Watterson has one three-peat locked up before the playoffs start.
Seeking their third consecutive state title, the Eagles are champions of the central Ohio high school football Top 10 poll for the third year in a row. They were No. 1 in the preseason poll and never dropped from the top of the rankings.
Watterson is the No. 1 seed in Division II, Region 7 and has a first-round bye in the postseason, which begins Oct. 30. The Eagles enter the playoffs on a 39-game winning streak, with their last loss coming in the 2023 Division III state final.
The central Ohio Top 10 ranks teams regardless of division. Each voter submits a Top 10 with a first-place vote worth 10 points, a second-place vote worth nine and so on down to one point for 10th.
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Columbus-area high school football final Top 10 poll for 2026 season
Below is the poll as selected by USA Today Network Ohio staff and contributors. A unanimous selection is 90 points:
1. Watterson (9-0), 90 points, nine first-place votes. Last game: Def. St. Charles 48-3. Last week: No. 1
2. Big Walnut (10-0), 78 points. Last game: Def. Westland 67-12. Last week: No. 2
3. Gahanna Lincoln (10-0), 75 points. Last game: Def. Pickerington North 20-19. Last week: No. 3
4. Upper Arlington (8-2), 52 points. Last game: Def. Hilliard Davidson 31-7. Last week: No. 5
5. Worthington Kilbourne (9-1), 50 points. Last game: Def. Westerville South 41-27. Last week: No. 4
6. New Albany (8-2), 36 points. Last game: Def. Westerville Central 34-3. Last week: No. 6
7. Licking Valley (10-0), 32 points. Last game: Def. Zanesville 48-7. Last week: No. 7
8. Olentangy Berlin (8-2), 21 points. Last game: Def. Olentangy 18-6. Last week: No. 10
9. Pickerington North (7-3), 20 points. Last game: Lost to Gahanna Lincoln 20-19. Last week: No. 8
10. Olentangy Liberty (6-4), 16 points. Last game: Def. Olentangy Orange 21-15. Last week: Not ranked
Dropped out: No. 9 London
Others receiving votes: East, London and Pickerington Central 5; Whitehall 2; DeSales and West 1.
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: Central Ohio high school football final Top 10 poll for 2026 season
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