Princeton takes a 10-0 record and the No. 1 seed into the OHSAA Division I, Region 4 football playoffs, with a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the regional semifinals.

The Vikings finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in WLWT's Blitz 5 Top 25 final poll after beating Fairfield 38-14 on Oct. 23. Princeton averaged 42.3 points per game and allowed just 11.7 this season.

But the bracket is stacked. TriStateFootball.com analyst Danny Kuhn identified Region 4 as a gauntlet in their Oct. 27 playoff preview, noting the field includes Lakota West, Moeller, Elder, Winton Woods, St. Xavier and Lakota East.

Princeton will host the winner of No. 9 Middletown (6-4) at No. 8 Lebanon (7-3) in the second round on Nov. 6, according to the Canton Repository's published bracket. First-round games kick off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.

The other top seeds also received byes. No. 2 Elder (8-2) hosts the Springboro-Little Miami winner. No. 3 Lakota West (9-1) hosts the St. Xavier-Fairfield winner. No. 4 Archbishop Moeller (7-3) hosts the Winton Woods-Lakota East winner.

The contenders

Lakota West may be Princeton's toughest obstacle. The Firebirds lost to the Vikings 27-24 earlier this season in a Greater Miami Conference game, cleveland.com reported. Northwestern recruit Kenyon Norman rushed 32 times for 128 yards and a touchdown in that contest and has totaled 1,616 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. Iowa commit Reilly Newman anchors the offensive line, Purdue-bound cornerback Roman Combs leads a defense with six players who have at least two takeaways, and Louisville commit Xavier Ratica plays tight end.

Elder quarterback Kaden Estep, a Miami (Ohio) commit, has thrown for 2,523 yards and 26 touchdowns against three interceptions while adding 780 yards and eight touchdowns rushing, cleveland.com reported. The Panthers scored 30 or more points in all eight wins. Senior receiver Andrew Lyman's availability remains uncertain after his family reached an eligibility agreement with the OHSAA following a lawsuit. The OHSAA stated Lyman would be eligible for "additional games," but terms were not disclosed.

Moeller won the Greater Catholic League South behind sophomore quarterback Hunter McLaughlin (1,138 yards, 13 touchdowns, two interceptions) and sophomore running back Juice Glover-Brown (985 yards, 11 touchdowns). Four-star junior Jace Montgomery leads a big offensive line.

St. Xavier enters at 5-5, but the Bombers' five losses came against teams with a combined 38-9 record, cleveland.com noted. Coach Steve Specht's squad reached last year's state finals and closed the regular season with wins over La Salle and St. Ignatius before falling to out-of-state St. James Performance Academy.

Princeton's roster

The Vikings are loaded with college talent. Michigan commit Monsanna Torbert, who transferred from Taft and began the season at quarterback, has been used in multiple roles. Four-star junior receiver Lorenzo McMullen, senior running back Jordan Hall and Kentucky commit Jaylen Mercer at edge rusher headline the roster. Hall, a three-star prospect, committed to Penn State on Oct. 24.

Higher seeds host through the first three rounds. The Division I state championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.