HEYEN: Week 10 is going to be awesome

The schedule-makers definitely outdid themselves. We're heading for what might be the most highly anticipated Week 10 across northwest Ohio in a long, long time. The football matchups have all been on the books for months. They just so happen to be, in almost every league you look in, featuring the two teams playing for first place. Perkins at Tiffin Columbian in the SBC Lake Division. Huron at Edison in the SBC Bay. Tiffin Calvert at Hopewell-Loudon, both still undefeated, in the SBC River. Monroeville at St. Paul in the Firelands Conference. In those four area leagues, there will be no shared titles. Both sides enter those games with spotless records in conference play. Only one will end Friday night still with a zero in that league loss column. "Whoever did the scheduling did a good job, because that's pretty crazy," Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said. "It's pretty rare and pretty exciting. There's gonna be some good football played this week." The schedule-making magic touch extends well outside the Register's coverage area to many parts of this region. The vaunted MAC pits Coldwater (9-0) and Marion Local (9-0) against each other for the league crown. The Toledo City League's newest member, Lima Senior, faces Toledo Start with both 5-0 in conference play. The Blanchard Valley Conference (Liberty-Benton vs. McComb), Western Buckeye League (Celina vs. Wapakoneta) and Northwest Conference (Bluffton vs. Columbus Grove) all end in what amount to league championship clashes, too. It's absolutely crazy. It's absolutely awesome. High school football is ingrained in the fabric of these communities. Student sections with creative themes fill up on Friday nights, win or lose. Hard-working band members take to the field at halftime each week, no matter the score. The game at this level is about so much more than the game. But this week, we don't need to look any further than the field. Perkins and Columbian are so much alike. Star senior quarterbacks in Logan Lesch and Brayden Roggow. Great running backs in Isaac Bunts and Damien Brockington. Fantastic receiver corps, effective lines, smart coaches. Edison and Huron, a classic rivalry from pretty much the moment the Chargers came aboard the old SBC in 1986, with both teams led by program alumni who were part of these clashes themselves in Jim Hall and Sam Hohler. In a River Division dominated by the Chieftains in recent years, the two-time state champion Senecas return to their pedigree to create a tantalizing showdown that could also decide the top seed in their playoff region. And how cool is Monroeville's turnaround, which means that the annual Week 10 opponents in the Firelands Conference get to take the field with everything at stake for the first time in years. The probability of this is just really low. This isn't college football, where records after a certain amount of weeks result in a newly scheduled league final. Nope, this is just beautiful, wonderful coincidence. Call it fate, if you prefer. "Games like this you print T-shirts for and celebrate, lasting memories and something nobody can take away," Columbian coach Judd Lutz said. "I'm most excited about the opportunity for our kids." The expanded playoff field, with 16 qualifying teams per region, has lowered the stakes for many squads in Week 10. Even the groups still playing to get in are often just competing for the right to take on a high seed. But on these fields Friday night, a playoff atmosphere will have already taken hold. Teams can ensure their season is remembered forever with a win that puts a number up on their banner. The only (sort of) disappointment is that all the games will be happening at once. How does a football fan choose the right place to be on a night like this? For that matter, how does a reporter? But here's the plus: You can't go wrong. Anywhere you look, a league championship is on the line. It really doesn't get better than this.