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TORONTO -- Teams always want to peak at the end of the season.
The Toronto football team is doing just that.
After suffering through a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season, the Red Knights rallied to win their last three games by a combined score of 128-21.
Toronto defeated rival Catholic Central, 54-0, in the season finale Saturday night on Reno Saccoccia Field inside Harding Stadium to improve to 7-3 on the season and wrap up the No. 7 seed in the playoffs.
Toronto head coach Josh Franke said his team played a strong game against the Crusaders.
"Absolutely, the kids were running on full throttle," he said. "They executed. You look to have your team hitting its stride going into the playoffs, and we did that. It was exciting to see. It was one of those nights where everything was clicking. We were playing at a high level."
As it turned it out, the Red Knights ended up having to forfeit the win due to playing an ineligible player, however, the playoff rankings, playoff pairings and computer points did not change as a result of the forfeit. The forfeit dropped Toronto's record to 6-4.
The boys from the Gem City are officially the No. 7 seed, and Toronto will take on No. 10 seed Lucas at 7 p.m. Friday night at Clarke Hinkle Field in an Ohio Division VII Region 25 first round game.
Toronto knew a win on the field against Catholic Central would wrap up a home game for the Red Knights. That served as a motivating factor for the Red-and-White going into the game.
"Absolutely, our kids knew what we were playing for. We knew we had the opportunity to get a home playoff game with a win.
"Lucas is a bit of a hike. They are going to be on the bus for 2:45 to three hours. That can be taxing when you have a long day of school, and then you have to jump on a bus and go play a football game. That can definitely impact you performance on the field. It is great that we are able to host a home playoff game."
Toronto's schedule proved to be set up perfectly for the team this season as it allowed the Knights to bounce back from their rough stretch.
"That is the way the schedule is set up," Franke said. "It is set up to get your feet under you. Then when you get to the midseason point you have some tests to gauge where you are at for a playoff run. Then at the end of the season, you play smaller schools. You play schools that are a similar size, and you get a chance to get healthy so you can make a successful run in the playoffs."
The Cubs enter the playoffs sporting a 4-6 record, and the visitors from Richland County have lost five out of their last six games.
"Lucas plays a very, very difficult schedule," Franke said. "They play a lot of really good teams. They lost two to undefeated teams and two teas with just one loss. Their record does not reflect the type of team they are.
"They play Mogadore, which is a perennially good team. They have a rich tradition.
"They are a very difficult team to prepare for. They have tough kids. They have a rich history. They are a tough team."
Lucas opened the season by winning three of its first four games before falling some rough times as of late.
Clear Fork (9-1) opened the season by defeating Lucas, 21-20, however, the Orange-and-Black rebounded to defeat Hillsdale (6-4), 14-13, Wynford (2-8), 42-14 and Mapleton (6-4), 42-14.
The down turn began in Week five as Lucas lost to Mogadore (9-0), 18-14, Crestview (10-0), 31-6, and Lima Central Catholic (6-4), 26-23.
The Cubs bounced back with a win in Week 8 as Lucas defeated Linden McKinley (3-6) before falling to Fort Loramie (8-2), 34-17, and Arlington (9-1), 29-21.
Lucas does most of its damage offensively on the ground.
"They run a unique offense you rarely see anymore," Franke said. "They run a double tight, double wing offense. They have splits in the line. They have one fullback in the backfield who lines up about one yard behind the quarterback. They are tight and compressed.
"It's just like a rugby scrum. They want to get behind that pile, they want to push that pile and they want one of their running backs to break out of that and get down the sideline."
While the Cubs use a rare offense, they run a basic defense.
"Defensively, they run a 3-4 defense," Franke said. "They will blitz some. They play two high safeties all the time. That makes hard to throw effectively down the field."
Lucas has solid special teams.
"They have a pretty good kicker," Franke said. "We have seen them attempt a couple of field goals. They do have some talented returners. We have seen them return some kicks. They coach them up hard. They have good special teams."
Toronto has the advantage when it comes to the return game.
"Absolutely, that is something we are looking to build off as we move forward," Franke said. "We have Zane (Kinsey) and Dom (Bouscher) returning kicks. We have Dom returning punts. We have Dom doing the rugby style punt. If he has the room, he can take off and pick up the first down."
The Red Knights have the advantage in the size department.
"We are lot bigger than they are," Franke said. "Their biggest guy is a little over 220 pounds. We definitely have the size advantage. They are very technical and are fundamentally sound. They fire off the ball. They are not very tall. Their tallest guy is 6-1.
"They fire off the ball, and they try to get under your pads. They try to gain leverage. Football is all about leverage. You can move people if you have the leverage. It is important that we stay low and not let them get that leverage."
Lucas runs a ball-control offense, and the Cubs eat up a lot of clock on offense. As a result, Toronto is going to have a limited of opportunities to have the ball and to score points.
"We are going to have to take care of the football," Franke said. "We are going to have to execute on offense. We are not going to have a lot of chances with the ball.
"With the way they run the ball in that tight formation, they get three yards, four yards, three yards at a time, and that chews up a lot of clock as they drive down the field. We are going to have to make the most of opportunities when we have the ball.
"Defensively, we are going to have to hold the line of scrimmage. The game is going to be won at the line of scrimmage. We are going to have to control the line. We are going to have to dig in our toes and our feet and hold the line."
Toronto is in good shape health-wise going into this game.
"We are as healthy as we have been since Week 1," Franke said. "We are fully healthy. We are feeling really good. We are where you want to be when you get to Week 11 of the season. We are excited about Friday night."