Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton will be rocking this weekend with seven Ohio high school football championship games. The Division I and Division II championship games will be head-to-head battles between teams in the High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football.
Below are previews for each game.
Massillon Washington (15-0) vs. Archbishop Hoban (13-1)
Division II – Thursday, November 30 – 7 p.m.
No. 9 Massillon Washington collides with No. 23 Archbishop Hoban for the DII title.
Massillon fans are hoping to celebrate the program’s first-ever state title during the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoff era. The Tigers are 0-6 in state championship games. On the other sideline, Hoban is going after its sixth state title under Tim Tyrrell. This is the Knights eighth state championship game in the last nine years.
These teams are no strangers to each other in title games. Hoban has won both gold medal games — 35-6 in 2020 and 42-28 in 2018.
Thursday’s game is a rematch of last year’s state semifinal between the two. Hoban won that game 41-20.
Massillon is a perfect 15-0 that includes a 15-13 defeat of two-time defending Division I champ St. Edward in mid-September. Hoban’s only loss this year was 14-7 to St. Ed.
Kirtland (14-1) vs. Versailles (13-2)
Division VI – Friday, December 1 – 10:30 a.m.
Kirtland is back in familiar territory. The Hornets are playing in the program’s 12th state championship in 13-years. They are looking for their seventh overall state championship.
Head coach Tiger LaVerde has had an incredible run with a 228-20 record for a .919 winning percentage, the highest in Ohio history with at least 150 games coach.
Versailles is in its second state championship game in three years. In 2021, Versailles beat Kirtland 20-16 for the Division V title.
Toledo Central Catholic (15-0) vs. Bishop Watterson (14-1)
Division III – Friday, December 1 – 3 p.m.
Toledo Central Catholic is ranked No. 32 in the HSFA 300. The Fighting Irish, winners of the Division II title last year, bring a 30-game win streak into the contest.
Head coach Greg Dempsey is looking for his fourth overall state title. In 24 years, Dempsey, who owns a 251-53 record, has done an outstanding job of replacing 14-of-22 starters from last year’s championship squad.
Bishop Watterson is back in the finals for the first time since 2010 when it won its second state title. The Eagles defense has been outstanding, allowing 9.5 points per game.
St. Edward (14-1) vs. Springfield (10-5)
Division I – Friday, December 1 – 7:30 p.m.
This is the third year in a row that St. Edward has battled Springfield for the Division I title.
St. Edward’s run to a three-peat is led by an outstanding offensive line that includes twins Devontae and Deontae Armstrong, who are headed to Ohio State, and Ben Roebuck, who has given his verbal to Michigan.
Former NFL player Maurice Douglass has done an outstanding job with this year’s Springfield squad. After a 3-5 start, the Wildcats now own a seven-game win streak.
Springfield, the 12th seed at the start of the regional playoffs, is the highest-seeded team to ever advance to a state championship game.
Marion Local (15-0) vs. Dalton (13-1)
Division VI – Saturday, December 2 – 10:30 a.m.
With 47 straight wins, Marion Local owns the second longest active win streak in America. In his 25th season, Tim Goodwin won his 300 career game earlier this year.
Marion Local enters the game with 13 Ohio high school football championships, the most in the state.
Dalton is playing in its first-ever state championship game. The Bulldogs run to Canton has been fairly easy, winning each playoff game by at least 20 points.
Perry (15-0) vs. Liberty Center (15-0)
Division V – Saturday, December 2 – 3 p.m.
Liberty Center is looking for its first state title since 1997. The Tigers are averaging over 44 points per game on offense and giving up 7.06 on defense.
Like LC, Perry brings a perfect 15-0 mark into the game. The Pirates marquee win of the year came against Division VI state finalist Kirtland. The 24-6 win on September 1 snapped Kirtland’s 57-game regular-season win streak
Glenville (12-3) vs. Archbishop Alter (12-3)
Division IV – Saturday, December 2 – 7:30 p.m.
Glenville is looking for back-to-back titles after winning the Division V title last year. The Tarblooders have played a tough non-league schedule against much larger schools. All three of their losses came against nationally-ranked opponents — No. 5 IMG Academy (Florida), No. 23 Hoban (Ohio) and No. 125 Avon (Ohio).
Glenville is currently ranked No. 127 in the HSFA 300.
Archbishop Alter’s defense has been almost perfect during the postseason. The Knights have allowed only nine points with three shutouts.
Alter is looking for its third overall state championship
Related: Latest HSFA Ohio Top 25
Related: 2023 Ohio Playoff Scores
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