LEBANON, Ohio — Welcome to the start of the high school football playoffs week in Ohio.
Friday night's WCPO 9 Game of the Week features Mason (5-5) at Lebanon (7-3) in a Division I first-round match-up with plenty of familiarity.
The two programs have scrimmaged each other the past two preseasons. This will be the first game between the two since Mason defeated Lebanon 34-16 in the first round of the 2020 playoffs.
"I think it's going to be a great high school football game," Mason head coach Brian Castner said.
Lebanon coach Micah Faler was previously the Mason head freshman football coach for two years and the varsity quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for three years. He was also the head eighth-grade coach at Middle Middle School for five years.
Lebanon and Mason won their respective regular-season finales Oct. 20 and this figures to be a tightly-contested matchup of Nos. 8 and 9 seeds.
Lebanon defeated visiting Winton Woods 19-14 while Mason defeated visiting Lakota East 24-0.
Faler along with senior defensive tackle Evan Black and middle linebacker Charlie Smith joined the WCPO High School Insider Podcast to discuss this season. Lebanon (7-3) has won five consecutive games entering the playoffs. It is the first five-game win streak since 2016, according to athletic director Keith Pantling.
"I'm really proud of this team," Faler said. "I'm really proud of this senior leadership. They have really made it their goal to kind of continue the legacy of the culture change that we tried to bring in last year."
Lebanon will host a playoff game for the third time overall since it became a Division I program in 2000. The Warriors are trying to win their first playoff game since 2002.
Mason has won four of its past six games this season. The Comets are in the postseason for a ninth consecutive year.
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