What’s a Harbin and why do I care?

Chris Himonidis
WeAreColerain.com

You care because the “harbins” determine who makes the playoffs in Ohio. Not conference championships or simply W’s and L’s, but the Harbin Rating determines who makes it to week 11 and who turns in their equipment the first week of November. Colerain has made the playoffs 12 times since their inception in 1973, all coming during the Coombs and Bolden years. Currently, Colerain has made the playoffs 9 consecutive years (2000-2008). Without a doubt, that streak is in serious jeopardy this year.

As a recap, Colerain plays in Region 4 in Ohio’s Division I classification. Region 4 includes teams from the Cincinnati and Dayton areas. In order to qualify for the playoffs, the Cardinals must win enough games to garner enough computer generated Harbin points to finish in the top 8 teams in Region 4, which currently has 31 teams.
To see how the Harbins are calculated, go here:
OHSAA Website - Harbin Calculations
To see where Colerain currently sits in the harbin calculations, go here:
Joe Eitel.com - 2009 Region 4 standings

Despite media reports all last week to the contrary, the win over Middletown last Friday night at the Cage did NOT qualify the Cardinals for the playoffs. It helped their position significantly, but did not clinch a spot. In order for that to happen, several things need to take place. Below is a"cheat sheet" for the Colerain Cardinal faithful to keep in mind when scoreboard watching on Friday night.

A - Colerain MUST beat Oak Hills Friday night. Lose…and the season is over.
And
B - ONE of the following MUST happen:
1) Hamilton (2-7) defeats Fairfield (5-4)
2) Springfield (6-3) defeats Wayne (6-3)
3) East (3-6) over West (8-1)
4) Fairmont (4-5) over Centerville (7-2)
5) Princeton (5-4) over Middletown (8-1)
6) Sycamore (2-7) over Mason (2-7) AND Sidney (4-5) over Troy (5-4)
7) Dupont Manual (4-5) over Male (7-2) AND one of the two
.... a) Sycamore (2-7) over Mason (2-7)
.... b) Sidney (4-5) over Troy (5-4)

So…what does it all mean? It means that Colerain needs to take care of business on Friday night and then scoreboard watch. Not a comfortable position to be in but given the fact that this team started the year 0-2, it is an amazing feat to even be in this position. The Cardinals have been playing “elimination” football for 8 weeks knowing that one more loss would end their post-season hopes and end a 9-year playoff run.

Congratulations to the coaching staff and the players who have rattled off 7 straight wins under that level of pressure. It says a tremendous amount about the grit, determination and heart of this program. Hopefully one more win will reset the record to 0-0 and get them ready for a trip to either Moeller or St. Xavier on Saturday November 7.

Good luck this Friday night on ending the season with a perfect record in the GMC and at least a share of the GMC crown for the 10th year in a row!

WE ARE…COLERAIN!!