Neutral sites will host state semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m.; winners advance to state championships Dec. 4-6

COLUMBUS, Ohio (11-23-25) – The Ohio High School Athletic Association has announced the pairings and host sites for the football state semifinals on Friday, November 28. All games kick off at 7 p.m. The state championship games will be hosted at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton December 4-6.

The regional playoffs followed bracket format before the OHSAA conducted rebracketing for the state semifinals, which are based on the geography of the schools involved. A team’s regional seed, state rank and won-lost record do not factor into the state semifinal bracket pairings.

Spectrum to Cover All State Semifinals: All 14 state semifinal games will be covered by Spectrum. Please see the press box priority seating scale linked below for details on media access.

2025 Playoff Brackets, Spectrum and NFHS Network Coverage, Playoff Information and More: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Football/Football-2025/2025-OHSAA-Football-Tournament-Coverage

Neutral Sites: Neutral sites receive a rental stipend from the OHSAA and also keep revenue from concessions, parking, 50-50 raffles and program sales. The OHSAA selects and pays for the officiating crews. Many factors go into determining locations for each game, and rarely can an available site be found that is exactly halftime between the two participating schools. Once a potential site is determined, the school must be available and willing to host a game on the requested night.

Tickets: Tickets for all playoff games will be available on Mondays at www.ohsaa.org/tickets. Details on state championship game tickets are posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/ohsaa-announces-football-state-championships-schedule-and-tickets-11

Media Notes:

  • Host sites handle media credentials for all regional and state semifinal playoff games. Media requesting space in the press box are allocated according to the OHSAA Football Press Box Priority Seating Chart: https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/Football/FB-MediaPressBoxMemo.pdf
  • If a game is selected by Spectrum or the NFHS Network, there are no other live video broadcasts permitted. The Spectrum and NFHS Network game selections are posted at the playoff information page.

All-Time Playoff History Database: https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/Football/history/FootballParticipants.pdf

OHSAA football home: https://ohsaa.org/sports/football

MaxPreps Ohio Football Home (stats, scoreboard): https://www.maxpreps.com/state/football/ohio.htm

Ohio Prep Sports Media Association State Football Notebooks: https://www.ohsaa.org/News-Media/Ohio-Prep-Sports-Media-Association/OPSMA-Weekly-Football-Notebooks

OHSAA Football State Semifinal Playoff Pairings

All games on Friday, November 28, at 7 p.m.  

Designated home team listed first.

Winner of first game listed in pairings will be designated home team in state championship game.

State championship games December 4-6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton

Division I

Middletown (11-2) vs. Cincinnati St. Xavier (10-2) at Dayton Welcome Stadium

Lakewood St. Edward (11-2) vs. Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (13-0) at Mansfield Arlin Field

State Championship: Friday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.

Division II

Avon (12-1) vs. Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (11-1) at University of Akron InfoCision Stadium

Cincinnati Anderson (13-0) vs. Sunbury Big Walnut (12-1) at Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus

State Championship: Thursday, December 4, 7 p.m.

Division III

Toledo Central Catholic (10-4) vs. Cuyahoga Falls CVCA (12-0) at Fostoria Memorial Stadium

Tipp City Tippecanoe (13-0) vs. Columbus Bishop Watterson (12-0) at Mason Tri-Health/Beacon Stadium

State Championship: Friday, December 5, 3 p.m.

Division IV

Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (12-0) vs. Cleveland Glenville (10-3) at Minerva High School

Shelby (13-0) vs. Cincinnati Indian Hill (13-0) at Sidney Memorial Stadium

State Championship: Friday, December 5, 10:30 a.m.   

Division V

Wheelersburg (13-0) vs. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (10-2) at Westerville Central High School

Liberty Center (13-0) vs. Lewistown Indian Lake (11-2) at Lima Spartan Stadium

State Championship: Saturday, December 6, 7:30 p.m.

Division VI

North Robinson Colonel Crawford (13-1) vs. Kirtland (13-0) at Parma Byers Field at Robert Boulton Stadium

Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (12-1) vs. Coldwater (10-4) at Wapakoneta Mercy Health Wapak VFW Field

State Championship: Saturday, December 6, 3 p.m.

Division VII

Columbus Grove (10-3) vs. St. Henry (12-1) at Troy Memorial Stadium

McDonald (13-0) vs. Jeromesville Hillsdale (12-1) at New Philadelphia Quaker Stadium

State Championship: Saturday, December 6, 10:30 a.m.