The final computer points have been tallied, and the pairings have been released. It’s time for 49 central Ohio high school football teams to get ready for the 2026 playoffs.
The postseason kicks off Oct. 30 and runs through Dec. 5, when the final three of seven state championship games are played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
First-round byes are awarded to the top four seeds in each of the 28 regions. The top 12 teams in each region qualified for the playoffs, and seeds 5-8 host first-round games.
A team that doesn’t have a first-round bye must win six games to capture a title.
Here are 10 thoughts on the pairings from a central Ohio perspective:
Difficult road awaits Watterson in OHSAA playoffs
The Eagles’ path to the Division II state title is tougher than the past two years
when they won Division III championships, and not just because they have moved up a classification.
The top teams in Division II are every bit as strong as their Division I counterparts, and Watterson earned the top seed in a region – Region 7 – that is arguably the best in the state regardless of division.
Watterson (9-0) will take a 39-game winning streak into a regional quarterfinal against No. 8 Whitehall (8-2) or No. 9 Hamilton Township (7-3). Potential opponents after that include No. 4 New Albany (8-2) in a regional semifinal and No. 2 Big Walnut (10-0) in the regional final.
New Albany has beaten the No. 2 and No. 6 teams in Division I, Region 3 – Upper Arlington and Pickerington North – and a London team that is No. 2 in Division IV, Region 16.
Big Walnut won Region 7 the past two years, beating Massillon Washington in the final both times. Massillon is the No. 3 seed this year.
Elsewhere in Division II, the Eagles’ opponent in the past three Division III state finals, Toledo Central Catholic, is No. 1 in Region 6. Cincinnati Anderson, which eliminated Big Walnut in state semifinals each of the past two years, is No. 1 in Region 8.
Watterson and Big Walnut are worthy of Ohio high school football titles
Watterson has 40.154 computer points, more than every team in Ohio but Gahanna Lincoln – the No. 1 team in Region 3 – and the Eagles didn’t even play a 10th regular-season game.
Big Walnut has 37.25, which is more than the No. 1 seeds in the other three Division II regions and regions 2 and 4 in Division I.
A Watterson-Big Walnut regional final could be the best game in central Ohio – or maybe the entire state – this season. When Watterson’s defense, led by three-time wrestling state champion and Ohio State wrestling commit Michael Boyle (DT), lines up against a Big Walnut offense featuring quarterback Eli Stumpf (Michigan State) and running back Nolan Buirley (Northwestern), it should be in a state final, not the Region 7 final.
Division I, Region 3 is Gahanna Lincoln’s to lose
Remember the regional champion Lions of 2022? They’re back with new faces but a similar formula.
Once again, the defense stands out. In 2022, the Lions allowed an average of 11.6 points entering a state semifinal loss to Lakewood St. Edward. This fall, Gahanna (10-0) has given up only 8.2 points per game.
The 2022 offense received strong play from quarterback Brennen Ward and running back Diore Hubbard. This year, it’s quarterback Grey Kegley, several productive backs and receiver Marki Wallace in the playmaking roles.
What about the rest of Region 3?
The region includes the past two Division I state champions in No. 4 Olentangy Liberty (6-4) and No. 9 Olentangy Orange (5-5), although most of the key players are different now for both teams.
UA (8-2) can’t be overlooked, and Pickerington North (7-3) arguably could be undefeated with losses by three points, two points and one point.
Watch out for No. 3 Worthington Kilbourne (9-1). Led by a Division I state Player of the Year candidate in quarterback Jackson Szabo, the Wolves average 42.6 points and have lost to only Big Walnut (35-28).
Can a central Ohio team win Division I, Region 2?
It’s going to be an uphill battle, and No. 5 Hilliard Bradley (6-4), No. 6 Westland (7-3), No. 7 Grove City (5-5) and No. 8 Hilliard Darby (6-4) have been up and down all season.
If you’re looking to follow one of these teams, consider Darby. The Panthers play close games – they have two five-point wins, a seven-point win, a one-point loss, two three-point losses and a six-point loss.
If Bradley defeats No. 12 Beavercreek (4-6) in the first round, it plays a regional quarterfinal at No. 4 Huber Heights Wayne (6-4). The Warriors feature Ohio State receiver recruit Jamier Brown, who in the past year transferred from Wayne to Big Walnut and back to Wayne.
West earns home game in Division II, Region 8
To borrow a declaration from former Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson: “How ’bout them Cowboys!”
Coach Eric Robinson’s Cowboys are 10-0, including a 7-0 run through the City League-South, and they earned the No. 6 seed in Region 8.
Other than West’s coaches and players, did anyone see this coming? Since the Cowboys’ last playoff appearance in 2016, when they went 9-2, their records by year were 5-5, 1-9, 0-10, 0-5 (2020 COVID season), 0-9, 0-9, 1-9, 3-7 and 2-8.
They host No. 11 Trenton Edgewood (6-4) in the first round.
West’s road to a regional title is probably too daunting, but whatever happens from here, this is a season worth celebrating.
Can East top its 2022 team?
Coming off a 25-10 win over Linden-McKinley in Week 10, a victory that clinched the City-North title, the Tigers are No. 3 in Division III, Region 11 and will host No. 6 Thornville Sheridan or No. 11 Dresden Tri-Valley in a quarterfinal.
East (9-1) has standout playmakers – quarterback Dior Hansard is a Central District offensive Player of the Year candidate and running back Dominique Edwards is fast and elusive – and a stingy defense. The Tigers haven’t lost since Week 3, 35-14 to a DeSales team that is No. 6 in Region 7.
East’s 2022 team won two playoff games as the No. 3 seed in Division IV, Region 15. This team can do the same before it runs into No. 2 Licking Valley (10-0) in a regional semifinal.
London will win Division IV, Region 16
The Red Raiders (8-2) know what it takes to win in the playoffs, having reached the Division III, Region 12 final last year and a Division III state semifinal in 2024, and outside of three-point losses to New Albany and St. Paris Graham, they have crushed everyone in their path.
A running game led by quarterback Colt Hughes, Isaiah Near and Bryston Toronto won’t be easy for anyone to stop, and London’s defense stops everyone, allowing 7.3 points per game with three shutouts.
Columbus Academy faces tough road in Division V
With the Central Buckeye League title on the line in Week 10, the Vikings (7-3) lost 33-6 to Whitehall.
It’s hard to see No. 3 Academy, or anyone else in Region 19, beating No. 1 Ironton. The Tigers, who were banned from the playoffs last year because of recruiting violations, are on a mission, with their only loss coming in overtime to Big Walnut (47-40).
Is Danville bound for Canton?
The Blue Devils (10-0) are the No. 2 seed in Division VII, Region 27 and loaded with talent worthy of making the program’s first state final.
Accomplishing that goal is another matter, because the state’s small-school division has no shortage of strong teams, including Maria Stein Marion Local, the owner of a state-record 15 championships.
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: OHSAA football playoffs are here. 10 thoughts on the brackets
