SIDNEY — Neither Shelby nor Indian Hill have earned a spot in a football state championship game.
Come Friday night, that will no longer be true for either the unbeaten Whippets or the equally unbeaten Braves.
That’s because Shelby (13-0) takes on the Cincinnati-based Indian Hill (13-0) in a Division IV state semifinal game at 7 p.m. at Sidney Memorial Stadium, a 7,000-seat facility located about 118 miles from Shelby High School.
The other semifinal matches Cleveland Glenville (10-3) against defending state champion Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (12-0) at Minerva.
The OHSAA announced the semifinal playoff sites on Sunday.
The winners will play Dec. 5 at 10:30 a.m. in the state championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
Indian Hill coach John Rodenberg, hired in 2022, has won four state titles at other schools, including one each in Indiana and Kentucky, before coming to the suburban Hamilton County district northeast of Cincinnati.
He led Cincinnati Moeller to back-to-back Division I state titles in 2012 and 2013 and has coached several notable players, including former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard.
He has produced multiple NFL players, more than 30 NCAA Division I, II, and III scholarship players, multiple all-state performers, and he has been recognized as the Cincinnati Bengals Coach of the Week five times.
“Coach Rodenberg led my teammates and I to back-to-back state championships while at Moeller High School,” Hubbard said in a statement published at WCPO-TV when Indian Hill hired its new coach.
“He is a great man and one of my favorite coaches I have come across throughout my career.”
The veteran coach quickly turned around the Indian Hill program. The Braves went 3-7 in his first season, but have gone 9-3, 9-4 and 13-0 in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Indian Hill sports five first-team All-Southwest District performers, including junior QB Devlan Daniel (6-1, 205) and senior offensive lineman Drew Roeder (6-2, 265).
Daniel has already committed to play baseball at Mississippi State. As a sophomore running back, Daniel set a school record with 2,260 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns to lead the Braves to the Division IV regional semifinals.
He switched to quarterback before the 2025 season, helping the Braves outscore their opponents by an average of 41-6 this season.
On defense, first-teamers for the Braves are senior lineman Jaxson Frye (6-4, 215), senior linebacker Evan Riggs (6-1, 205) and junior defensive back Dylan Hartman (5-10, 170). That defense has posted five shutouts and held four other opponents to single digits.
Five of Indian Hill’s 13 wins came against teams that finished with sub-.500 records. Its signature regular season win came in Week Four when the Braves knocked off 10-2 Cincinnati Wyoming, 28-7.
The Braves survived a 25-19 win in the third round of the playoffs against Cincinnati Taft when the Senators were stopped at the goal line and fumbled into the end zone where Indian Hill recovered with one minute remaining.
The Braves knocked of Valley View 41-14 in a regional title game last Friday.
Second–seeded Valley View (11-2), which won 11 straight since an overtime loss in the opener against Coldwater, was playing in its third regional championship since 2022 – when the Spartans made the first of back-to-back state semifinal appearances.
“We definitely needed our offense to score, because they just run so much power football and one thing I tried to try to tell our kids is we just gotta match their numbers and try to get one more,” Rodenberg told the Dayton Daily News after the game.
“I feel great for our kids. It’s the first time Indian Hill’s been in the state semis, and I’m proud of them.”
It’s unlikely Shelby will be fazed by Rodenberg’s past success or the resurgent Indian Hall program.
The Whippets have been a team on a mission all season, stepping even harder on the gas during the playoffs.
Shelby has destroyed three postseason opponents by a combined 132-14, including a 41-7 win over Galion in Friday’s regional title game at Arlin Field.
It marks only the second time Shelby has reached the Final Four — the first coming in 2017. The Whippets’ 13 victories also tied the storied program’s single-season wins record.
Air Force signee Brayden DeVito led Shelby in the win over Galion, just as he has done all season. The senior QB completed 18-of-28 passes for 249 yards and 4 TDs. On the ground, he ran for 151 yards and a score.
DeVito has now accounted for 201 touchdowns in his four years as a starter, posting a 39-10 record thus far.
He has rushed for 72 TDs and passed for 124, tying him for 10th on the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s all-time career passing TDs list. He also has three receiving and two defensive touchdowns to his credit.
OHSAA Football State Semifinal Playoff Pairings
All games on Friday, November 28, at 7 p.m.
Designated home team listed first.
Winner of first game listed in pairings will be designated home team in state championship game.
State championship games December 4-6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton
Division I
Middletown (11-2) vs. Cincinnati St. Xavier (10-2) at Dayton Welcome Stadium
Lakewood St. Edward (11-2) vs. Lewis Center Olentangy Orange (13-0) at Mansfield Arlin Field
State Championship: Friday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.
Division II
Avon (12-1) vs. Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (11-1) at University of Akron InfoCision Stadium
Cincinnati Anderson (13-0) vs. Sunbury Big Walnut (12-1) at Historic Crew Stadium, Columbus
State Championship: Thursday, December 4, 7 p.m.
Division III
Toledo Central Catholic (10-4) vs. Cuyahoga Falls CVCA (12-0) at Fostoria Memorial Stadium
Tipp City Tippecanoe (13-0) vs. Columbus Bishop Watterson (12-0) at Mason Tri-Health/Beacon Stadium
State Championship: Friday, December 5, 3 p.m.
Division IV
Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (12-0) vs. Cleveland Glenville (10-3) at Minerva High School
Shelby (13-0) vs. Cincinnati Indian Hill (13-0) at Sidney Memorial Stadium
State Championship: Friday, December 5, 10:30 a.m.
Division V
Wheelersburg (13-0) vs. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (10-2) at Westerville Central High School
Liberty Center (13-0) vs. Lewistown Indian Lake (11-2) at Lima Spartan Stadium
State Championship: Saturday, December 6, 7:30 p.m.
Division VI
North Robinson Colonel Crawford (13-1) vs. Kirtland (13-0) at Parma Byers Field at Robert Boulton Stadium
Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (12-1) vs. Coldwater (10-4) at Wapakoneta Mercy Health Wapak VFW Field
State Championship: Saturday, December 6, 3 p.m.
Division VII
Columbus Grove (10-3) vs. St. Henry (12-1) at Troy Memorial Stadium
McDonald (13-0) vs. Jeromesville Hillsdale (12-1) at New Philadelphia Quaker Stadium
State Championship: Saturday, December 6, 10:30 a.m.
