Few are the times when two reigning state champions meet up in a playoff game the following year. But that’s what will happen on Nov. 22 when Perry and Glenville meet for the Division IV, Region 17 championship game at Nordonia’s Boliantz Stadium. The game pits the defending Division IV state champion Tarblooders (10-3) against the reigning Division V state champion Pirates (12-1), who bumped up from Division V to Division IV by the slimmest of margins. Perry is the smallest Division IV team in the state per OHSAA enrollment figures. One less boy in the school and Perry would be defending its Division V state title, not knocking heads with the two-time reigning Division IV state champion Tarblooders. Related Articles 2024 Ohio high school football regional finals pairings, sites High school football: 2024 North Coast Conference awards announced High school scoreboard for Nov. 15 PHOTOS: Perry vs. Streetsboro football, Nov. 15, 2024 PHOTOS: Lake Catholic vs. Glenville football, Nov. 15, 2024 The Perry-Glenville game is one of four regional finals involving area teams on Nov. 22, the others being: • Mentor (13-0) vs. St. Edward (8-5) in the Division I, Region 1 championship game, which will be held at Bedford’s Bearcat Stadium. • Gilmour (12-1) vs. Youngstown Ursuline (12-1) in the Division III, Region 9 championship game, which will be played at Ravenna’s Portage Community Bank Stadium. • Kirtland (13-0) vs. Dalton (10-3) in the Division VI, Region 21 championship game, which will be played at North Royalton’s Serpentini Stadium. There are 28 regional championship games being played on Nov. 22, with winners advancing to next weekend’s state final four showdowns. But only one features two teams that hoisted state championship banners. That’s the Perry-Glenville showdown. “They have the best defense I’ve seen in 10 years as a head coach,” Perry coach Bob Gecewich said. “I take that back. That’s the best defense I’ve seen since I coached — period. That takes you across all seven divisions in Ohio and out of state.” Prior to coming to Perry, Gecewich was head coach at Dublin Jerome and also was an assistant for two Marion Local state championship teams. He also coached at schools in Tennessee and South Carolina in the past. “It’s going to be a huge challenge, obviously,” Gecewich said of the game against Glenville. “They’re back-to-back champions for a reason. Despite what news writers say, they’re the No. 1 team in the state in Division IV.” Glenville was ranked 11th in the final Associated Press poll of the season. The Tarblooders come into the Perry game with three losses, but those losses are to Division I Olentangy Liberty and Division II powerhouses Avon and Akron Hoban. All three of those teams are playing for regional titles this week. While Glenville dispatched the state’s top-ranked (via the AP poll) Division IV team last week with a 28-0 win over Lake Catholic, Perry bounced previously undefeated Streetsboro, 45-21. The win comes a week after the Pirates slipped past Struthers, 3-0. “Points isn’t the issue,” Gecewich said referring to the low-scoring game against Struthers. “The issue is wanting our kids to perform at their ability level. I think we came closer to that on Friday (against Streetboro).” Gecewich said he is pleased with how his team has practiced and played this season, not resting on the laurels of last year’s state championship. Perry’s only loss this season is a 22-21 triple-overtime loss to Kirtland in Week 3. “I think a lot of it is our kids are naturally in the moment,” he said. “We don’t talk about anyone but the next opponent. Usually, we just talk about us and what we need to do in the context of our next opponent. Our kids do a really good job of (not looking ahead). I felt like that last year and I feel like it this year. We look at every game as an opportunity.” While the Perry-Glenville matchup is unique, so is the Gilmour-Ursuline Division III, Region 9 title bout. The Lancers, fresh off of a 35-28 win over CVCA in a semifinal game, will be playing in their first regional championship game in program history. They’ll do so with 12 wins under their belt, which is also a program record. The other two area games feature familiar foes. Mentor and St. Edward have not played since 2021. The Eagles defeated the Cardinals in regular-season games in both 2020 and 2021. But Mentor defeated St. Edward twice in 2019 — 29-28 in the regular season and 36-35 (in overtime) in a regional title game in 2019. The Kirtland-Dalton matchup is a rematch of a season-opener won by the Hornets, 55-34. Kirtland also defeated Dalton, 14-7 in last year’s season-opener en route to the 2023 Division VI state title, while Dalton ended last season as the Division VII state runner-up.