Wizard: Kenton Ridge two wins from best season since 2004

The Cougars still have two tough games to go — home against undefeated Tippecanoe tonight and at Tecumseh in Week 10 — but they are 7-1 for the second time in the last three seasons. If they win their last two, they would match the 2004 team, the first and still only Kenton Ridge team to make the playoffs.

The Cougars are ranked seventh in the Division III, Region 10 computer ratings. Shawnee, the only team to beat Kenton Ridge, is third in the same region, and Tippecanoe is fifth.

Kenton Ridge has outscored its opponents 309-118. All its wins are by double digits. It led Shawnee 14-0 at halftime before losing 28-14.

Quarterback Mitchell Schneider ranks second in the Central Buckeye Conference with 19 touchdown passes. He spreads the ball around. Four Cougars rank in the top 14 in the CBC in receiving yards. Casey Turner, Brandon Davis, Justin Conley and Jayden Davis all have between 351 and 260 yards and 16 to 12 receptions.

Can the Cougars topple Tippecanoe? Tippecanoe has been even more dominant, outscoring opponents 438-59. Pick: Tippecanoe 30, Kenton Ridge 24.

West Liberty-Salem (7-1) at Triad (8-0): The Cardinals are the top-ranked team in Division VII, Region 26 standings. They need to win one of their last two games to clinch at least a tie for the Ohio Heritage Conference title. Two wins would give them the title outright. Triad tied Northeastern for the title in 2003 at 6-1, but it has never gone 7-0. Pick: Triad 26, West Liberty-Salem 18 (tiebreaker game in contest).

Stebbins at Shawnee (8-0): The Braves remain undefeated despite three close calls in a row against Kenton Ridge, Tecumseh and Bellefontaine. They have dominated Stebbins in recent years: 34-0 last season, 70-21 in 2011, 47-0 in 2010, etc. Pick: Shawnee 42, Stebbins 7.

Other games: Tecumseh 21, Bellefontaine 14; Northwestern 35, Graham 20; Urbana 48, Indian Lake 21; Benjamin Logan 24, Greenon 7; Mechanicsburg 30, Northeastern 17; Cedarville 28, Catholic Central 7; Greeneview 40, Southeastern 13; Northmont 50, Springfield 10; Ohio State 34, Penn State 27; Wittenberg 44, Kenyon 7; Urbana 40, Fairmont State 12; Bengals 27, Jets 20; Chiefs 24, Browns 11.

Wizard winner: Rodney Brugh, of Cable, won the contest last week. He and Freeman Litteral, of South Charleston, were the only people to not miss a game. Brugh won the tiebreaker.

The Wizard missed one game: Benjamin Logan over Graham.