No. 1 Middletown (9-2) has produced its first winning record and playoff win since 2011 with its victory against Lebanon last week. The Middies last reached the regional final in 1990.
No. 5 Springfield (8-4) was knocked out in the first round a year ago. The Wildcats had made six straight semifinals prior to that with three state championship game appearances.
Middletown head coach Kali Jones said his respect for Springfield head coach Maurice Douglass and the program he runs makes Friday a special matchup for him.
“We understand the pedigree we’re going against,” Jones said. “It’s nothing but respect from myself and my staff when it comes to Springfield. We know who they are, and we know what kind of success they’ve had in the past. We don’t take that lightly.”
Springfield and Middletown last met in a home-and-home in 2012-13.
Jones said he feels his team’s loss to Hamilton may have helped reinforce the need for his squad to remain in control of the way it responds to how a game is playing out and to focus in what it has command over.
“I think that was a wake up call for our program where we really had to see that we can’t be careless with the football,” Jones said. “When we play clean football, don’t turn the ball over, we’re a tough out for anybody.”
No. 2 Troy (9-2) has been a regular fixture in the D-II postseason. The Trojans are making their first run in D-I since 2011 and last reached a regional final in 1996.
Friday’s game against No. 6 Wayne (8-4) at Troy Memorial Stadium will be the first between the teams since they previously were GWOC-mates in 2015. The last time Troy played an opponent from that league was 2018, its final year in the conference.
Everhart said whichever conference a team comes from doesn’t cross his mind, but he certainly respects the schedule Wayne has played and the way it has tested itself to get to this point.
“The later you’re playing in November, the more talented the other team is going to be,” Everhart said. “Knock on wood, the Trojans have an advantage over them in the series, so we’re hoping we make it another win.”
Wayne was one step away from state last season. Head coach Roosevelt Mukes said his message to players has been reminding them to not to get ahead of themselves with no guarantees they’ll get back unless they earn it.
“It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, last year, or last week,” he said. “It’s about moving forward and taking advantage of this opportunity that we’ve been blessed with.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
Both Middletown and Troy will get home-field advantage Friday. It’s the first time regional semifinals games will not be played at neutral sites.
Everhart said he remembers the jitters previous teams he coached went through being away from home and believes the familiar setting of Troy Memorial Stadium can have comforting feeling.
The Road to Canton has some familiar faces challenging once again, but the top seeds are looking to create new milestones for their programs.
“We really feel like we have a real chance to win this region and to make some noise,” Jones said.
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