CINCINNATI – The final day of the high school football regular season took an unusual twist for three Division I, Region 4 teams.
In the end, Moeller (4-6) is projected to earn the No. 7 seed while Fairfield (6-4) is projected to earn the No. 8 seed.
Elder (6-4), which had been projected to be the No. 7 seed entering Friday night, is in all likelihood out of the playoff picture.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association plans to announce by the final computer points standings for all seven divisions by 11:45 p.m. Saturday.
MORE: Ohio high school football playoff outlook: Who's in, who's out, according to WCPO projections
The official first-round playoff pairings will be announced Sunday afternoon.
Entering Saturday afternoon, Elder, Fairfield and Moeller were closely monitoring the St. Ignatius at St. Ed’s result along with International School of Broward (Hollywood, Fla.), which was scheduled to play at Goleman (Miami Lakes, Fla.).
Due to a tropical storm warning, that Florida matchup Saturday night was postponed to Monday.
As a result, the OHSAA ruled tonight’s Florida game as a no contest for the computer points.
That meant Elder had to have St. Ed’s win just to reach the No. 8 position.
With St. Ignatius winning, the Panthers are left out of the playoff picture.
“You are most disappointed for the kids,” Elder Athletic Director Kevin Espelage told WCPO.com. “They’re a great group, and they truly wanted to be in the tournament.”
Espelage said there was no other recourse concerning the situation. The OHSAA states all games counted toward playoff computer points must be completed before midnight Saturday.
Moeller moved from 16.80 points to 17.45 points with the St. Ignatius win. The Crusaders defeated the Wildcats 41-20 Oct. 13.
Fairfield's projected final number is 17.35 points for the No. 8 spot. Elder's final projected number was 17.339.
Earlier Saturday, WCPO.com also learned earlier there was a question of whether International School of Broward has a 2-4 record this season or whether it is 1-4, according to the OHSAA regulations.
Elder defeated visiting Broward 62-6 Oct. 20, but Broward’s other games impacted Elder.
Joe Eitel, of joeeitel.com, had Broward’s Oct. 6 game at Village Academy (Delray Beach, Fla.) as a canceled game and therefore a 1-4 record.
The OHSAA told Elder on Saturday the Oct. 6 game was also a no contest/open date and not a forfeit. That further impacted Elder’s chances.
The projected order for Division I, Region 4:
1. St. Xavier (9-1)
2. Colerain (8-2)
3. Mason (8-2)
4. Sycamore (8-2)
5. Milford (8-2)
6. West Clermont (7-3
7. Moeller (4-6)
8. Fairfield (6-4)
The top eight teams in each of the seven regions qualify for the postseason, with the top four teams hosting first-round games Nov. 3.
Second-round games will be played at neutral locations.
