Lewis Center Olentangy Orange 28, Cincinnati St. Xavier 14
CANTON, Ohio - Levi Davis, Lucas Fickel and MC Walker powered a three-pronged offensive attack that rolled up 403 total yards and led Lewis Center Olentangy Orange to a 28-14 win over Cincinnati St. Xavier in the 2025 Division I state championship game.
Davis completed 10 of 18 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns and ran 14 times for 93 yards and a score. Fickel ran 31 times for 133 yards and a touchdown and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, while Walker caught five passes for 123 yards and a score.
Olentangy Orange finished a perfect 15-0 and won its first state title in its first trip to the state championship game. St. Xavier (11-3) finished runner-up for the fourth time to go along with four state titles (2005, 2007, 2016, 2020).
Olentangy Orange’s Zane Konczak intercepted St. Xavier quarterback Jackson Frey on the third play of the game. Orange then drove to the St. Xavier 9-yard line before turning the ball over on downs, but the Pioneers scored touchdowns on each of their next four possessions and led by as many as 21 points, 28-7, midway through the third quarter.
Davis scored the game’s first touchdown, a 2-yard run over the right end on fourth-and-goal on the first play of the second quarter.
St. Xavier responded with its best possession of the half, an eight-play, 73-yard drive that culminated in Jake Britt’s 39-yard touchdown run that tied the score.
Davis threw touchdown passes on Olentangy Orange’s next two drives, 4 yards to MC Walker and 15 yards to Lucas Fickel, the second of which came just 13 seconds before halftime.
Orange out-gained St. Xavier 247-98 in the first half and ran 36 plays to St. Xavier’s 21 in the opening 24 minutes.
Orange scored a fourth straight touchdown to open the second half, going 86 yards in 11 plays with the second half kickoff. Fickel scored his second touchdown, a 4-yard run, and the point-after extended Orange’s lead to 28-7 midway through the third quarter.
Olentangy Orange punted for the only time early in the fourth quarter, and St. Xavier covered 92 yards in 15 plays, the last of which was a 12-yard touchdown pass from Frey to Aidan Newdigate. Olentangy Orange recovered the onside kick and ran the ball on 10 consecutive plays to erase the final 5:02 off the clock.
Frey completed 17 of 27 passes for 114 yards, a touchdown and an interception for St. Xavier. Britt was St. Xavier’s leading rusher and receiver; he ran for 45 yards and a score on four carries and caught seven passes for 40 yards.
Defensively, Brennan Kesler led Olentangy Orange with eight tackles including two sacks. St. Xavier’s Kobe Clapper made 15 tackles, tied for the fifth most in state championship game history across all divisions.
Avon 37, Cincinnati Anderson 20
CANTON, Ohio - Blake Elder completed 12 of 18 passes for 216 yards and four touchdowns and Quiante Smith ran 31 times for 180 yards and a score to lead Avon to a 37-20 win over Cincinnati Anderson and its second straight Division II state championship.
Avon (14-1) is the first repeat Division II state champion since Akron Archbishop Hoban in 2017 and 2018. The Eagles have won 30 of 31 games over the past two seasons.
Anderson (14-1) was making its fourth championship game appearance. The Raptors have finished runner-up three times (2008, 2024, 2025) to go along with a Division II state title in 2007.
Elder’s four touchdown passes, all of which came in the first half, tied a Division II state championship game. His counterpart, Anderson’s Owen Scalf, set Division II championship game records for completions and passing yards; he finished 32 of 47 for 376 yards and two touchdowns.
Elder’s four first-half touchdown passes went to four different players and staked Avon to a 27-7 halftime lead.
After punting on the game’s opening possession, Elder threw touchdown passes on three straight drives to put Avon up 21-0. He threw a 15-yard TD pass to Finn Jerdonek, a 22-yarder to Caden Clapham and a 7-yarder to Caeden Bennett while Anderson punted and turned the ball over on downs three times on its first four drives.
Trailing 21-0, Scalf hooked up with Cooper Kathman on a 43-yard pass play and two plays later scored on a 1-yard plunge to cap a 7-play, 77-yard drive that took just 1:36 and got Anderson on the scoreboard.
Elder responded with his fourth touchdown pass of the half, 37 yards to Grant Barr, three minutes later to send Avon into halftime in front 27-7.
Anderson took the second half kickoff 80 yards in nine plays, with Scalf tossing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brayden Martin on fourth-and-1. The point-after cut Avon’s lead to 27-13.
Anderson’s defense then forced a turnover on downs, but Avon’s Jairel Fenton made a diving interception of a Scalf pass on the ensuing possession and Quiante Smith score on a 6-yard run on fourth-and-1 and extend Avon’s lead to 34-13.
Scalf’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Tysin Weaver on the first play of the fourth quarter drew Anderson back within 34-20, but Avon answered with a 30-yard Jensen Petro field goal with 7:16 left that set the final margin, 37-20.
The teams combined for 827 yards of offense. Avon finished with 433 (217 rushing, 216 passing) while 376 of Anderson’s 394 yards came through the air.
Smith carried the ball 18 times for 119 yards in the second half alone. Elder’s 12 receptions were spread around to six different receivers.
Weaver was Scalf’s top target, tying a Division II championship game record with 11 catches. He finished with 125 yards and a score. Kathman caught seven passes for 114 yards for Anderson.
Columbus Bishop Watterson 30, Toledo Central Catholic 0
CANTON, Ohio - Columbus Bishop Watterson is a back-to-back state champion after defeating Toledo Central Catholic, 30-0, in the Division III state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Bishop Watterson (14-0) was making its third consecutive state championship appearance and its eighth overall appearance. The Eagles won state titles in 2024, 2010 and 2002 and were runners-up in 2023, 2001, 1999 and 1972.
Central Catholic (11-5) finished runner-up for the second consecutive season and its third runner-up overall (2015). The Fighting Irish won titles in 2023, 2022, 2014, 2012 and 2005.
After forcing an opening drive punt, Bishop Watterson went on an eight-play, 90-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Jack McCoy. Quarterback Drew Bellisari was a perfect 3-for-3 for 82 yards on the opening drive with completions of 30 and 35 yards to Nate Henderson and Caden Mangini, respectively.
Bishop Watterson forced another punt and was set up on the Central Catholic 31-yard line after Henderson broke off a 39-yard punt return. The Eagles found the end zone for the second time with a 5-yard passing touchdown from Drew Bellisari to Joe Hayes with 3:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Central Catholic intercepted Drew Bellisari twice in the second quarter, the first by Jerome Davis V at the Central Catholic 25-yard line and the second by Keyon Robinson at the Central Catholic 18-yard line. The Fighting Irish were not able to capitalize on the turnovers and punted to Bishop Watterson with 1:10 left in the half.
Bishop Watterson drove 56 yards in 53 seconds to set-up Eli Eagen for a 28-yard field goal which gave the Eagles a 17-0 lead going into half.
Bishop Watterson received the second half kickoff and on the first play Drew Bellisari completed a 45-yard pass to Carter Bellisari that put the Eagles at the 10-yard line. A holding penalty brought up a 3rd and goal from the 18-yard line when Davis V picked off Drew Bellisari for the second time.
Central Catholic put together their best drive of the game to get to midfield but turned it over on downs which set up Bishop Watterson to go on a 7-play, 47-yard scoring drive in which McCoy scored his second rushing touchdown, this time from 13 yards out with 3:07 to play in the third quarter.
Four of the next five drives ended in interceptions with Central Catholic quarterback Ali Beydoun being intercepted three times and Bishop Watterson’s Drew Bellisari once. The final Beydoun interception was returned for a touchdown by Carter Bellisari from 35 yards out.
Beydoun finished 14-for-36 for 150 yards while Jeremiah Fuller led Central Catholic in rushing with 34 yards on 12 carries.
Drew Bellisari completed 13 of 22 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown while also leading Bishop Watterson in rushing with 39 yards on 14 attempts.
Defensively, Bishop Watterson was led by Kaden Jones with nine tackles and Michael Boyle with six tackles, a pass break-up and three QB hits. The Eagles forced four turnovers.
Central Catholic was led by Keyon Robinson who had nine tackles and an interception. Zenaje Liggons added three tackles, one-half sack and an interception.
Bishop Watterson out-gained Central Catholic 348-179.
Cleveland Glenville 45, Shelby 7
CANTON, Ohio - Cleveland Glenville is a state champion for the third time in four years after defeating Shelby, 45-7, in the Division IV state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Glenville (12-3) improved to 3-2 all-time in state championship games. The Tarblooders won state titles in 2022 and 2023 and were runners-up in 2009 and 2013.
Shelby (14-1) finished runner-up after making its first appearance in a football state championship game.
The game was scoreless until late in the first quarter, when Glenville’s Jaquan Gibson returned a Shelby punt 92 yards for the game’s first touchdown. Gibson’s punt return was the longest for a score in state championship game history regardless of division.
Shelby drew even on the next possession. Luke Blevins’ 17-yard run on a misdirection play moved the ball inside the 1-yard line, and Michael Shepherd scored from there on a quarterback sneak to cap a five-play 58-yard scoring drive just two plays into the second quarter.
Glenville broke the game open over the final 10 minutes of the first half, scoring 17 straight points while holding Shelby’s offense to a pair of three-and-outs and building a 24-7 halftime lead.
Eniere Lemon kicked a 34-yard field goal and Chris Newell scored twice on runs of 14 and 6 yards for Glenville as the Tarblooders out-gained Shelby 184-25 in the second period.
While Newell scored twice, Romell Phillips led Glenville with 119 rushing yards on 10 carries in the first half. Glenville rushed for 177 yards before halftime and held a 199-41 edge in total yards in the first half.
Arvell Nelson completed just 6 of 17 passes for 90 yards, but he connected with Lemon (5 yards) and Joseph Saffold (31 yards) on touchdown throws in the second half. Jaylen Edwards’ 65-yard punt return in the fourth quarter set up Glenville’s final touchdown, a 14-yard run by Uriah Webber.
Phillips finished with 133 yards on 14 carries for Glenville. Newell ran for 81 yards on nine carries.
Defensively, Glenville limited Shelby to 27 total yards—the fewest in state championship game history, regardless of division—and posted 10 tackles for a loss of yardage, including five sacks. Kaylon Bailey posted five total tackles, including three sacks. Seven different Glenville players were in on a tackle for a loss of yardage.
Liberty Center 35, Wheelersburg 3
CANTON, Ohio - Liberty Center is a state champion for the second time, using a ground-based, clock-controlling offense to defeat Wheelersburg, 35-3, in the Division V state championship game.
Liberty Center (15-0) completed a perfect season and won its first state title since 1997 after finishing as the state runner-up both of the last two seasons.
Wheelersburg (14-1) finished runner-up for the first time to go along with state championships in 1989 and 2017.
Liberty Center ran the ball 47 times for 216 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns and a held a 31:23-16:37 edge in time of possession. Wheelersburg was held to 33 total plays and 143 total yards of offense.
Thomas Mohler ran 14 times for 95 yards and a touchdown and Garrison Kruse ran 22 times for 84 yards and two scores for Liberty Center. Kaden Kreinbrink complemented the rushing attack by completing 8 of 12 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jaxton Lawniczak.
After punting on the game’s opening possession, Liberty Center scored touchdowns on each of its next three drives to build a 21-3 halftime lead.
Mohler opened the scoring on a 1-yard run with 2:06 left in the first quarter. The touchdown capped an 11-play, 61-yard drive that was keyed by Kreinbrink’s 34-yard pass to Isaiah Badenhop on first-and-20 from midfield.
Wheelersburg gained just 10 yards and punted on the ensuing possession, and just over a minute later Liberty Center scored again when Kreinbrink and Lanwniczak connected on a 44-yard touchdown pass. Lawniczak caught the short throw, broke two tackles and outran the secondary to the end zone.
Cooper Heimbach’s 45-yard field goal got Wheelersburg on the scoreboard with 8:41 left in the first half, but the Wheelersburg offense would not touch the ball again until just 3 seconds remained in the half. Liberty Center held the ball for 8:27, driving 72 yards in 18 plays, the last of which was a 16-yard touchdown reception by Lawniczak that saw him haul in an over-the-shoulder catch and tap his left foot inbounds in the end zone.
Liberty Center ran the ball on the first 15 plays of the drive and converted a pair of fourth-down attempts to extend the march.
In addition to a 21-3 lead on the scoreboard, Liberty Center held a 214-82 edge in total yards and 16:31-7:29 advantage in time of possession at halftime.
The teams traded punts to open the second half, and Kruse capped Liberty Center’s second possession with a 7-yard touchdown run. Max Walker’s fourth point-after gave Liberty Center a 28-3 lead with 5:26 left in the third quarter.
Mohler intercepted a Wheelersburg pass in the end zone on the next possession, and Liberty Center drained another 8:17 off the clock with a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Kruse erased the final 3 yards to score his second touchdown of the night. Twelve plays on the drive were runs; the lone pass was an 18-yard completion on third-and-7 from the Wheelersburg 41.
Kaden Sonnenberg, Lawniczak and Kruse all had five tackles to lead a Liberty Center defense that allowed just seven first downs. Walker made four tackles, including two for a loss of yardage.
Wheelersburg quarterback Braylon Rucker completed 6 of 13 passes for 94 yards. Kenyon Evans led the Wheelersburg defense with a game-high 11 tackles.
Kirtland 41, Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 6
CANTON, Ohio — John Silvestro rushed for four touchdowns as Kirtland defeated Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 41-6 to claim its eighth state title in the Division VI state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Kirtland (15-0) was making its 14th state championship appearance, all in the last 15 seasons, with previous titles coming in 2023, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015, 2013 and 2011.
Hopewell-Loudon (13-2) was making its third state championship appearance, finishing as runner-up in 2008 and 2007.
Kirtland received the opening kick and marched down the field on a 9-play, 60-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown run from Silvestro.
After turning Hopewell-Loudon over on downs, Kirtland drove 85 yards and Silvestro scored a 4-yard rushing touchdown to take a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
With 0:52 to play until halftime, Jack Colatruglio intercepted Kirtland quarterback Jake LaVerde. Hopewell-Loudon drove down to the Kirtland 36-yard line but with five seconds remaining in the half, Jacoby Ellis was intercepted by Mario Lorber and Kirtland took a 14-0 lead into half.
On Kirtland’s first drive of the second half, Silvestro broke off a 57-yard rush to the 3-yard line where he scored his third rushing touchdown of the game.
Kirtland regained possession following a Hopewell-Loudon punt and on the second play of the drive Silvestro rushed for a 62-yard touchdown, his last and longest score of the day.
Hopewell-Loudon got on the board with 2:31 left in the third quarter courtesy of an 8-yard rushing touchdown from Kellen Frankart. Frankart rushed for 37 yards on the drive.
Kirtland added two more touchdowns, a Ty Bledsoe 10-yard rushing touchdown with 20 seconds left in the third quarter, and a LaVerde 3-yard rushing touchdown with 2:13 to play in the fourth quarter.
Silvestro tied the Division VI championship record with four rushing touchdowns. The Kirtland tailback rushed for 255 yards on 19 carries for an average of 13.4 yards per carry.
Also leading the way for Kirtland was Jake LaVerde who was 2-for-3 passing for 37 yards and rushed 14 times for 122 yards. Hopewell-Loudon was led by running back Kellen Frankart who carried the ball 19 times for 113 yards.
LaVerde led Kirtland in tackles with ten, while Hopewell-Loudon was led by Aiden Ewald who registered 13 tackles, including one for loss.
St. Henry 37, Jeromesville Hillsdale 3
CANTON, Ohio - St. Henry quarterback Charlie Werling accounted for 228 total yards and four touchdowns to lead his team to a 37-3 win over Jeromesville Hillsdale in the Division VII state championship game.
Werling ran 19 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns and completed 4 of 9 passes for 50 yards and a score.
St. Henry (14-1) won its seventh state title (1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2004, 2006, 2025) and improved to 7-2 all-time in state championship games. Hillsdale (13-2) finished as the state runner-up for the second straight year.
St. Henry's championship is the 45th football state title for the Midwest Athletic Conference. The league has produced at least one state champion each of the last seven seasons and 21 times in 23 seasons dating back to 2003.
St. Henry turned the ball over on downs to start the game, then proceeded to score touchdowns on five of its next six possessions.
Werling carried three times for 27 yards before Will Speck scored the game’s first touchdown on a 26-yard run with 3:33 left in the first quarter. On the final play of the quarter, Kael Lewis connected with Hayden McFadden for a 46-yard gain that gave Hillsdale first-and-goal and led to Brock Bower’s 23-yard field goal.
On the first snap following the kickoff, Werling rushed off right tackle and scored on a 70-yard run. His two-point conversion run extended St. Henry’s lead to 16-3 with 10:50 left in the second quarter.
St. Henry’s defense held Hillsdale to 17 net yards on its next three possessions, while Werling scored on a 23-yard run and threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Speck to build a 30-3 halftime lead.
St. Henry started its first drive of the second half at the Hillsdale 32-yard line after Drew Langenkamp blocked a Hillsdale punt. Werling carried the ball on six straight plays, including a 1-yard touchdown plunge that made it 37-3 with 6:44 left in the third quarter.
Speck ran nine times for 77 yards and a score and caught two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown for St. Henry. Anderson Kramer finished with a game-high 14 tackles.
Lewis completed 14 of 21 passes for 130 yards for Hillsdale. McFadden caught three passes for 75 yards, Owen Sloan caught three for 25 yards and Bower caught three for 6 yards. Sloan also led the Hillsdale defense with 10 tackles.