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Three area squads will be playing bonus football.
Bellefontaine, Indian Lake and Riverside landed playoff berths by finishing in the top eight of their respective regions in the final release of the Ohio High School Athletic Association computer ratings.
A tremendous regular season for the Chiefs resulted in the number-one seed in Division III, Region 11. Bellefontaine (9-1) will host eighth-seeded Granville at 7:30 p.m. Friday in AcuSport Stadium.
The Chiefs are in the playoffs for the first time since 2014. That was also the last time they hosted a playoff game. It is the 10th time Bellefontaine has qualified for the postseason.
A member of the Licking County League, Granville went 8-2 in the regular season. Granville will be making its seventh trip to the playoffs. The Blue Aces are 0-6 in their previous playoff appearances.
Indian Lake (7-3) finished with the sixth seed in Division V, Region 18. The Lakers have a long road trip Friday as they are matched up with third-seeded Archbold.
The Lakers will be making their third straight trip to the playoffs. They are 1-2 in their three previous postseason games.
Archbold lost to Swanton in four overtimes Friday to finish the regular season with an 8-2 record. The Blue Streaks’ other loss came to Liberty Benton by a 34-33 score.
The Blue Streaks will be making their 12th trip to the playoffs, but first since 2012. They have a 15-10 record in the postseason.
Despite falling twice in the last three games of the season, Riverside (6-4) was able to grab the sixth spot in Division VIII, Region 28. The Pirates play at Delphos St. John’s on Friday in the first round.
This is Riverside’s seventh trip to the state playoffs. The Pirates’ last berth was in 2015.
Riverside will face a program that has enjoyed a lot of postseason success. The Blue Jays (6-4) will be making their 18th playoff appearance. They have won six state titles and also have a runner-up finish.
More playoff coverage will be included in the Examiner later this week.