Articles

 

 

By Mike Dyer, Cincinnati WCPO-TV

 

The St. Xavier High School football team has earned its eighth state final appearance in program history.

 

The Bombers (11-2), ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Ohio rankings, are seeking their fifth state championship. This Friday night is the first time St. X has competed in a state final in Canton since 2007.

 

St. X won the 2020 state title at Fortress Obetz and the 2016 state championship at Ohio Stadium. The Bombers won the 2007 and 2005 state championships in Canton.

 

All four state championships have been earned under the leadership of head coach Steve Specht, a 1986 St. X graduate. Specht has a 4-0 record in state finals appearances.

 

Specht has a 197-79 record overall since becoming the St. X head coach for the start of the 2004 season. Specht became the program’s all-time wins leader this season on Sept. 12 after the Bombers’ 28-0 win over visiting Westerville North.

 

St. X, the No. 3 seed in Region 4 this season, has earned seven consecutive wins after back-to-back losses to Moeller and Elder in late September.

 

St. X was idle for two weeks after it defeated host Cleveland St. Ignatius Oct. 17. St. X had its regular-season finale opponent cancel a game the following week. Then, the Bombers earned a first-round bye in the postseason.

 

St. X rallied to defeat Elder 42-34 Nov. 21 in front of 22,374 fans at Paycor Stadium in a memorable regional final. The Bombers defeated Middletown 21-6 in a state semifinal at Welcome Stadium on Nov. 28.

 

St. X is led by several players including senior quarterback Jackson Frey, who has thrown for 2,401 yards and 25 touchdowns. Frey is the son of former Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey, a 1986 St. X graduate.

 

Defensively, St. Xavier’s stars include senior linebackers Aden Reeder (Michigan commit) and Kobe Clapper (Notre Dame).

 

By Frank DiRenna, Columbus Dispatch

 

Orange (14-0) will look to cap a perfect season when it takes on Cincinnati St. Xavier in the Division I state final Dec. 5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. It is also Orange’s first unbeaten regular season.

 

This will be the first meeting between the two schools.  

 

Playing in their first state semifinal, the Pioneers dominated Lakewood St. Edward 28-0 on Nov. 28 at Arlin Field in Mansfield to advance to the state title game. 

 

Running back Lucas Fickel rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries to lead Orange quarterback Levi Davis, an Ohio University commit, rushed for 78 yards and two TDs. Both are seniors. 

 

The Pioneers’ defense allowed just 188 yards. Orange pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Eagles 21-0. 

 

 

 

By Mike Dyer, Cincinnati WCPO-TV

 

The Anderson football team is undefeated for a second straight season entering the state final.

 

The Raptors (14-0) are facing Avon for a second straight season at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, too. Anderson was the 2024 state runner-up with a 15-1 record.

 

The Raptors have focused on returning to Canton throughout this calendar year. Anderson has conducted practice at 5:53 a.m. this season. The team starts seven minutes earlier than 6 a.m., due to the fact it lost to Avon by seven points (20-13) in the 2024 state final.

 

Anderson has earned 6,483 yards of offense this season. The Raptors average 44.3 points and 463.1 yards. The team has outscored opponents 620-190.

 

Anderson is in its fourth state final appearance. Anderson won the 2007 Division II state championship. The team was the Division II state runners-up in 2024 and 2008.

 

Anderson coach Evan Dreyer is in his 10^th year with the program. He has a 99-28 record at Anderson. Anderson is 42-3 from 2023-25. He has helped Anderson earn back-to-back outright Eastern Cincinnati Conference championships. Anderson has won 34 consecutive games against Greater Cincinnati opponents.

 

Anderson defeated Big Walnut 29-22 in a state semifinal Nov. 28 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus.

 

Anderson is led by several players including junior quarterback Owen Scalf, who has thrown for 4,584 yards and 39 touchdowns. Scalf enters the state final as No. 14 on the OHSAA’s list for most passing yards in a season (4,584). He is 53 yards away from tying his brother, former Anderson quarterback Griffin Scalf, who is No. 12 with 4,637 yards.

 

Defensively, Anderson’s stars include junior cornerback Ace Alston and junior linebacker Antwoine Higgins – both of whom are in the top three among the highest-ranked Ohio high school football players in the 2027 class by 247 Sports.

 

 

By Michael Burwell, Toledo Blade

 

For the fourth-consecutive season, Toledo Central Catholic (11-4) will be playing in the state final, including the third straight against Columbus Bishop Watterson in the Division III championship. The Fighting Irish are making their eighth championship game appearance overall, all in the last two decades under 26th-year head coach Greg Dempsey, and will be looking to win their sixth title.

 

Central Catholic won the Division II state championship in 2022, then knocked off Bishop Watterson 27-7 in 2023 before falling to the Eagles 19-14 last season.

 

Central Catholic started the 2025 campaign 0-3 with losses to Division II state semifinalist Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 17-14 in the season opener, followed by setbacks to Michigan powers Detroit Cass Tech (28-27) and Detroit Catholic Central (27-14), which squared off in Sunday’s Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 state final (42-19 Catholic Central win). The Fighting Irish won six of their final seven regular-season games, with their lone loss a 36-21 setback to eventual MHSAA Division 2 state champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.

 

Central Catholic rolled through Region 10 as the No. 6 seed by outscoring its four opponents 182-53, then used a 14-0 advantage in the fourth quarter to edge Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 21-20 in a Division III state semifinal.

 

Central Catholic has been led offensively this season by junior running back Jeremiah Fuller, who has more than 1,500 rushing yards and 28 total touchdowns (25 rushing), and senior tight end Preston Fryzel, who has nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns on 33 receptions. Fryzel, the Division III co-offensive player of the year in the Northwest District, is committed to continue his career at Notre Dame, while Division III Northwest District defensive player of the year Victor Singleton, Jr., a senior cornerback for Central Catholic, is committed to Texas A&M. Junior quarterback Ali Beydoun (2,000 passing yards, 18 touchdowns) has also been solid for Central Catholic and is coming off a three-touchdown performance in the state semifinal.

 

By Dave Purpura, The Columbus Dispatch

 

With a plethora of underclassmen starting or seeing considerable time a season ago, anyone thinking Watterson could be even more dominant this fall than it was during last year’s 16-0 run to the Division III state championship was justified.

 

And outside of the first 20 minutes of this season, the Eagles have been virtually untouchable in steamrolling their way to a third-consecutive final against Toledo Central Catholic.

 

Since falling behind eventual Division II state semifinalist Big Walnut 15-0, Watterson has outscored its opponents 607-74 with an efficient, multifaceted offense and a defense featuring only one senior starter in lineman Ryan Alvis.

 

With senior quarterback and Miami University commit Drew Bellisari (124-of-200 passing, 2265 yards, 29 touchdowns, four interceptions and 75 carries-658 yards, 11 TDs) spearheading the offense, Watterson has scored 30 or more points in all but one game and 41 or more each of the past eight weeks, including a 41-9 state semifinal win over Tipp City Tippecanoe.

 

The Eagles have outscored four playoff opponents 188-15.

 

Bellisari was Central District Offensive Player of the Year.

 

Senior Jack McCoy (141 carries-910 yards, 16 TDs) and junior Caden Mangini (74 carries-584 yards, seven TDs) lead the ground game. Bellisari’s top receiving target is his cousin, junior Carter Bellisari (71 catches-928 yards, 11 TDs).

 

Iowa State commit Pete Eglitis and senior classmate Blaise Strasbaugh anchor a stout offensive line.

 

A defense that has pitched three shutouts, including two in the playoffs and one in the Region 11 final against Steubenville, is led by linebacker Kaden Jones (98 tackles), Ben Uhlenhake (95 tackles) and Rocco Purcell (51 tackles) and linemen Michael Boyle (96 tackles, 42 for loss, 13 sacks) and Jack Schuler (43 tackles, eight sacks).

 

All are juniors.

 

Boyle is a two-time state wrestling champion who has committed to Ohio State, having won 165 as a freshman and 215 a season ago, and the Central District Defensive Player of the Year.

 

The secondary features two other juniors and OSU commits in baseball standout Nate Henderson and lacrosse state champion Joe Hayes.

 

Watterson is 77-30 in nine seasons under coach Brian Kennedy, a 1992 graduate of the school who played collegiately at Southern Methodist. This is the Eagles’ eighth all-time finals appearance.

 

 

By Matt Goul, Cleveland.com

 

Led by Mr. Football finalist and Ohio State linebacker recruit Cincere Johnson, Glenville seeks its third state championship in four years.

 

To get back to Canton, the Tarblooders had to get through defending champ Gnadenhutten Indian Valley and its own Mr. Football finalist in Grady Kinsey. Johnson and his teammates stopped Kinsey on a fourth-down run near the Glenville 20-yard line to preserve their trip back to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Johnson had 17 total tackles with four tackles for loss, a sack and two forced fumbles. He has repeatedly led the Tarblooders in tackles on this playoff run, which included a 35-7 victory against Perry in the Region 13 final, a 14-3 comeback vs. Lake Catholic and shutout of Salem.

 

Johnson had 112 tackles with 8 ½ sacks and 21 TFL in the regular season. Glenville played only nine games, and Johnson came out early in four of them during Senate League competition. The rest of Glenville’s schedule prepared it for this run, starting with an overtime win at Massillon before taking down defending Division I state champion Olentangy Liberty on the road. The Tarblooders also challenged defending Division II state champion Avon, which plays Thursday night in Canton, state semifinalist St. Edward and regional finalist Archbishop Hoban.

 

C.J. Newell is one of three Bowling Green recruits, including receivers Pauly Sadler and Joseph Saffold, who committed after the Tarblooders’ regional final victory vs. Perry.

 

A year ago, Newell rushed for 1,000 yards. This year, he moved back to concentrate on his defensive position. Newell started there as a sophomore for Glenville’s state-title run and played there in spots last year when coach Ted Ginn Sr. needed him to go both ways.

 

Newell is one of four third-year starters who emerged on that 2023 title team, including safety Aaron Scales, Johnson and Miami (Ohio) commit Marquis Whipple at guard. The Tarblooders have turned to Newell at times in the offensive backfield, while senior Romell Phillips and junior Da’Von McDougle have been the main ballcarriers. McDougle, who scored three touchdowns in the state semifinals, also plays linebacker and runs the football with a physical style and 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame to complement to the speedy Phillips.

 

Senior quarterback Arvell Nelson Jr. played at times two years ago as a sophomore. The job is his alone this year, as he compiled 2,002 yards from scrimmage during the regular season with 22 TDs.

 

They fell just short of a three-peat last year, as Sandusky Perkins stopped them late on a fourth down deep in scoring territory. They did the same Friday to Indian Valley to get back here.

 

By Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal

 

The Shelby Whippets are making the first OHSAA state football championship game appearance in program history. At 14-0, the Whippets own the program record for the most wins in a single season, and they did it in dominating fashion with 12 running-clock victories including four in the postseason alone where they won the program’s second regional championship joining the 2017 team.

 

The Whippets completed a second consecutive 10-0 regular season, something that hasn’t been done since 1967-68. They are led by Ohio Mr. Football finalist Brayden DeVito who has 12,801 passing yards in his career, good for No. 4 on the all-time list in Ohio high school football history. His 126 career touchdown passes is tied for eighth on the all-time list. He also had 4,530 rushing yards with 73 touchdowns and when adding his receiving and defensive scores, the United States Air Force Academy commit has 205 total touchdowns for his career.

 

The Whippets are just the third Richland County school to ever play for a football state championship joining Mansfield Senior and Lucas teams from 2019. Shelby is trying to become the first Richland County football program to win a state title in the playoff era. Shelby High School has made Final Four trips in three different sports in each of the last three athletic school years with this year’s football team joining the 2023-24 boys basketball and 2024 volleyball teams.

 

Liberty Center

By Aaron Gross, Defiance Crescent-News

 

Liberty Center (14-0) has reached the Division V state championship game for the third-consecutive year and has made the state semifinals four years in a row.
Having lost 21-14 in the 2023 D-V state final to Perry and 28-17 to Ironton in the 2024 state championship game, the Tigers are hungry to bring the second state championship home to a proud program.

 

The Tigers finished the regular season No. 1 in Division V on the backs of 45 straight regular-season victories and have outscored their opponents 668-74 this season behind a powerful rushing attack averaging 304.5 ypg.

 

Junior Garrison Kruse (123 carries, 1,830 yards, 30 TDs, 14.9 ypc, 16 catches, 235 yards, five TDs) and senior Thomas Mohler (128 carries, 1,087 yards, 15 TDs, 9.1 ypc) lead the charge in the run game while Kruse serves as a two-way standout with 100 tackles, 26 TFL, eight sacks, one interception and six passes defended to garner Division I college attention from the Mid-American Conference so far.

 

Kruse was named first team all-Northwest District at running back and Mohler first team at defensive back, garnering co-Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors, respectively. Hunter Spangler (6-4, 265, Sr.) was the district’s co-Lineman of the Year, joined on the first team by junior tackle Kellen Wymer (6-5, 270), who committed to Ohio State earlier this season.

 

Senior QB Kaden Kreinbrink (84-131, 1,486 yards, 19 TDs, four INTs) is in his first full year as starter after sharing time in last year’s state runner-up finish to lead the offense with big-play threats Jaxton Lawniczak (Jr., 24 catches, 569 yards, five TDs) and Ethan Gray (Jr., 25 catches, 388 yards, four TDs) at receiver.

 

Defensively, the Tigers have not allowed more than 14 points in any game this season with six shutouts. Along with Kruse, Gray (57 tackles, three INTs), Mohler (48 tackles, four INTs), Lawniczak (74 tackles, 19 TFL, seven sacks, two INTs), Spangler (34 tackles, 12 TFL, eight sacks), Max Walker (Sr., 93 tackles, 21 TFL, three sacks), and Logan Sifuentes (Sr., 46 tackles, 16 TFL, seven sacks) make up a stingy unit.

 

LC has reached the state title game six times in school history (1993, 1997, 1998) with a win over Amanda-Clearcreek in the 1997 D-V final and narrow losses in the 1993 state final (17-14 in OT vs. Steubenville Catholic Central) and state semis in 1999 (35-28 vs. St. Henry) and 2000 (31-30 vs. Bedford St. Peter Chanel). Tigers head coach Casey Mohler is 105-16 in nine years leading the LC program after serving as an assistant for 17 years prior to taking the job in 2017.

 

By Paul Boggs, The Ironton Tribune 

 

The Wheelersburg Pirates are playing in their third all-time state championship game, and attempt to go a perfect 3-for-3 as undefeated Wheelersburg plays fellow undefeated Liberty Center in the Division V final.

 

Both teams are 14-0, and were the top-seeded squads in their respective regions - with Wheelersburg winning Region 19 and Liberty Center doing the same in Region 18. Wheelersburg's 10-0 regular campaign was its 10th all-time undefeated season. 

 

The Pirates have won nine all-time regional championships, as this season was their first of such since a three-in-four year span in 2015, 2017 and 2018. They won the Division V state championship in 2017, as either Ironton or Wheelersburg representing the Southeast District has played for the Division V title in every year sans three (2016, 2021 and 2023) in the past decade. 

 

Ironton played for the championship in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024 - defeating Liberty Center 28-17 for its third all-time title last season. Wheelersburg and Ironton both won state championships in 1989. This is Wheelersburg's 37th all-time state playoff appearance, as 18-year head coach Rob Woodward is now 183-45 - having earlier this season surpassed the legendary Ed Miller for the most coaching victories in program history.

 

Woodward's playoff record is 38-15, as his Pirate teams starting in 2013 have qualified for the state playoffs each year - AND have reached at least the regional semifinals in each season. He was this season's Southeast District Division V Co-Coach of the Year, along with Rusty Richards of Nelsonville-York, as the Pirates pitched a 41-0 shutout of the Buckeyes in the Region 19 final.

 

Only Ironton's 15 points is the most allowed by the Pirates this season in a single game, for Wheelersburg dealt the defending Division V state champions their only loss - following quality wins over Division IV Cincinnati McNicholas (10-7) and Division III Jackson (17-7).

 

They swept through the Southern Ohio Conference Division II slate for their 38th all-time conference title, as all nine of the Pirates which made all-Southeast District Division V honors did so as first-team honorees. 

 

Those included Defensive Co-Player of the Year Ison Emnett (defensive line) and Lineman of the Year Ryan Meeker (offensive line). Other all-district first-teamers include placekicker Cooper Heimbach, quarterback Braylon Rucker, tight end Brady Doss, running back Elijah Brown, wide receiver Kenyon Evans, defensive back Hunter Henderson and linebacker Luke Kouns. Kouns is the only junior of the group, as the other eight are all seniors. 

 

 

By Matt Nye, Advertiser-Tribune

 

It hasn't been the easiest of seasons for Hopewell-Loudon (13-1) battling multiple key injuries and a rare SBC River loss during the regular season, but because of the adversity, H-L has prospered in the playoffs. Losing top wideout senior Jack Colatruglio for the first two games due to an injury and then losing do-it-all back junior Kellen Frankart in Week 4 for five weeks, other players have had to step up.

 

Now, with everyone back healthy, the Chieftains have made a run to the state title game, which is their third appearance, and first since 2008.

 

The H-L offense features a multitude of backs that carry the ball and a few that can throw it as well, as Frankart, senior Jaysin Cramer and junior Brody Brickman (29 total TDs) all have 100-plus carries for over 650 yards on the ground with a combined 34 touchdowns.

 

Junior quarterback Jacoby Ellis is 131 of 191 passing for 1,704 yards with 25 TDs and six picks. On defense, H-L is led by seniors Mason Reinhart (110 tackles, 3 sacks) and Aiden Ewald (105 tackles, 9 sacks), who lineman of the year in the NW District.

 

By John Kampf, Willoughby News-Herald

 

Kirtland is in the state championship game for the 14th time in the past 15 years. The Hornets are the first program in Ohio history to play in 14 finals in a 15-year span.

Coach Tiger LaVerde is in his 20th year at the helm. His career record at Kirtland is 258-21 (.924). He could go 0-10 for 23 years and still be seven games above .500. Six of those losses are in state final games. He is the third-fastest HS coach in high school football history to reach 200 wins with a single school, and his 92.4 winning percentage is the highest of any coach in OHSAA history (minimum 100 games coached).

With its win over Colonel Crawford last week, Kirtland improved to 14-0 in state semifinal games. The Hornets are 7-6 in state championship game.

This is only the fourth time Kirtland hasn't played a MAC school for a state title, the other years being 2013 (Haviland Wayne Trace), 2019 (Ironton) and 2020 (Ironton).

Kirtland does NOT have open enrollment, a badge of honor for Coach LaVerde and his program. He proudly notes "the same kids you see on Friday nights are the same kids who came through Kirtland Elementary."

Mary LaVerde, the coach's wife, started a tradition in 2011 to make breakfast the morning after the state semifinal win, but she doesn't shop for groceries until AFTER the state semi is over so as to not "jinx" the team.

Senior quarterback Jake LaVerde, the youngest of the coaches' four children, has passed for 3,130 and run for 3,062 yards. He's the first 3,000-3,000-player in program history.

Senior running back John Silvestro has run for 2,090 yards this season. He is the first player in program history to run for more than 2,000 yards in a season.

 

 

By Gary R. Rasberry, The (Celina) Daily Standard

 

The last time St. Henry hoisted a championship trophy, Josh Werling was a senior who played a key role to the program’s sixth state title. Nineteen years later, Werling is in his second year as head coach of his alma mater and will guide the team in an attempt to win title number seven.

 

After battling Marion Local to the wire in a 21-14 loss in Week Three, the Redskins have been on a tear, only allowing more than 13 points once (A 26-20 win over Versailles in Week 10) and avenged the earlier loss to Marion with a 24-7 win in the Region 24 final to snap the Flyers’ 76-game winning streak.

 

Quarterback Charlie Werling has been a catalyst this season, rushing for 1,770 yards and 32 touchdowns, setting the school record for career rushing touchdowns against Marion Local in scoring his 58th, 59th, 60th and 61st career touchdown in the win. Werling has also passed for 1,429 yards with 14 touchdowns, earning him the Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and the OPSMA Northwest District co-Offensive Player of the Year.

 

Defensively, Jack Huelsman has five interceptions, two being returned for touchdowns while linebacker Anderson Kramer has over 120 tackles and a pick-six.

 

By Zack Holden, Ashland Times-Gazette

 

The Hillsdale Falcons (13-1) are making their second state championship appearance in as many years. After making history in 2024 winning the program’s first regional championship and subsequent state semifinal, the Falcons lost to Marion Local in the championship but vowed to return to Canton.

 

After an undefeated start to the season outscoring opponents 374-77, the Falcons suffered their only loss in Week 10 on the road against Division V Norwayne with the outright Wayne County Athletic League title on the line. A shift in postseason alignment saw the Falcons go from Region 25 to Region 27, and they cruised to the regional championship as the No. 1 seed outscoring their Week 12 and Week 13 opponents by a 111-13 margin before grinding out a tough win over budding postseason rival Danville in the regional championship — it was their third meeting in four years. A big win over McDonald in the state semifinal now has Hillsdale ready to compete for the program’s first state championship.

 

The program has qualified for the postseason 14 times and each of the last 10 seasons, coach Trevor Cline is in his eighth season with the Falcons and has a record of 70-27 over that span.