RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesAug. 2—The countdown to another high school football season is over.
Teams across the Miami Valley have preparations underway with the goal of winning conference championships and making postseason runs. It all will culminate with state championship weekend in early December in Canton.
From new coaches and rule changes to divisional shifts and must-see early-season matchups, there is plenty for fans to know before kickoff. Here are five things to know as the 2026 Ohio high school football season gets ready to begin.
The calendarThe 18-week journey from the start of camps to the state championship games will be filled with memorable moments as always.
It all starts with practices, which officially began Saturday, Aug. 1. The first set of scrimmages in the area begin Thursday, Aug. 6 and continue through Aug. 14.
The first Friday night of the season will be Aug. 21. A few games in the area will get underway the night before as well.
The 10-week regular season concludes the weekend of Oct. 23. The first round of the OHSAA postseason will be Oct. 30. The top four teams in each region will again receive byes into the quarterfinal round starting Nov. 6.
This season will see the Division I, II, III and V state championship games take place on Friday, Dec. 4 — one of which will move to Thursday. The D-IV, VI and VII championship games will be on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Coaching movesRyan Jones moves over from Versailles to take the role at Troy.
A trio of moves in the SWBL see Matt Root now in charge at Edgewood, Brad Hunt taking over at Monroe, and Joe Fullenkamp at Brookville.
There are two OHC changes with Cooper Chaffin taking over at Greenon, and Tim Melvin getting the coach role at Triad. Geron Stokes is back at Urbana. Versailles AD Scott Broerman will take over for Jones.
Two switches in the WOAC have Chris Goodwin in charge at Bradford, while a late move saw Ricky St. Augustine take over at National Trail.
Kevin Scholz is the new coach at Clinton-Massie, replacing longtime head coach Dan McSurley. Zach Williams was hired to lead Wilmington.
Rule changesThere are a few changes to the rule book for the 2026 season.
The National Federal of State High School Associations approved play cards to be worn on the wrist or belt areas of the uniform.
Any fumble that falls forward and goes out of bounds before it is recovered will be returned to the original spot where the fumble occurred.
Players will not be allowed to use their hands to slap an opponent's head, while some mouth protector attachments will be restricted.
Officials will be placing an emphasis on defenseless player and targeting fouls. They also will emphasize sportsmanship, and getting players to follow equipment rules.
No league realignmentWhile many recent years have seen schools leave one conference and begin their tenure in another, the 2026-27 school year will be status quo in the Miami Valley.
Starting in the Fall of 2027, however, the Central Buckeye Conference, Ohio Heritage Conference, Southwestern Buckeye League, and Three Rivers Conference all will look different with Bethel, Dayton Christian, Greenon, Riverside and Talawanda set to complete league switches.
New two-year enrollment cycle and competitive balance counts start this season and with it numerous OHSAA division changes.
One of the most notable reassignments sees reigning D-VII state champion St. Henry going up to D-VI.
Troy — which finished the 2025 season as the top seed in Region 2 — moves back down to D-II.
Two GWOC schools are on the move again as Miamisburg goes back up to D-I, while Northmont was expected to go down to D-II, but petitioned to stay in Division I.
A trio of Butler County schools are all moving up to D-II — Badin (due to competitive balance number adjustments), Ross and Talawanda.
Monroe bumps down to D-III. West Carrollton does the same after CB adjustments.
Other moves upward include Region 24 champ Coldwater going up to D-V, as well as Bethel (D-III), Thurgood Marshall (D-III), Northridge (D-IV), Dayton Christian (D-V), and Stivers (D-V).
Going down are Dunbar (D-IV), Brookville (D-V), Northwestern (D-V), Versailles (D-VI), and Triad (D-VII).
Tecumseh (D-III) and Kenton Ridge (D-IV) had enrollment bumps that would have moved both of them up one division before CB adjustments kept them where they were last year. Alter (D-III) and Troy Christian (D-VI) had the reverse occur, staying put instead of going down.
Significant moves across the state include reigning D-III state champion Columbus Bishop Watterson going up to D-II after CB, as is runner-up Toledo Central Catholic. D-V champion Liberty Center also moves down to D-VI.
Firing out of the gateThe Kettering rivalry of Alter vs. Fairmont gets the season started on Thursday, Aug. 20. Week 1 will get underway in full force with the first Friday slate taking place the following evening. St. Xavier at Lakota West, Centerville at Lakota East, and Winton Woods at Springfield are among the exciting games.
Week 2 has several intriguing matchups as Fairmont goes to Trotwood, Wayne hosts St. Xavier, and league play starts in the GMC with Lakota East playing at Lakota West, as well as in the MVL when Troy visits Xenia.
Lakewood St. Edward plays at Wayne in a marquee Week 3 game. The same night sees Middletown visit Fairfield, and Trotwood facing Springfield.
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