The regular season is over and the field is set. Four area football teams are headed to the OHSAA playoffs, and three of them play this Friday, Oct. 30, with kickoffs set for 7 p.m.

Edon (9-1) is the only one at home in the first round with Montpelier (7-3) and Delta (7-3) on the road. Archbold (9-1) earned a first-round bye and will host the winner of Bluffton/Norwayne in the regional quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 6.

Division VII, Region 26
No. 11 Delphos Jefferson (4-6) at No. 6 Edon (9-1)

Edon finished the regular season the way it wanted, with a 44-0 shutout of Montpelier. Kadin Stantz picked off four passes, Lincoln Kiess added a fifth, and the Bombers held the Locomotives to 160 total yards. Parker Moyer scored three touchdowns and quarterback Jaron Grove went 17 of 26 for 216 yards.

Edon finished 6-1 in the league, second to league champion Whiteford (MI).

First-year coach Jamison Wisel said after the Montpelier game that the program had set out to do exactly this. “One of our goals is to host a playoff game and to make a deep playoff run,” Wisel said. He also noted the rarity of the season: “Since 2002, I think that we’re the fifth team in school history to finish with nine wins in a regular season.”

What to watch: The pass game. Grove threw for 367 yards in the 47-14 win over Hilltop the week before the finale. And the defense has a knack for the ball: five interceptions in the season finale alone.

The road ahead: The winner plays at No. 3 McComb on Nov. 6. That name will ring a bell in Edon. McComb ended the Bombers’ season three years running: 57-3 in 2022, 57-0 in 2023 and 28-14 in 2024. Last fall Edon beat Edgerton 28-21 in the first round before falling at Lima Central Catholic.

By the numbers: This is Edon’s fifth straight playoff trip. The Bombers averaged 45 points a game and won their nine games by an average of 39 points per contest.

About the opponent: Delphos Jefferson (4-6) plays in the Northwest Conference and is coached by Allan Pohlman. The Wildcats won their first three games, including a 21-20 win over 8-2 Paulding, then lost six straight before closing with a 40-6 win over Spencerville. Jefferson is giving 15.2 ppg while giving up 24.2 ppg. The Wildcats last playoff appearance was in 2022 when they beat Ayersville in the opening round and then lost to Antwerp.

Division VII, Region 26
No. 9 Montpelier (7-3) at No. 8 Pandora-Gilboa (6-4)

Montpelier opened 5-0 for the first time since 1993, outscoring its first five opponents 152-43. That 1993 team went 10-2. The Locos went on to beat Hilltop 52-29 and North Central 20-0 before a 44-0 loss to Edon to end the regular season

Head coach Andy Robinson has watched the program climb, commenting earlier in the season, “Since I’ve taken over the program five years ago, this program has just gotten a little bit better each year.”

What to watch: Running back Carter Meek, who has run for 1,196 yards and 12 touchdowns while Jacob Lyons has paced the receivers with 21 catches for 447 yards and nine touchdowns. On defense, World Peace leads the Locos in tackles with 74.

The road ahead: The winner plays at No. 1 Leipsic (10-0) on Nov. 6.

By the numbers: This is Montpelier’s second straight playoff trip. Last fall the Locos were a No. 11 seed and lost at Mohawk 41-6.

About the opponent: Pandora-Gilboa (6-4) finished third in the Blanchard Valley Conference at 5-3 under coach Matt Hershey. The Rockets closed on a three-game win streak: Arcadia 31-0, Arlington 28-14 and Ada 43-20.

Two of their losses came to two of the top three seeds in Region 26 top seeds: 39-0 at Leipsic (39-0) at McComb (34-7). The Rockets scored 25.1 ppg during the regular season and surrendered 19.6 ppg.

Division VI, Region 22:
No. 11 Delta (7-3) at No. 6 Attica Seneca East (7-3)

Delta hasn’t won a playoff game since 2015, but this team has the run game to change that.

The Panthers closed the regular season by running over Bryan 48-14. Marcus Nagel, Vincent Martinez and Gunner Taylor combined for 526 of Delta’s 557 rushing yards, and the defense piled up eight sacks, two by Jensyn Gillen.

It was a fitting finish for first-year coach Mark Nagel, who was named to lead the program in January after Mike Vicars stepped down.

“With three running backs with different styles, we can attack the edge more and be more versatile in our play calling,” Nagel said before the season.

What to watch: Can anyone slow the three-headed run game? Delta scored 70 or more twice, against Swanton (70-0) and Evergreen (71-0), and ran for more than 500 yards against Bryan. The three losses came to league powers, Archbold (38-7), Patrick Henry (26-7) and Liberty Center (52-14). Delta’s most impressive win in the regular season came in week two when they knocked off Fairview, who also qualified for the plays in Region 22.

The road ahead: The winner plays at No. 3 Woodmore (10-0) on Nov. 6.

By the numbers: This is Delta’s third straight playoff trip. The Panthers lost in the first round in 2024, and in 2025 they fell at Liberty-Benton 49-13. Delta went 4-3 in the NWOAL this fall. Delta’s offense put up 40.5 ppg this year and gave up 16.6 ppg on the defensive side of the ball.

About the opponent: Seneca East plays in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference and is coached by Ed Phillips. Seneca East opened the season 3-0 before falling to undefeated Hopewell-Loudon on the road.

The Tigers tallied 24.8 ppg this season and allowed their opponents to score 12.1 ppg. The two teams share a familiar face as Delta’s NWOAL foe Archbold beat Seneca East 44-12 in last year’s playoffs.