COLUMBUS, Ohio – Twenty-eight football regional champions have been crowned and now advance to the Ohio High School Athletic Association state semifinals. Divisions I, II, III and IV play on Friday night, while Divisions V, VI and VII play on Saturday night. All playoff games kick off at 7 p.m.
The winners this weekend will move on to the state championship game Dec. 2-4 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. One game will be played Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m., followed by three games each on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3-4, at 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
After the regional tournaments followed bracket format during the first four rounds, the state semifinal pairings are based on geography of the participating schools. Regional seeds, state rank, won-lost records and playoff histories do not factor into how the OHSAA determines the state semifinal matchups.
OHSAA Football Playoffs – State Semifinal Pairings
All games kick off at 7 p.m.
Home team listed first.
Division I State Semifinals– Friday, Nov. 26
Upper Arlington (14-0) vs. Lakewood St. Edward (12-1) at Mansfield Arlin Field
Springfield (12-1) vs. Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (11-3) at Sidney Memorial Stadium
Division II State Semifinals – Friday, Nov. 26
Avon (12-2) vs. Akron Archbishop Hoban (10-3) at Parma Byers Field
Cincinnati Winton Woods (11-3) vs. Uniontown Green (11-3) at Westerville Central Warhawk Field
Division III State Semifinals – Friday, Nov. 26
Chardon (14-0) vs. Millersburg West Holmes (14-0) at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium
Hamilton Badin (13-0) vs. Granville (13-0) at London Bowlus Field
Division IV State Semifinals – Friday, Nov. 26
Youngstown Ursuline (10-3) vs. Port Clinton (13-1) at Euclid Community Stadium
Carroll Bloom-Carroll (14-0) vs. Clarksville Clinton-Massie (12-1) at Jonathan Alder Performance Stadium at Volunteer Field
Division V State Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 27
Ottawa-Glandorf (11-3) vs. Kirtland (13-0) at Clyde Joe and Sharon Wilson Field
Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (10-2) vs. Versailles (13-1) at London Bowlus Field
Division VI State Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 27
Carey (13-1) vs. New Middletown Springfield (13-1) at Euclid Community Stadium
Coldwater (12-2) vs. West Jefferson (13-1) at Piqua Alexander Stadium
Division VII State Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 27
Maria Stein Marion Local (14-0) vs. Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (13-1) at Lima Spartan Stadium
Newark Catholic (13-1) vs. Warren John F Kennedy (10-2) at Marlington Stadium
OSU jumps to No. 2
Ohio State is No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, surging three spots Sunday past No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati in a close vote.
Georgia is a unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank for the seventh consecutive week, but for the second week in a row, No. 2 has changed.
Alabama slipped past Cincinnati last week and then Ohio State leapfrogged them both after routing Michigan State 56-7 on Saturday. The Buckeyes received 1,434 points from the media panel. The Crimson Tide had 1,423 and the Bearcats got 1,416.
Notre Dame is up to a season-high No. 5 and Michigan will go into its game against Ohio State next Saturday ranked No. 6. The winner of Buckeyes-Wolverines will play in the Big Ten championship game.
Oklahoma State moved to a season-high No. 7 and is one of three teams from the Big 12 residing in the back half of the top 10, along with No. 9 Baylor and No. 10 Oklahoma.
The Cowboys host the Sooners next Saturday in a Bedlam game that will help decide the Big 12 championship participants. Oklahoma State has clinched a spot, and Baylor and Oklahoma are still alive.
Mississippi rounds out the top 10 at No. 8.
