For high school football fans across north central Ohio, today may as well be Christmas Eve. The season kicks off tomorrow and the excitement is palpable, even for a graybeard like me.

This marks my 30th year on the beat and I can’t remember a more highly-anticipated season. Here are the storylines to pay attention to this fall:

Blue-Chippers

North central Ohio has never seen so many major Division I college prospects at one time, headlined by Lexington’s Brayden Fogle and Joe Caudill. Fogle verbally committed to Georgie during the summer and Joe Caudill is headed to Michigan State.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Fogle will play tight end for the Bulldogs but has starred at receiver for the Minutemen. He caught 59 passes for 792 yards and five touchdowns last fall, earning a spot on the All-Ohio first team in Division III.

At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Caudill has the frame recruiters covet. He is Lexington’s quarterback, completing 175-of-321 passes for 2,161 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. He also rushed for a team-high 664 yards and 14 TDs on 176 carries. He’s just as valuable defensively, where he made 73 tackles from his linebacker spot. Caudill is listed as an athlete, but projects as a tight end in college.

Lex’s Dantrell Hughes is another potential Power Four recruit. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior has offers from Louisville, Kent State and Ohio. Hughes missed most of last season with a collarbone injury, but projects as a cornerback.

Ashland quarterback Nathan Bernhard had offers from Big Ten heavyweights Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan. He committed to Appalachian State in April. The Mountaineers compete in the Sun Belt Conference. Bernhard completed 181-of-299 passes for 2,895 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 1,221 yards and 22 TDs on 206 carries last year, leading the Arrows to an outright Ohio Cardinal Conference crown and a pair of Division II playoff victories.

Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito is headed to the Air Force Academy and is on pace to become just the fourth quarterback in state history to throw for more than 12,000 yards in a career. He completed 199-of-294 passes for 3,625 yards and 33 touchdowns and rushed for 1,560 yards and 26 TDs on 188 carries last year, leading the Whippets to a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference title and a berth in the regional semifinals.

Shelby’s Michael Shepherd is just a junior, but he already has an offer from Miami University of the Mid-American Conference. A tight end prospect, Shepherd caught 10 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns last year, averaging 21.3 yards per reception.

Centerburg’s Jackson Ballinger is another of north central Ohio’s talented tight end prospects. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior has 17 Power Four offers.

Staying in Knox County, Mount Vernon tight end Landon Dawson has three Divison I offers, including one from Purdue. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore tight end transferred from East Knox, where he caught 10 passes for 126 yards as a freshman.

Football players converge on ball carrier
Hillsdale quarterback Kael Lewis reaches for the end zone as Danville defenders converge in a Division VII state semifinal at Shelby High School. Credit: Diane Bemiller

Region 27 Mayhem

Hillsdale reached the Division VII state championship game last fall, beating Danville in a memorable state semifinal game in Shelby along the way. Both teams are in Region 27 now, along with perennial playoff qualifier Lucas. Don’t be surprised if one of those three teams hoists the Region 27 trophy in November. They are the top three teams in the region, according to College of Wooster mathematics professor and high school football enthusiast Drew Pasteur.

Eyes On The Prize

In addition to the aforementioned Region 27 heavy hitters, north central Ohio has some other teams eying lengthy postseason runs.

Division II Ashland, Division III Lexington and Division IV Shelby all enter with considerable expectations.

Ashland went undefeated during the regular season and won two playoff games last fall, finishing 12-1. Bernhard (Appalachian State) is coming off the greatest junior season by an Ashland quarterback in program history and has an arsenal at his disposal. Receivers Gabe Baith, Killian O’Brien, Dakota Kruty and Grayson Baith combined for 137 catches, 2,222 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns last year. Defensively, linebacker Gunner Lacey was an All-Ohio first-teamer after making 140 tackles.

The Arrows are in Region 7, which includes Ohio high school royalty Massillon along with defending regional champ Big Walnut and perennial powerhouse Columbus DeSales. If Ashland wins its first regional championship since 2007, the Arrows will have earned it.

Lexington started the season 0-3 last year, but still battled their way into the Region 10 playoffs as the No. 12 seed. The Minutemen then won a pair of road games before falling to eventual state runner-up Toledo Central Catholic in the regional semifinals. Lex has a wealth of talent at the skill positions led by Fogle and Caudill. The Minutemen’s fortunes will be determined by what they do along the line of scrimmage and by all accounts they have the talent to win in the trenches. 

The Week 10 matchup between Lex and Ashland will likely decide the Ohio Cardinal Conference title.

Perhaps the team with the greatest expectations is Shelby. DeVito is one of the greatest passers in state history and like Ashland’s Bernhard, he is surrounded by an embarrassment of riches. Junior receiver Brady Bowman led the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with 78 catches for 1,477 receiving yards and 14 TDs. He was an All-Ohio first-team pick in Division IV. 

Ontario transfer Landon Foltz, Mansfield Senior transfer Carter Kessler and Madison transfer Gavin Baker add more firepower to an already potent offense.

With all the high-profile players and marquee teams, the 2025 season could be a thrill-ride. It’s time to buckle up.