The high school football playoffs begin this week and the Mahoning Valley has 28 teams in Divisions II - VII.

Of those teams, the area is guaranteed of having at least five move on due to "all local games."  Those include the winners of: East Liverpool - Poland, Girard-Struthers, Brookfield -United Local, Lisbon - Western Reserve and Mineral Ridge - Jackson Milton.

There are four rematch games from the regular season including: 

Warren Harding - Akron SVSM   (SVSM won 42-28 Week 4)

Woodridge -West Branch (West Branch won 34-13 Week 2)

Girard - Struthers  (Struthers won 35-28 Week 4)

Mineral Ridge - Jackson Milton (Jackson Milton won 23-20 Week 4)

So do teams like playing a second time?

"We have a lot respect for them and had a great contest during the year," said Girard coach Pat Pearson.

Struthers coach John Bayuk would prefer playing another opponent.

"I kind of like a foreign opponent. It kind of gives you that special feeling of playing someone you haven't played before. Girard is a great opponent to start with."

This is the first time Girard and Struthers are playing in the post season and since 2000, they played nine times with the Indians holding a 5-4 advantage.

Both teams had different second halves of the regular season. Struthers won four of five, while the Indians lost three of five.

"We have to be us and take care of the football and play fast on offense and create big plays on defense. If we can do all those things right and play Girard football, we're going to be proud and the community will be proud," said Pearson.

"We really need to take care of the football. And we have to be the more physical team," said Bayuk.

Kickoff off from Laddie Fedor Field is 7:00 pm