But that’s not something the program is talking about at this point in the season. The top priority remains winning the Ohio Heritage Conference title outright — something Northeastern has never done since joining the league in 2001. The Jets previously shared the OHC trophy with Mechanicsburg in 2002 and with Triad in 2003.
“It’s really exciting,” Buchholtz said. “It’s definitely cool for our kids. I know it’s cliche, but we’ve really just focused on going 1-0 every week and that way we don’t try to make a moment bigger than it is and get the kids to overthink what we’re doing. They’ve really bought into that message.”
Northeastern clinched at least a share of the OHC North Division title with its 43-12 win over Triad last Friday night. With a win against Fairbanks on Friday, the Jets can seal the championship outright.
“(Fairbanks is) historically a really good team,” When you watch them on film, they still compete at a really high level. … They’re going to be a really tough team. We’ve trailed (the teams they’ve played) this year, so we’ve got a lot of their game film. They’re still competing and they’re not going to lay down.”
The Panthers are 4-5 and 1-3 in the OHC North this season. They beat West Jefferson 20-17 last week and are in the mix for a playoff berth in Division V, Region 24 — meaning they’ll have plenty to play for on Friday night against the Jets.
“Our message this week is ‘Take it’,” Buchholtz said. “(Fairbanks) is not just going to hand over a league title. We’re going to have to take what we want and that’s how we’ve approached this week.”
The key to the Jets success this season has been a plethora of weapons on offense, including quarterback Cade Houseman, a trio of running backs in Hunter Albright, Garrett Chadwell and Cody Lookabaugh and wide receivers Dylan Haggy, Gunnar Leonard and Johnny Guevara.
“We’re really blessed to be as deep as we are,” Buchholtz said. “Offensively, we’ve got multiple weapons that can hurt teams and it’s hard for them to prepare to stop everybody.”
Defensively, the Jets haven’t allowed more than 21 points in a game and have four shutouts.
“We’re getting stops early on,” Buchholtz said. “Every week it seems like we’ve played a run heavy team. With us getting some stops early and putting some points on the board, it changes what a lot of teams come into the game doing. We’ve got a lot of dudes who have really stepped up and played well.”
The Jets have already clinched a playoff berth in Division V, Region 20.
“Our goal coming in was never to go 10-0. Our goals were to win an OHC conference title, make the playoffs and win a playoff game,” Buchholtz said. “All three of those are very much up for grabs. It just helps that we’ve been able to take care of business along the way. It’s exciting for our kids. It’s something that’s given us some extra motivation this week that I hope we’d have regardless. There’s something special we can attain, but our goal is to go 1-0.”
Playoff races
Of the 16 teams in the News-Sun’s coverage area, 14 are in the mix for the postseason.
Springfield (D-I, Region 2) have unofficially clinched a top-4 seed in D-I, meaning they could host two playoff games, according to JoeEitel.com.
Northeastern and Greeneview have clinched top-8 seeds in D-V, Region 20, while Mechanicsburg has also clinched a top-8 seed in D-VII, Region 24.
Tecumseh (D-III, Region 12), Urbana (D-IV, Region 16, West Liberty-Salem (D-VI, Region 24), Catholic Central, Southeastern and Cedarville (D-VII, Region 28) have all clinched playoff spots.
Shawnee and Graham are still in the mix in D-IV, Region 16, while Greenon (D-V, Region 20) and Triad (D-VI, Region 24) are also battling for playoff berths.
The top eight teams in each region will host first-round games. The top four are in line to host twice. The playoff games will move to neutral sites starting with the regional semifinals on Nov. 11 and 12.
Friday’s Games
Springfield at Northmont
Kenton Ridge at Tecumseh
Catholic Central at Southeastern
Northeastern at Fairbanks
Greeneview at Greenon
Jonathan Alder at Shawnee
Northwestern at Benjamin Logan
West Liberty-Salem at Triad
Mechanicsburg at West Jefferson
Graham at Indian Lake
North Union at Urbana
Madison Plains at Cedarville
(All games start at 7 p.m.)
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