Triad’s Payton Printz is a confident coach. He likes the draw his team got for the playoffs. He likes the way his team is playing.

Seventh-seeded Triad (8-2) plays No. 2 seed Cincinnati Summit Country Day (10-0) at 7 tonight at Madeira High School in a Division V, Region 20 quarterfinal.

It’s the third playoff appearance for Triad and the first since 2006. Its only playoff win came in 2003. Summit is making its sixth playoff appearance, and it’s 0-5 in playoff games.

“Right now, we’re as strong as we’ve ever been,” Printz said. “We’ve got 29 kids that are healthy and ready to play. I’ve been telling our kids all year: It only takes 11. We can compete with just about anybody. We’re hoping our defense continues to play well and we get it together offensively. We have played very poorly offensively the last three weeks.”

Triad scored at least 33 points in its first seven games, but has scored 26, 20 and 7 in its last three. It lost 34-7 at West Liberty-Salem in Week 10, a game that decided the Ohio Heritage Conference championship.

Now the season begins anew. Summit has gotten blasted in the playoffs the last two seasons, losing 79-7 to Marion Pleasant last season and 43-6 to West Jefferson two years ago.

“We feel we have a good chance,” Printz said. “We think it’s a good draw. They only have 28 kids on their team. They’re a small team like ourselves. They’ve got four kids over 180 pounds, and those four kids are pretty tough. Their defensive line is as good as anything we’ve seen or faced in a long time.”

Summit’s star player is junior quarterback Antonio Woods, who has thrown for 929 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 807 yards and 9 touchdowns.

“The quarterback makes them go,” Printz said. “He’s very, very shifty. He’s quick and fast. He’s not extremely accurate, but he throws a nice ball.”

Triad’s offense is led by senior Colton Young, who missed the first three games with a broken thumb. He has thrown for just over 1,000 yards in seven games with nine touchdown passes and four rushing touchdowns.

Young’s top target is junior Tre McIntyre. He has ran for over 600 yards with 15 touchdowns and has over 700 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns.