The 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association football season is gearing up for a busy schedule that begins in early August and stretches into early December.
Season Timeline
Practice for all teams is set to start on August 1, giving squads just over a month to fine‑tune before the first regular‑season games the week of August 17.
The regular season will run for ten weeks, concluding on October 24, after which the top programs will move into the postseason.
Playoffs are slated to open on October 30, and the culmination will be the state championship games in Canton from December 3 through December 5, where title contenders will battle for the coveted trophies.
Defending Champions
The 2026 champions have already been identified across the seven divisions: Olentangy Orange in Division I, Avon in Division II, Columbus Watterson in Division III, Glenville in Division IV, Liberty Center in Division V, Kirtland in Division VI, and St. Henry in Division VII.
In 2025, 16 teams from the Stark County area earned berths in the state playoffs, underscoring the region’s depth and competitiveness.
Teams such as Canton McKinley, Jackson, Green, Hoover, Lake, Louisville, Massillon, Alliance, Canton South, Northwest, Salem, West Branch, Manchester, Triway, East Canton and Malvern all advanced last year, and many will be looking to build on that momentum as the new season unfolds.