The Ohio High School Athletic Association has announced a major realignment of its football divisions for the 2026 season, as eight schools have chosen to move up to Division I.
The shift swells Division I from 72 to 80 participating schools, while Division II contracts from 106 to 98, reflecting the OHSAA’s effort to balance competitive tiers across the state.
Region 1 will host five of the newly promoted programs — Austintown‑Fitch, Cleveland Heights, Elyria, Euclid and Hudson — while Region 2 will accommodate the remaining three: Clayton Northmont, Dublin Scioto and Toledo St. John’s Jesuit.
Several traditional placements have been shuffled; Perrysburg and Toledo Whitmer, previously in Region 1, now join Region 2, and schools from Region 3 such as Lebanon, Middletown and Springboro have been moved to Region 4. Upper Arlington, meanwhile, slides from Region 2 into Region 3.
2026 Football Calendar Highlights
Practice is slated to begin on August 1, with the regular season kicking off the week of August 17 and concluding on Saturday night, October 24. Playoff qualifiers will be released on Sunday, October 25, leading into a series of regional contests that run through November 20, culminating in the state semifinals on November 27 and the championship games on December 3‑5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
The association also notes that enrollment data will be collected on September 10, and that anticipated school consolidations in the Cleveland Metropolitan and Youngstown City districts could trigger further reclassifications later this summer.