By Drew Terhall

Dailyadvocate.com

DARKE COUNTY — We are now entering week eight of the high school football season. Teams will have three weeks to not only play their way for a league title, but also play to get into the playoffs. The top 16 teams in each region in each division will make it to the postseason.

Teams are seeded based on a formula that gives more points/weight to teams defeating teams in higher divisions. Teams also get points for the wins the teams they defeated have. Here is a breakdown of where each team stands in their respective division with three weeks left. All points and seedings are based on the rankings from joeeitel.com.

Ansonia (6-1, 6-0) Division VII, Region 28:

After the Tigers big win over National Trail, 44-14, they sit as the fourth seed. The team’s biggest win this season was their win over Division V Arcanum. Arcanum’s four wins also help Ansonia in the standings. The three teams above them have a slight advantage over Ansonia. Marion Local is first and has two games against Division VI teams. Minster has a big game this weekend against Versailles, a Division V team. Sidney Lehman Catholic has games against Division VI Covington and Division IV Northridge. If those teams win those games, they could keep Ansonia around the fourth seed. But, Minster still has to play Marion Local and that could bump down Minster. But, Ansonia has to take care of business first. They will have a big game hosting Preble Shawnee on Oct. 19. With the Arrows being undefeated right now and being in Division V, that win could give Ansonia the edge to get into the top three. The Tigers do have Tri-County North at home on Oct. 11 and go to Mississinawa Valley on Oct. 25, both Division VII schools.

Arcanum (4-3, 4-2) Division V, Region 20:

The Trojans lost a close one, 28-20, to Tri-Village at home last week. That loss kept them near the cutoff line for the playoffs as they are tied for 14th right now. The Trojans biggest win so far this season is against a Division VI school in National Trail. They do have three wins over Division VII schools that each have two wins on the season. They have enough points to keep afloat in the playoff race. Their biggest game of the season is on Oct. 10 as they host Division V Preble Shawnee. They then have a game the week after on Oct. 18 against Division VI Dixie. A win over the Arrows, a team in their region, could shake up the seeding. Teams ahead of Arcanum like Miami East, Carlisle, Milton-Union and Madison have some games that could distance themselves away from Arcanum. The Trojans can be cutting it close for the playoffs. At 3-7 last year, they were a game away from the playoffs. Arcanum ends the season against Bradford at home on Oct. 25. A 2-1 finish to the season should be enough to secure them a playoff spot.

Bradford (1-6, 1-5) Division VII, Region 28:

The Railroaders dropped an important game for their playoff hopes to Mississinawa Valley at home, 36-6, last week. They sit at the 23rd seed right now. But with the expanded playoffs, a win or two could help them sneak in. The first important game is at Twin Valley South on Oct. 11 as the Panthers are in the same region as the Railroaders. The Panthers have wins over Mississinawa Valley and Dixie. Bradford also has a win over Dixie. Bradford does need some help as they need conference foes Mississinawa Valley and Tri-County North to drop some games too. Only problem is Mississinawa Valley still needs to play Tri-County North. After the Railroaders host Tri-Village on Oct. 18, they have a chance to jump those teams with a win over Arcanum. Arcanum has wins over Mississinawa Valley, Tri-County North and Twin Valley South already. A win over Twin Valley South and a win over Arcanum could be enough for the Railroaders, along with some help, to make a run at the 16th seed. No team above the Railroaders from the 16th seed down have a win over Division VI.

Greenville (0-7, 0-6) Division III, Region 12:

The Green Wave has some work to do after they lost 47-28 to Stebbins last week. They are tied for 23rd seed with four other 0-7 teams. The 16th seed Meadowdale are 5-2, but are being carried by a win over 5-2 Cincinnati College Prep. Greenville still has to play 2-5 Fairborn at Fairborn on Oct. 11, host 7-0 Xenia on Oct. 18 and are at 0-7 West Carrollton on Oct. 25. Those are all Division II schools. A 3-0 finish could be enough to launch Greenville into the postseason. The main game to get will be the home game against Xenia. A 2-1 finish with wins over Fairborn and West Carrollton will probably not be enough to sneak in. A win over Xenia changes things for the Green Wave.

Mississinawa Valley (2-5, 2-4) Division VII, Region 28:

The Blackhawks got a big win over Bradford last week to keep their postseason hopes within reach. They are tied for 19th with Tri-County North. For points purposes, this week’s game against National Trail is a big one. They are Division VI and have three wins on the season. They also have a big game against Ansonia to end the season that could help them move up in the rankings. The Blackhawks do have to play Tri-County North on Oct. 18 at Tri-County North. They also need help as Twin Valley South still has National Trail and has Tri-County North on their schedule. Twin Valley South does have a win over Mississinawa Valley. A 2-1 finish should be enough to get into the playoffs. A 1-2 finish does give them a shot to make it, but they would need some help.

Tri-Village (5-2, 4-2) Division VII, Region 28:

The Patriots got a big win over Arcanum last week to boost them up the seeding. The Patriots are sitting as the ninth seed. They have games against Division VI opponents Dixie on Oct. 11 at home and against National Trail on Oct. 25 at home. They have Bradford on Oct. 18 at Bradford between those games. A 3-0 finish should be enough to give them a home game in the first round. Two teams ahead of Tri-Village, sixth seed Ridgemont and seventh seed Waynesfield-Goshen, play each other to end the season. The eighth seed New Bremen has tough games at Coldwater this week and hosts St. Henry the week after. The two teams below Tri-Village in Fort Loramie and Riverside do have chances to jump the Patriots. Each have either quality Division V or Division VI opponents left on their schedule. But as long as the Patriots take care of business, they will be in the playoffs.

Versailles (5-2, 3-2) Division V, Region 20:

The Tigers lost a home game to Anna, 13-7, for back to back losses. The five wins from Versailles, including a win over Division V Milton-Union, should already be enough to have a playoff spot. But, they have tough games ahead if they want to get two home games. They have Minster on Oct. 11 on the road and are a six-win Division VII team. They then host Coldwater on Oct. 18, an undefeated Division VI team. Then they end with a solid Division VII St. Henry team on the road. With some help, the Tigers can get a home game for the playoffs with a 2-1 finish. Right now, Versailles has the third highest level two points, points from the wins of the teams they defeated. That could help the Tigers stay a top ten seed if they go 1-2 or 0-3.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected].