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Roll Red Roll ringing out

Three words that carry so much meaning make up the phrase of the hour for many local residents, those who live across our region and even those who live in all parts of our nation and in many areas of the globe:

Roll Red Roll.

Those words are the rallying cry of the Steubenville Big Red Nation and are certain to be heard far and wide Friday, especially around 3 p.m. in Ohio Stadium in Columbus. That’s when the Big Red football team will meet Columbus Bishop Hartley in the Ohio Division IV championship game.

Big Red will carry a 13-1 record into the contest, while Bishop Hartley will check into the contest at 12-2. The game will bring an end to a grueling five-week playoff run for both schools. Each playoff game carried a stark reality — a win guaranteed nothing more than the chance to play another week, while a loss would have brought an otherwise successful season to a close.

Friday’s game will feature two of the elite programs in Ohio. Big Red, for instance, has an all-time post-season record of 61-23, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

The team has claimed state titles in 1984, 2005 and 2006, while Bishop Hartley has won state crowns in 1986, 2010 and 2015.

That most recent title for Bishop Hartley adds to the intrigue of Friday’s contest: Its opponent in last December’s title game was Big Red, and Bishop Hartley claimed a 31-28 win, which certainly will be on the minds of the Steubenville faithful on Friday.

Big Red fans travel to see their team play as good as, if not better than, fans of any other school in Ohio, and that means there will be a significant red-and-black contingent making the trip to Columbus. Even more impressive, it’s a given that fans wearing the colors of Catholic Central, Indian Creek, Toronto, Edison, Harrison, Buckeye Local — all area schools, in fact — will be in the stands, showing their support for their friends and neighbors.

We remind you again that we don’t like to make predictions about the outcome of sporting events. What we are confident in, however, is that the Big Red football team is heading to Columbus with the support of our community, and that the phrase Roll Red Roll will be heard loud and clear.

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