The opening week of the Ohio high school football playoffs arrived Friday, headlined by a Division I, Region 4 first-round matchup between Middletown and Lebanon that served as the Friday Football Game of the Week.
Middletown came away with a 33-15 victory over Lebanon. The Middies move on to a road game against undefeated Princeton next week.
Elsewhere in Division I, Region 4, Winton Woods knocked off visiting Lakota East 21-3. Senior running back Isaiah Garrett carried the load for the Warriors, rushing 16 times for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
Winton Woods (9-2) now advances to a Division I regional quarterfinal against Moeller (7-3) on Nov. 6 at Mount St. Joseph University.
St. Xavier also cruised in the first round, shutting out visiting Fairfield 42-0. St. X will travel to Lakota West next week.
Division II delivered the night's tightest finish, as Talawanda edged visiting La Salle 35-34 in overtime. Withrow earned a 21-13 road win over host Badin.
In Division III, Goshen outlasted Hughes 39-36. The win gave Goshen (10-1) its first 10-win season since 1990, according to athletic director Greg Miller.
Across the state line, Indiana teams were already playing in the second round of their postseason Friday night. In Class 3A, Lawrenceburg rolled past visiting Greensburg 57-23 in a sectional semifinal, a result that gave Tigers coach Ryan Knigga his 150th career victory.
Lawrenceburg advances to the sectional championship against Batesville next week. Batesville punched its ticket with a 35-0 win over Franklin County on Friday night.
In Indiana Class 4A, East Central overwhelmed Jennings County 69-7 on Friday night. East Central will face Columbus East in the sectional championship next week.
