As week 10 of the high school football season begins, the local football teams for Ashland and Mapleton are fighting for an outside chance at the playoffs, while Crestview sits in a great position.

The Ashland Arrows currently sit at 3-6 and are clinging onto a small chance for a playoff spot to continue their season after regular season play. Similarly, the Mapleton Mounties are 3-5 and looking to end their season on a high note. The Crestview Cougars, however, are 9-0 and are looking to win the Firelands Conference and go into the playoffs with a very high seed in their respective region.

Here’s an in-depth look at each school’s performance so far:

Ashland Arrows

Led by head coach Sean Seder in his second season with the team, Seder said that this is not where he wants his team’s record to be at this point of the season.

The Arrows have won their last three out of five games. However, after starting the season by losing their first three games to non-conference opponents, the Arrows find themselves on the outside of a playoff spot.

“We played a hard non-league schedule,” Seder said. “It’s the hardest one in over 20 years but I also think that made us battle tested.”

Despite poor non-conference play, Seder is impressed with how his team has matched up to conference opponents. His phrase for the conference games is “iron sharpens iron.” The team now looks towards their game against Wooster. Wooster is 4-5 and is fighting for a playoff spot like the Arrows.

Seder’s attitude towards the upcoming game is simple: “We just need to play all 48 minutes.”

Crestview Cougars

The Cougars are 9-0 and have been the only undefeated team in Richland County since week six. The team has been listed at the top of the Mansfield News Journal power poll since September 28.

The Cougars are led by senior running back Conor Morse with 1,465 yards on only 214 carries in the 9 games this year according to maxpreps.com. Quarterback Hayden Kuhn has passed for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns with only one interception. Kuhn has also completed 71 percent of his passes with 62 completions on 87 attempts. 

Crestview is looking to secure sole possession of first place in the Firelands Conference by matching up with the Mapleton Mounties who are currently 3-5.

Mapleton Mounties

In head coach Matthew Stafford’s second season, the Mounties have struggled. The team currently sits at 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the Firelands Conference. 

Mapleton started their season off on a two game losing streak to non-conference opponents and they have not been able to find the momentum to turn their season around. Stafford’s young squad was on a three game losing skid before bouncing back with a victory over Greenwich South Central by a score of 34-20 on Oct. 8. 

The Mounties have begun to start moving in the right direction with a win last week against the Monroeville Eagles. However, Mapleton has a challenge next, as they play the undefeated Crestview Cougars to wrap up their 2021 season up. Stafford looks to rally his players for an upset to end the season on a three game winning streak and have momentum for the 2022 high school season.