Shelby venue lands Ohio football playoff semifinal matchup
By David Jacobs
Shelby's Whippet Athletic Complex is one of the host venues for the state football playoff semifinal round, the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced Sunday.
The Whippet complex at Shelby High School will be the site of the Nov. 29 Division VII State Semifinal matchup between 1. Danville (12-2) vs. 2. Jeromesville Hillsdale (13-1). Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Whippet Athletic Complex, home of Shelby football, made its debut in 2022.
MORE: A closer look at the Whippet Athletic Complex
At the Oct. 21, 2024 Shelby Board of Education meeting, board president Scott Rose noted that continuing enhancements at the facility have allowed Shelby to land various post-season athletic events.
Football is the latest.
“Neutral host sites receive a stipend from the OHSAA and also keep revenue from concessions, parking, 50-50 raffles, and program sales,” the OHSAA said in its announcement Sunday.
“Without schools being willing to host games, the OHSAA would not be able to use neutral sites," the statement also said. “Many factors go into determining locations for each game, and rarely can a site be found that is exactly halftime between the two schools. Once a potential site is determined, the school must be available and willing to host a game on the requested night."
Tickets for all playoff games will be available on Monday at www.ohsaa.org/tickets
The winner of the game in Shelby plays the winner of the other Division VII state semifinal matchup between 1. Maria Stein Marion Local (14-0) vs. 1. Columbus Grove (14-0) game to be played at Lima Spartan Stadium at 7 p.m. on Nov. 29.
BRACKETS AND PLAYOFFS INFORMATION
The Division VII state championship game is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
The state championship games in all divisions will be held at that Canton site and cover multiple games Dec. 5-7.
The Shelby Whippets concluded their season on Nov. 15. They finished the season 12-1, won the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the Division IV regional semifinals.