The start of another high school football season means our Predictions Panel is back for more friendly competition and fun.
The panel will pick the top central Ohio games from Week 1 through the regional quarterfinals. Panelists will pick every game in the regional finals, state semifinals and state finals.
MaxPreps’ Eric Frantz is back to defend his championship. The rest of the panel features Frank DiRenna, Dave Purpura and contributor Scott Gerfen from The Dispatch, former Dispatch preps writer Steve Blackledge, Newark Advocate sports reporters Kurt Snyder and Dave Weidig, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette sports reporter Tom Wilson and Ryan Baker and Lee Cochran, hosts of “High School Football Overtime” on The Fan.
Again this season, we will note our
Lone Wolf picks. We have two this week, with Baker taking Olentangy Berlin to beat defending Division I state champion Olentangy Orange and Purpura taking Thornville Sheridan to beat Licking Valley.
The panel went 12-38 in Lone Wolf picks last season.
Central Ohio high school football predictions Week 1
Canal Winchester at Grove City
Canal: Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Gerfen, Purpura, Weidig
Grove City: Baker, DiRenna, Snyder, Wilson
Delaware Hayes at Buckeye Valley
Delaware: DiRenna, Frantz, Gerfen, Snyder, Weidig
Buckeye Valley: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, Purpura, Wilson
Dublin Coffman at Hartley
Coffman: DiRenna, Purpura, Snyder, Wilson
Hartley: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Gerfen, Weidig
Hilliard Bradley at Big Walnut
Big Walnut: Unanimous pick
Hilliard Darby at Lancaster
Darby: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Gerfen, Purpura, Snyder, Weidig
Lancaster: Frantz, Wilson
Licking Heights at Newark
Licking Heights: Frantz, Gerfen
Newark: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Purpura, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Olentangy Liberty vs. Lakewood St. Edward at Lakewood
St. Edward: Unanimous pick
Olentangy Orange at Olentangy Berlin
Orange: Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Gerfen, Purpura, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Berlin: Baker
Pickerington Central at Gahanna Lincoln
Central: Unanimous pick
Thornville Sheridan at Licking Valley
Sheridan: Purpura
Licking Valley: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Gerfen, Snyder, Weidig, Wilson
Upper Arlington at Olentangy
UA: Baker, Blackledge, Cochran, DiRenna, Frantz, Purpura, Weidig
Olentangy: Gerfen, Snyder, Wilson
Walnut Ridge at East
Walnut Ridge: Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Snyder, Weidig
East: Baker, DiRenna, Gerfen, Purpura, Wilson
Watkins Memorial at Worthington Kilbourne
Kilbourne: Unanimous pick
Westerville South at Dublin Jerome
South: Blackledge, Cochran, Frantz, Gerfen, Purpura, Weidig, Wilson
Jerome: Baker, DiRenna, Snyder
Westland at Teays Valley
Westland: Baker, Blackledge, DiRenna, Purpura, Snyder
Teays: Cochran, Frantz, Gerfen, Weidig, Wilson
High school sports editor Andy Resnik can be reached at aresnik@dispatch.com and at @DispatchPreps on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Top central Ohio high school football games in Week 1, and our predictions
