With hundreds of teams across Ohio and only 10 weeks in the regular season, there are always going to be excellent programs that fly under the radar.

Today, let’s shine the spotlight on teams that have put together excellent seasons but, for one reason or another, I have failed to highlight so far in 2026.

And the first omission is honestly a little embarrassing.

DIVISION I – #2 PRINCETON

Apparently, being undefeated and ranked second in my own Division I ratings still isn’t enough to get me to write about you.

Princeton opened the season by beating top-ranked Moeller, then took down No. 3 Lakota West in Week 5. Somehow, the Vikings still never received a spotlight of their own.

Princeton may be one of the most well-rounded teams in the state, but its biggest strength has been a run defense allowing just 50.5 yards per game.

Terrance Jones Jr., who holds three FBS offers, has anchored the defensive front with 10½ tackles for loss and 6½ sacks through eight games.

Princeton closes the regular season against a pair of .500 teams in Oak Hills and Fairfield. A win in either game would give the Vikings at least a share of their fourth consecutive Greater Miami Conference championship.

DIVISION II – #6 BIG WALNUT

Considering how ridiculously good the top of Division II has been, it is easy to understand how Big Walnut has gotten lost in the crowd.

That does not mean the Golden Eagles deserve to be overlooked.

Big Walnut is undefeated, is closing in on the OCC Capital Division championship and happens to have one of the best quarterbacks in the state.

Three-star quarterback Eli Stumpf is committed to Michigan State after receiving multiple Division I offers. With Stumpf under center, the Golden Eagles are averaging 39.9 points per game after averaging 41.9 per game in 2025.

Big Walnut travels to Dublin Scioto on Friday with a chance to clinch at least a share of the OCC Capital title.

DIVISION III – #4 STEUBENVILLE

Do not let Steubenville’s 6-2 record fool you.

The Big Red are going to be dangerous when November arrives.

Their only losses came on the road against undefeated Indian Valley and No. 3 Ursuline. Steubenville was also within five yards of potentially beating Ursuline earlier this month.

Looking ahead to Region 11, it is difficult to find many teams that should scare the Big Red. The highest-ranked team in my Division III ratings from the region outside of Steubenville is No. 11 Dover — a team the Big Red beat by 30 points in Week 2.

Week 9 provides another useful measuring stick when Steubenville hosts No. 13 (D-II) St. Francis DeSales.

That should give us another indication of just how dangerous the Big Red could be in the postseason.

DIVISION IV – #2 PERKINS

With nine undefeated teams in Division IV, somebody was bound to get overlooked.

Leaving out the second-ranked Pirates, however, was borderline criminal on my part.

Since surviving a double-overtime battle against VASJ in Week 1, Perkins has been nearly unstoppable. The Pirates have reached a running clock in five of their past seven games.

And this is not some program appearing out of nowhere.

Perkins has won at least one playoff game every season since 2021 and has not lost a conference game since Oct. 15, 2021, when the Pirates fell to Columbian.

Speaking of Columbian, Perkins hosts them in Week 10 with the outright conference championship potentially on the line.

DIVISION V – #6 BLUFFTON

In Week 7, undefeated Lima Central Catholic survived a last-minute Bluffton drive to escape with a 26-21 victory in an instant classic.

In a loaded Region 18, a 7-1 team from the Northwest Conference can somehow become easy to overlook.

But Bluffton has been dominant in most of its victories, with five ending in a running clock.

A major reason is senior quarterback Tayte Giesige, who has thrown for 1,445 yards, rushed for another 451 and accounted for 23 touchdowns.

And because apparently that is not enough, Giesige also leads the Pirates with 63 tackles.

Bluffton closes the regular season with two excellent tests: No. 9 (D-VII) Fort Loramie and No. 6 (D-VI) Columbus Grove.

DIVISION VI – #7 VERSAILLES

Versailles is closing in on its first winning season since 2023.

That may not sound particularly impressive until you remember which conference the Tigers have to survive every fall.

In 2023, Versailles went 13-3 and reached the Division VI state championship before falling to Kirtland. The Tigers followed that with a first-round playoff exit in 2024 and then missed the postseason entirely last year at 4-6.

Now Versailles looks dangerous again.

If the postseason bracket falls the right way, the Tigers could eventually run into No. 3 St. Henry for a rematch of their conference opener.

That would be a hot ticket.

Versailles would enter looking to avenge a 34-21 loss — and prove just how far the Tigers have come since August.

DIVISION VII – #7 McCOMB

My outlook on Division VII has changed dramatically over the course of the season.

Early on, I viewed it as a two-team race. By September, I had identified a couple more programs capable of challenging Marion Local.

Now, in October, I can make a reasonable case for six legitimate contenders.

McComb may not quite be in that group yet, but the Panthers are getting increasingly difficult to ignore.

Their defense has completely changed the trajectory of the season.

Over the first three weeks, McComb allowed 22.0 points per game. Since then, the Panthers have surrendered just 14 total points across five games.

And both of those touchdowns came in the fourth quarter with the starters resting.

I’m not quite brave enough to call McComb a Division VII title contender yet.

But the Panthers have every ingredient necessary to make a deep postseason run through northwest Ohio.