That does not include favorites who won in the opening round then pulled an upset in the regional quarterfinals, but the latter were among the biggest stories of the weekend.
Let’s take a closer look:
1. Friday night was particularly rough for the Miami Valley League
All three MVL teams lost, including Xenia and undefeated Tippecanoe being upset at home.
The No. 3 seed Buccaneers had a tough draw with No. 6 Harrison while Tippecanoe, the No. 1 seed in Division III, Region 12, losing 16-14 to St. Mary’s (8 seed) was more of a surprise after the young Red Devils put together a 10-0 campaign and were the only team to beat Xenia in the regular season.
Also bowing out was Butler, who was no match for a powerful Anderson squad that outscored opponents 566-93 in the first 11 weeks.
2. The prospect of an all-GWOC regional final remains alive
That was not actually in doubt heading into round two because two Greater Western Ohio Conference teams were guaranteed to make it to round three with Wayne playing Fairmont and Centerville hosting Springboro.
The Warriors’ 20-10 win was an upset, too, as they were No. 8 in Division I, Region 2 taking on No. 1 Fairmont.
Centerville, the No. 2 seed, rallied in the fourth quarter to beat No. 7 Springboro for the second time in four weeks so the Warriors and Elks both play suburban Columbus teams this week for a chance to meet up in the regional final.
Wayne’s opponent, No. 5 Hilliard Davidson, handled crosstown foe Hilliard Bradley (a double-digit seed who upset Springfield in round one) last week while No. 14 Dublin Coffman walloped Lebanon to earn a chance to take on Centerville in Week 13.
3. Alter scored maybe the most eye-opening upset
With many key players returning from a state runner-up, much was expected of the Knights in August, but they lost quarterback Gavin Connor early in the year and finished the regular season at 5-5.
Seeded 10th in Division IV, Region 16, Alter won 14-0 at Eaton in the first round then blew out undefeated Wyoming 42-0 in Cincinnati on Friday night.
Next up for Alter is No. 6 Taylor at Fairfield. The Yellowjackets also scored an upset last weekend, knocking out No. 3 Valley View 42-10.
While the Knights’ losses are all to teams with at least nine wins (including the postseason), Taylor’s only loss is (ironically enough) to Wyoming.
4. Some teams did take care of business
No. 3 Bellbrook outlasted McNicholas 24-21 in Division III, Region 12. Next up is undefeated Wapakoneta.
Undefeated top seed Greeneview rallied to beat Lima Bath in Division V, Region 20, where No. 2 West Liberty-Salem crushed Miami East and No. 3 Waynesville blew out Cincinnati Madeira to make an all-area regional final very likely.
In Division VI, Coldwater and Anna won while No. 1 Marion Local dominated Tri-Village in Division VII.
Worth mentioning, though: The Patriots scored 14 points against a Flyers squad that gave up only 32 in its first 11 games.
5. Overall 13 local teams are still alive
The Dayton area still has Centerville and Wayne playing in Division I, Region II, while no area teams have reached Week 13 in Division II.
In Division III, it is Bellbrook while Alter still carries the Miami Valley banner in Division IV.
There are more representatives in the smaller divisions as Greeneview, Indian Lake, West Liberty-Salem and Waynesville make up the final four in Division V, Region 20, and Coldwater and Anna remain in Division VI, Region 24.
Joining Marion Local in Division VII, Region 28 are Ansonia and Minster.
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