Rocky River wide receiver Bobby Porter and the rest of the Pirates will look to wrap up at least a share of the West Shore Conference championship and a playoff berth this Friday night at Fairview. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Bay, River to settle WSC race Friday night
By Jim Horvath
Sports
Published Oct. 28, 2009

With one final regular season game to go, both Bay and Rocky River will put it all on the line this Friday night.

After nine weeks of football, the Rockets and the Pirates find themselves tied for first place in the West Shore Conference with identical 5-1 records. Both teams also have solid shots at making the OHSAA playoffs if they can come away with wins.

River, 7-2 overall, picked up valuable computer points after last Friday night’s come-from-behind 23-21 win over North Ridgeville. Going into that game, the Pirates were ranked sixth in the Division II Region 6 computer poll.

The top eight teams in each region make the first round of the playoffs, with the first four teams hosting a first-round game. The Pirates will look to wrap-up a home playoff game, but face a tough road opponent this Friday night in Fairview.

Bay, also 7-2, might need a little bit of help to make it despite its newfound success on the field. The Rockets drilled Vermilion, 35-6, and were ranked in the eighth and final spot in Division III, Region 9 computer poll before that game. They’ll host Avon this Friday night at Memorial Field with those playoffs, and a conference championship, on the line.

“This is a big game for us, without a doubt,” said Bay head coach Mike Peregord. “We treated the Vermilion game like a playoff game. We knew we had to win the rest of our games to have a shot, but right now I still don’t know if it will be enough.

“But for me, I think the conference championship means more,” Peregord said. “We can’t control the playoffs, and our region is pretty tough. I think the eventual state champion will come out of our region.

“Avon is 5-4 and a Division II team, so a win over them would give us some good computer points. But our secondary level points could hurt us. Orange has only won two games this year and Toledo Libbey has only won once, so that hurts us,” he added.

Over at River, head coach Rick Adams was more than pleased with his team’s big win over the Rangers. He also had concern about having to face Fairview for a shot at the WSC crown.

“I think this is the biggest win I’ve ever been a part of,” Adams said. “We’ve got kids on this team who have been part of a playoff team before. But now they’re seniors, and I think this is something special for them as well.

“Fairview is scary, though,” Adams emphasized. “Their front lines are very good, and their defensive line is huge. Bay has a big front line, but Fairview looks to be every bit as good. So that will provide a big-time challenge for us.”