The South Range football team has been on a roll since the season kicked off.

The Raiders are undefeated, and they’ve beaten every opponent by at least 19 points. Well, every opponent but one.

Poland and South Range met in Beaver Township on Sept. 27. That night, Poland stormed back with a 16-point fourth quarter. The Bulldogs were unable to recover the onside kick and fell 38-30, but tonight is an opportunity to right that wrong on their resume.

South Range and Poland will square off in a rematch at Boardman Spartan Stadium, this time with a regional championship on the line.

“They always say it’s hard to be a team twice, especially when it was a close game,” said Aidan Dominguez, South Range’s running back and linebacker.

Raiders coach David Rach and Poland coach Tom Pavlansky both said there have been some changes over the course of the last couple months, but the core of their teams are the same.

“Our playmakers haven’t changed, their playmakers haven’t changed. In terms of our identities, our identities haven’t changed,” Pavlansky said.

Both teams expect another tight ballgame. And Pavlansky said his unit is preparing for “the highs and lows” that come with playing a challenging opponent.

He said his team showed its ability to continue playing its game through the ebbs and flows during the regular season clash.

“We gotta embrace that, be ready to go and be the best version of ourselves,” Pavlansky said. “Give ourselves a chance when we get into the fourth quarter, and hopefully, it will be a tight ballgame.”

On Sept. 27, the Bulldogs had the edge in first downs (19 to 11), rushing yards (261 to 145), passing yards (159 to 95) and total yards (420 to 240). However, the Raiders intercepted Poland quarterback Vito Komara twice and returned a blocked kick 13 yards to tie the game at 14 in the second quarter.

Pavlansky said the difference in the game will come down to execution.

“Whoever wins the game will come down to the turnover battle, who can eliminate negative plays, going to be sound in special teams,” Pavlansky said.

There are only three local teams alive, and Ursuline takes on Gilmour Academy tonight on Ravenna’s blue turf. So regardless of who wins tonight, the area is guaranteed at least one team in the state semifinals.

For South Range, it would be its first regional championship since winning the state title in 2022. As for Poland, it would be the Bulldogs’ first regional title since 2019.

“I think it speaks volumes about the caliber of football being played in Mahoning County and in the valley right now,” Rach said. “You have two teams duking it out, Week 14, right up the road from each other with a state final four ticket on the line.”