(9-1-26) How are things on the eastern half of the state? Because out west, the first two weeks have been chaos.

This has been one of the craziest starts to an Ohio high school football season since I began covering the sport many years ago.

Division II might be better than Division I. Columbus teams are powerhouses again. The MAC doesn’t occupy the top of Division VI.

What a weird August.

DIVISION I

The top six teams are separated by the thinnest of margins.

Elder, St. Edward and Moeller are all within 0.1 point of each other. Upper Arlington and Lakota West are only 0.2 points back. Then there is Mentor, which fell to sixth after escaping Pennsylvania with a 31-30 nail-biter over McDowell.

If you’re looking for some separation, Friday night should provide it. Upper Arlington hosts defending Division II state champion Avon in one of the best measuring-stick games of the early season.

DIVISION II

Speaking of Division II, it is home to the top four rated teams in the state of Ohio heading into Week 3.

New No. 1 Bishop Watterson has outscored its opponents 63-0 through two games. Walsh Jesuit is 2-0 after a Springfield forfeit, but one of the toughest schedules in the state still awaits the Warriors.

Massillon opened the season with an impressive 31-18 win over defending Division IV state champion Glenville. Only Avon has a blemish, and that came against Pennsylvania powerhouse Pine-Richland.

Try saying that five times fast.

While Avon at Upper Arlington is huge, Toledo Central Catholic at Walsh Jesuit is a must-see for anybody in northeast Ohio.

DIVISION III

Over the past seven years, St. Marys has made the playoffs seven times. The Roughriders have also won at least one postseason game in each of those seasons.

What they haven’t done is reach a regional final.

If St. Marys is going to get over that hump, this could be the year.

The Roughriders opened the season by beating 2025 regional runner-up Galion by three scores. They followed that with another three-score victory over Lima Bath, which is coming off a nine-win season.

With Wapakoneta already suffering a loss in Western Buckeye League play, the conference suddenly looks much more open than it did two weeks ago.

This Friday could go a long way toward determining who takes advantage, as St. Marys hosts bitter rival Celina in a battle of unbeaten teams.

DIVISION IV

Johnstown catapulted into the top 10 following a 50-0 win over Centerburg on Friday night.

This marks the third consecutive 2-0 start for the Johnnies, but this year’s version feels different.

Unlike the past two seasons, this start wasn’t built with struggling Zanesville on the schedule. Instead, Johnstown has taken care of Vermilion and Centerburg, two teams that have otherwise looked competitive early in the season.

The next two road games will tell us whether this Johnstown team is truly different.

If the Johnnies can get by Granville this Friday and Licking Valley on Sept. 18, they could enter Licking County League play as the clear favorite in the Cardinal Division.

DIVISION V

I almost feel bad for St. Henry. The Redskins have landed on the wrong end of these blurbs two weeks in a row.

But when you’re a defending state champion, you walk into every game with a target on your back.

Archbold is back and looks as good as ever. The Blue Streaks opened the season with a 38-7 win over Genoa Area, then traveled to St. Henry and blew out the defending Division VII state champions, 41-15.

Looking ahead, there’s no reason Archbold shouldn’t have a chance to start 7-0.

Then comes the fun part.

The Blue Streaks travel to Patrick Henry on Oct. 9 before finishing the regular season Oct. 23 at defending Division V state champion Liberty Center.

Whatever Archbold’s record looks like when the postseason begins, nobody will be able to say the Blue Streaks weren’t battle-tested.

DIVISION VI

Well, this is awkward.

Usually, I have to look for ways to avoid writing about the Midwest Athletic Conference every time Division VI comes up.

This year, you have to scroll all the way down to No. 7 to find your first MAC team: Anna.

Instead, one of the programs jumping into the top five is Lima Central Catholic.

The Thunderbirds opened the season with a 51-20 win over Lima Shawnee before shutting out Delphos St. John’s, 41-0, on Saturday.

Now comes the real test.

Three undefeated teams await in succession: Urbana, No. 3 Columbus Grove and Allen East. That Week 4 matchup with Columbus Grove could easily become a preview of a postseason meeting.

Of course, that depends on whether Liberty Center, Delta or Patrick Henry gets involved first.

Guys, Region 22 is loaded.

DIVISION VII

Ah. This is where the MAC has been hiding.

With Marion Local, New Bremen and Minster occupying three of the top four spots, things suddenly feel normal again.

But we can’t ignore the fact that Hopewell-Loudon has been every bit as good as advertised early in its 2026 campaign.

The Chieftains opened the season by smoking Division IV opponent Lake, 49-13. They followed that with a 37-0 shutout of Huron.

The question for Hopewell-Loudon may be how often it gets seriously pushed before the postseason.

Carey, which might be the best 0-2 small-school team in the state, looms later in the season, while Colonel Crawford, Seneca East and Calvert should provide useful measuring sticks along the way.

For now, though, the Chieftains have done nothing to suggest that last year’s deep postseason run was a fluke.