pandora-Gilboa) 146-27.

Minster (9-4) hasn’t put up gaudy numbers during the playoffs but make no mistake, this is a more than solid team.

Something has to give Friday night.

Minster vs. Norwalk St. Paul II

The two teams have some impressive numbers when it comes to postseason history. Minster has qualified for the playoffs 16 times, and has a postseason record of 28-13 with five state semifinal appearances and two state titles. This is the 19 time the Flyers have qualified for the playoffs, and the school has a postseason record of 40-17 with eight state semifinal appearances and one state title.

The winner of Friday’s game will play either Cuyahoga Heights or Danville for the Division VII state title.

Goose eggs

Marion Local hasn’t allowed a single point during the postseason. The defending state champs have blanked Fort Recovery 27-0, Spencerville 35-0 and Coldwater 35-0. This week’s opponent is Liberty-Benton, a team that averages nearly 43 points per game. Another Marion Local shutout would be quite impressive.

Poll champions

Six of the seven Associated Press poll champions are in the state semifinals. Only Cleveland St. Ignatius in Division I is out. Avon, Trotwood Madison, Steubenville, Pemberville Eastwood, Marion Local and Norwalk St. Paul continue their quest for 2017 “on the field” state championships.

Public vs. private

OSHAA’s new Competitive Balance rules took effect with the start of the 2017 high school football season. It was put into place to address concerns that private and parochial schools had a big athletic advantage over public schools. Is it working? I honestly think it’s too early to say, but there is something worth noting – Out of the 28 remaining teams left in Divisions I-VII, only four are private or parochial schools: Akron Hoban (Division II), Akron St. Vincent St. Mary and Toledo Central Catholic (Division III), and Norwalk St. Paul (Division VII).

More public vs. private

For years, some people have been calling for separate public and private/parochial school playoffs. Some states already have such a setup, but I’m not sure if it’ll ever happen in Ohio. The most likely scenario is that if private/parochial schools were pushed to that, they’d simply leave OSHAA and form their own athletic association. Think about this – if that happens, the private/parochial association would be able to set its own set of rules, and not abide by OHSAA guidelines. For those people who think there’s a problem now, it would only get worse.

Area All-Stars

Check www.thevwindependent.com on Thanksgiving Day for the first annual VW independent/WKSD/WERT Area All-Star football team. The team will be comprised of players from Van Wert, Crestview, Wayne Trace, Paulding, Antwerp, Delphos Jefferson and Delphos St. John’s.