Stark County-area high school football playoff regional semifinals to watch | What to know

The third round of the high school football playoffs kick off Friday night at neutral sites around the state. All games start at 7.

Here's a look at this week's games featuring area teams, with each team's regional seed listed:

1 St. Edward (11-1) vs. 4 Canton McKinley (9-3), at Parma Byers Field

Division I, Region 1

What to watch: The Bulldogs seek their first regional final appearance since 2009. To get there, they'll have to take down the two-time defending Division I state champions, who have beaten their first two playoff opponents, Elyria and GlenOak, by a combined score of 77-0. ... McKinley's defensive line has been a strength this season, highlighted by DE K'Vuone McNeal and DT Braylon Minor combining for 17.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss. NG Dior Garner, with a Bowling Green offer, is a two-way starter and a force in the middle. That group has the ultimate challenge with a St. Edward offensive line that averages 299 pounds a man, led by Ohio State recruits Deontae (6-7, 295) and Devontae Armstrong (6-5, 305) and Michigan recruit Ben Roebuck (6-8, 320). Asked about St Ed's being run heavy on offense, McKinley coach Antonio Hall joked, "Well, when you have the Green Bay Packers offensive line ... ." The Eagles defensive line isn't bad, either, led by Notre Dame recruit Loghan Thomas (6-4, 210) with eight sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. "Their box (defensively) is as good as Massillon's," Hall said. ... Junior WR-DB Keith Quincy made the game-sealing interception in the final seconds of McKinley's 28-24 second-round win against St. Ignatius. Quincy has produced an outstanding season, leading McKinley in receptions (42), receiving yards (830), receiving TDs (six) and interceptions (six) while also handling the punting duties. ... Junior Nino Hill has rushed for 915 yards at 5.7 a carry and 12 TDs for the Bulldogs. Senior QB Keaton Rode, who is a scrambling threat, has thrown for 2,157 yards, 16 TDs and 10 interceptions. "We've got to win first down on defense and if we can get a rhythm going offensively and not put ourselves in a bad situation with penalties and sacks and stuff, I think that is the two most important things we have to do to stand a chance," Hall said. ... St. Ed's junior Thomas Csayni is listed to make his third straight start at quarterback with Davidson recruit Casey Bullock dealing with a knee injury. Csayni has thrown for 555 yards, six TDs and two interceptions this season. Sophomore Brandon White (5-8, 175) has rushed for team highs of 1,034 yards and 13 touchdowns to go with five receiving TDs. Akron recruit Kyan Mason and Brian Sullivan combine for 61 receptions for 903 yards and seven TDs. ... Senior LB Shaukeer Hatcher (6-0, 190) leads McKinley in tackles (114) and tackles for loss (18). He also has four interceptions, including one he returned 58 yards for a TD last week. Junior LB Dante McClellan (6-2, 210), with 13 tackles for loss and 15 Division I college offers, is capable of a big play at any moment. ... McKinley lost to St. Ed's 42-0 in a 2021 regional semifinal and 37-21 in a 2017 regional quarterfinal. The only other matchup between the two programs was in 1967, a 21-12 St. Ed's win in Week 9.

1 Massillon (12-0) vs. 4 Lake (9-3), at North Canton Memorial Stadium

Division II, Region 7

What to watch: The Massillon Tigers have outscored their playoff opponents 91-13 in two playoff games and 490-95 overall. This is a playoff rematch from last season when the Tigers beat the Blue Streaks in the regional finals. ... Lake is coming off an overtime thriller against Big Walnut. Lake is led by their workhorse tailback Nate Baker, who has put up back-to-back 200-yard games. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound senior has gained 434 yards with six TDs in two playoff games. He leads the county with 1,617 rushing yards. ... Massillon counters with an elite defense, which has allowed two rushing touchdowns all year. The Tigers are giving up just 7.9 points per game. ... Lake's defense has been strong, too, only 14.6 points a game this season. The Blue Streaks are physical up front and have strong linebackers, including their top tackler, Charlie Christopher (124 total tackles, 88 solos). Senior Joey Garro leads with 20 tackles for loss, and junior DE Ryan Lippe has 11 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. ... Massillon has consistently found ways to get in the end zone, averaging 40.8 points per game. In last week's victory over Westerville South, the defense scored twice. ... The Tigers' offense is led by senior QB DaOne Owens, who has almost 2,200 total yards of offense and 22 total TDs. Owens has been connecting with his speedy receiving corps featuring Jacques Carter, Braylyn Toles and Emy Louis Jr. The trio has combined for 1,543 receiving yards and 20 TDs. ... Junior RB JaMeir Gamble averages 6.9 yards a carry. .... The winner of this game faces the Green-Canal Winchester winner in the regional finals.

2 Canal Winchester (11-1) vs. 3 Green (9-3), at Dover Crater Stadium

Division II, Region 7

What to watch: The Bulldogs bring a lot of momentum into this regional semifinal. Green's first-string defense has allowed 14 points the last 14 quarters, while its offense is as healthy as it has been since early in the season. ... After a brief stint during the 44-14 first-round win against Columbus St. Charles, senior QB Samino Manson received his most playing time last week since breaking his collarbone in Week 5. He appeared healthy and rust-free, throwing for 124 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-7 win vs. Hoover. Sophomore Tyson Hunka had started during Manson's absence, going 6-1. Manson will return to the starter's role this week, with head coach Mark Geis saying, "It's his time." ... Senior WR Zach Baglia has caught a TD pass in eight straight games and leads the Bulldogs with 798 yards and 13 touchdowns on 62 receptions. Versatile junior Antonio Martin has 11 TDs rushing and receiving. ... Green senior RB Jorden Beyl has hit the 100-yard rushing mark in three straight games, totaling 445 yards and five TDs on 84 carries. After 39 carries last week, Geis is monitoring how the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Beyl is holding up physically. "He feels great," Geis said. ... Speaking of running the ball, Canal Winchester will do a lot of that with senior Kaseem Wade (5-10, 190) behind a fullback and a big offensive line (led by 6-4, 305-pound senior David Sipke). Geis estimates Canal Winchester to be about 82% run. Wade scored the lone touchdown on a 2-yard run in Canal Winchester's 7-3 win against No. 10 Pataskala Watkins Memorial last week. The game featured only 157 combined yards of offense, with 42 of them coming on a Wade run that set up his score. ... Canal Winchester runs a similar defense to Perry's but operates much more aggressively in it. Senior DE Brayden Young (5-10, 205) had two sacks last week and owns a program-record 15 this season. Junior Eli Spruill had three sacks. ... Canal Winchester has posted three shutouts this season and allows 9.7 points on average. Senior inside LB Harlee Hanna (6-1, 225) is the Central District Defensive Player of the Year. Senior Braylon Beckwith (6-1, 185) was last year's district defensive player of the year as a junior. ... Senior safety Josh Just leads Green with six interceptions, while Martin has five. Two-way junior lineman Michael Schaal is a dominant force with 19 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. ... Green seeks it second regional final appearance in three years. Canal Winchester never had won twice in the same postseason before this year. Canal Winchester missed on a 10-0 regular season by losing 17-0 to Big Walnut in Week 10.

1 Canton South (12-0) vs. 4 West Branch (11-1), at Louisville Leopard Stadium

Division IV, Region 13

What to watch: Two former conference opponents with explosive offenses square off for a berth in the regional finals. West Branch averages 43.6 points a game. Canton South averages 40.3 points. ... Wildcats QB Poochie Snyder needs just one more touchdown pass to claim sole possession of the all-time Stark County record. Snyder and former Sandy Valley quarterback Cameron Blair are tied with 116 touchdown passes. He broke Blair’s county career passing yards record during the regular season. Snyder has had a hand in 50 touchdowns this season. He has thrown for 3,052 yards and rushed for a team-leading 1,377 yards. ... Tavon Castle is the Wildcats’ top receiver. He also makes an impact on defense. Castle had a key interception that helped South hold off Buchtel 27-26 last week. ... QB Beau Alazaus and RB Boston Mulinix have been a force for West Branch all season. Alazaus has thrown for 3,117 yards and 34 TDs. Mulinix has rushed for 1,168 yards and 19 TDs. South is trying to win three playoff games in the same season for the first time. The two teams last met in 2021, the Wildcats’ final season in the Eastern Buckeye Conference. West Branch won 63-42.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ohio high school football OHSAA playoff games to watch in Stark County