OHSAA Playoff Football WING Preview: Wayne Warriors at Fairmont Firebirds

The Fairmont Firebirds and the Wayne Warriors are two of the six playoff teams out of the Greater Western Ohio Conference. The Firebirds and Warriors are also each others opponent for their opening round playoff game on Friday night at Roush Stadium in Kettering with a 7pm kickoff.

The Firebirds will host the first round playoff matchup as head coach Dave Miller and his team finished the season with a 7-3 record and clinched the 7-seed out of Division 1 Region 2. The top 8 teams in each region host their first round matchups. It will be the first time in Fairmont Firebird history that they will host a playoff game.

 

The Wayne Warriors finished at 6-4 overall and are the 10-seed out of Division 1 Region 2. This will be a week 8 rematch between the two GWOC rivals. The Fairmont Firebirds were able to escape with a narrow 26-21 road win that came down to the final moments. This will be the first ever post season meeting between both programs.

Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) Playoff History

Fairmont Player To Watch: Senior Running Back Drew Baker

  • Keep an eye on the Firebirds all time leading rusher Drew Baker. Baker has tallied 3,455 total rushing yards in his career and is looking to continue to add to that total on Friday night. Baker has always had success running against the Warriors through out his high school career. Baker ran for 200 yards and two touchdowns vs Wayne in 2020, 230 yards and a touchdown in 2021, and 105 yards with two touchdowns in the Firebirds win over Wayne back in week 8. Drew Baker has rushed for a total of 535 yards and 5 touchdowns in his career against the Warriors.

Wayne Warriors Player To Watch: Sophomore QB Tyrell Lewis

  • The scariest part about Warriors quarterback Tyrell Lewis is that he’s only a sophomore. He is going to be a problem for opposing schools in the Miami Valley for years to come. Lewis finished second in the GWOC in passing yards with 2,288 yards and 14 touchdowns. The star QB is also dangerous with his legs as he tallied 7  more touchdowns on the ground. Lewis completed 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 243 yards and two touchdowns against the Firebirds back in week 8. The passing game is strong for the Warriors thanks to Lewis who threw at least one touchdown in 8 of their 10 games this season and was responsible for at least one touchdown in 9 of the Warriors 10 games as well.