COLUMBUS — The regular season wrapped up on Saturday night and the 2023 Ohio High School Athletic Assciation football playoffs are set.

Here are the top performances from around the state in the final weekend of the regular season, as compiled by the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association for this week’s high school football notebook.

* Alex Pero of Athens rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries in the Bulldogs’ 19-13 Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division victory over visiting Nelsonville-York. Athens ended its regular season with five wins in a row, capped off by its first win over Nelsonville-York since 2018 — for their first winning season since 2018. The two teams play annually for the Doc Kroner Trophy, as the contest has been the regular-season finale for both teams starting in 2010. For many years and ending with the 2007 meeting, this was the two teams’ regular-season opener.

* The Ironton Fighting Tigers defeated the Portsmouth Trojans 21-6 on Friday night, winning their 33rd consecutive Ohio Valley Conference game as Ironton is exiting the league. It is the Fighting Tigers’ fifth consecutive and final conference championship, as they also won the OVC in their first two years in —in 2015 and 2016. Ironton is now 66-60-7 all-time against archrival Portsmouth, having now won the last seven meetings in this series —the second-oldest rivalry in the entire state. Ironton will continue to play OVC members Portsmouth, Fairland and Gallia Academy —as part of its independent schedule starting next year.

* The Portsmouth Notre Dame Titans captured a 50-42 Southern Ohio Conference Division I shootout victory at archrival Sciotoville East on Friday night. It indeed was a three-star night for the fast-paced and no-huddle offense Titans. Sophomore quarterback Ethan Kingrey completed 16-of-27 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns with three wo-point conversions (passes). Senior running back Jordan Davis rushed for 152 yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries, and junior Myles Phillips made six receptions for 121 yards with one TD. Defensively, Phillips led the way with 13 tackles as Davis added 11. For the host and run-heavy Tartans, Norris McKinley amassed 318 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 24 carries, caught a pass for 12 yards, and made one defensive interception.

* The McDermott Northwest Mohawks ended their season on Friday night with a dramatic 40-37 Southern Ohio Conference Division II victory at Oak Hill. Jake Brown completed 13-of-17 passes for 205 yards with a 70-yard touchdown pass, and rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown on only six carries. Carter Runyon racked up an impressive two-way performance —rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, making eight receptions for 91 yards, and defensively leading the way with nine tackles, two quarterback sacks, making a tackle for loss for a safety, and recording a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown. Maddix Spriggs kicked a 42-yard field goal with a second-and-a-half left for the win. This was the Mohawks’ first season returned to the SOC II, after competing in the smaller-school SOC I from 2014 thru 2022.

* The Lucasville Valley Indians, with only two seniors on the entire roster, advanced to the Division VI Region 24 playoffs for a second consecutive season —thanks to their 24-0 Southern Ohio Conference Division II victory at archrival Minford. Sophomore quarterback Carson Powell completed 8-of-10 passes for 201 yards with two touchdowns, as Jaekyn Ridout made three receptions for 130 yards with one score. Gabe McNeil rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries, as the Indians grounded the Falcons for 124 total yards in pitching the shutout. Valley won the Lucasville-Minford Road Rivalry game for the first time since 2020 —and for the first time at Minford since 2015.

* Wheelersburg senior all-purpose performer Creed Warren indeed had a Senior Night to remember, as the host Pirates defeated the Portsmouth West Senators 35-7 to capture their 36th all-time Southern Ohio Conference championship. Warren rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries, including a 73-yard scoring run on the game’s opening play. He also made three receptions for 95 yards, and scored on a second-half screen pass which covered 65. West won the SOC II last year for the first time since 2008, and defeated Wheelersburg for the first time since 2011. But the Pirates’ payback came on Friday night, as they snapped the Senators’ SOC II win streak at 10.

* The Pike Eastern Eagles completed their quest for a perfect 10-0 season on Friday night with a 43-7 victory over the hosting Franklin Furnace Green Bobcats. Eastern has only had a full-fledged varsity program since the 2015 season. The Eagles also captured their second-ever Southern Ohio Conference Division I title. Leading the offense was senior running back Landyn Reinsmith, who had 16 carries for 211 yards and three touchdowns, working out to an average of more than 13 yards per rush. The Eagles also had a strong defensive night. Landon Cavinder and Boston Webb each had an interception, while Teagan Werner forced a fumble and Bryden Tomlison recovered one.

* In a Friday night Scioto Valley Conference shootout between the Piketon Redstreaks and Westfall Mustangs, Piketon junior running back Buddy Wilson had a 99-yard touchdown run on the way to a 256-yard and three-touchdown night. Wilson covered those 256 yards on 25 carries for an average of 10.24 yards per rush. Piketon senior receiver Brent McGuire also had a big night, securing seven receptions for 101 yards and three touchdowns. The host Mustangs ultimately won the game 56-39, and just slid into the playoffs as the 16th-seeded team in Division V Region 20. Westfall will travel to take on top-seeded Valley View on Friday night. Piketon’s season came to an end at 6-4.

* The McClain Tigers used a ground game that caused the Hillsboro Indians problems in Week 10, earning a 21-13 win at McClain Field. McClain senior Andrew Potts finished the game with 34 rushes for 177 yards and three touchdowns. MHS quarterback Drake Stapleton rushed for 56 yards on nine carries, plus he was 5-of-15 for 79 yards passing. Also thanks to McClain’s win, for the first time ever — not counting the COVID-19 2020 season — McClain earned a playoff berth.

* Lakewood St. Edward edged Akron Hoban 14-7 in a Week 10 game that MaxPreps pegged as the No. 1 game in the entire country. It shifted St. Edward’s way with sophomore Brandon White’s 13-yard touchdown run with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter. White rushed for 126 yards on 25 carries, while St. Edward’s defense held Hoban to 124 yards in total offense.