The Ashland Eagles are back in the NCAA Division II football playoffs, their first postseason berth under second-year head coach Doug Geiser.
Ashland earned its spot in the 28-team bracket by winning the Great Midwest Athletic Conference outright, overcoming an 0-2 start to the season. The Eagles will hit the road to face the University of Charleston Saturday afternoon in West Virginia as part of the opening round of games.
After dropping a pair of games to Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Ferris State, Ashland ripped off seven straight wins, including a 41-21 triumph over 20th-ranked Findlay on Oct. 12. A 24-10 upset loss to Walsh two weeks later added an extra challenge, but a 44-30 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan last Saturday clinched the G-MAC as well as the automatic playoff berth for the Eagles. Sophomore Ty'aris Stevenson ran for 185 yards and five touchdowns on the afternoon.
Though talented on both sides of the ball, Ashland's saving grace this season has been its defense, which features five All-G-MAC honorees and has allowed a league-best 18.2 points per game. Senior Jeffrey Barnett leads the group with 7 1/2 sacks, junior Michael Shimek added 6 1/2 along with 12 1/2 tackles for loss, and senior Devin Prude has shut down receivers all season long in the defensive backfield.
The squad's 8-3 record helped earn Geiser G-MAC Coach of the Year honors, highlighting his success in maintaining the program's high standards. The Wooster area native was an Eagles assistant for 19 years before being promoted to head coach in January of 2023, succeeding Owens after 137 wins and six postseason berths.
This will be Ashland's ninth D-II playoff appearance since 1986, yet despite its track record of success, the team has never advanced past the second round, and only reached the round of eight that first time by virtue of the bracket including just eight teams. The Charleston Golden Eagles enter this weekend's clash ranked sixth in the nation with an 11-0 record, and Mountain East Player of the Year Chavon Wright has put on a clinic with 2,009 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns. Quinn Sanders was also named the conference's Coach of the Year.
Kickoff for the first-round matchup is set for Friday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. The winner will face either East Stroudsburg or PennWest California in the second round.
