The number of qualifiers per region will be 12 instead of 16, with the top four seeds in each region earning a first-round bye.
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COMMENTARY: A change in format is due, especially in Division I
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part III in a 3-part series on Ohio high school football playoff expansion. Part I was published on Wednesday. Part II was published on Thursday. I covered my first high school football playoff game in the fall of 1996. Back then there were six divisions divided into four geographic regions. The top […]
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Are changes coming to Ohio high school football playoffs?
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part I in a 3-part series on Ohio high school football playoff expansion. Part II will publish on Thursday. Part III will publish on Friday. LEXINGTON — Andrew Saris knew his team was good enough to win in the playoffs. His Lexington Minutemen just needed a chance. Lex got that opportunity […]
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Ontario football moving back up to Division III
ONTARIO — The tournament trail got a little rockier for the Warriors. The Ohio High School Athletic Association released its divisional and regional alignments for the 2025 football season Thursday and the biggest local storyline involves Ontario. The Warriors will move up to Division III after reaching the Division IV, Region 14 championship game last […]
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Ashland QB Bernhard commits to Division I Appalachian State
ASHLAND — The most highly anticipated college commitment in the history of Ashland High School athletics has been made. Junior quarterback Nathan Bernhard announced he has committed to NCAA Division I Appalachian State University via social media Friday afternoon. The Mountaineers and new head coach Dowell Loggains were the 14th and most recent program to make […]
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Former Mansfield Senior greats hope to hear names called during NFL Draft
MANSFIELD — All Angelo Grose and Anthony Hawkins are looking for is an opportunity. Teammates on Mansfield Senior’s 2019 state runner-up team, both Grose and Hawkins could hear their names called during this weekend’s NFL Draft, which begins Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisc. If not, they will likely sign as rookie free agents after […]
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Mansfield Sr. taps alumnus Fletcher as new head football coach
MANSFIELD — Antonio Fletcher’s 15-year apprenticeship ended Tuesday night. Mansfield Senior’s longtime assistant, Fletcher was approved as Senior High’s new head football coach during Tuesday’s board meeting. He succeeds Chioke Bradley, who stepped down after last season. It was Bradley who brought Fletcher on board when the former took over as Senior High’s head coach […]
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COMMENTARY: Replacing Bradley won’t be easy for Mansfield Senior
MANSFIELD — The search for Chioke Bradley’s successor is ongoing, but one thing became abundantly clear during a ceremony in his honor last week in the Mansfield Senior High School commons. There’s no replacing the Tygers’ wildly successful former football coach on the field. His desire to help young people will be sorely missed, too. […]
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Danville’s Byers heads talented All-North Central Ohio defense
DANVILLE — He’ll go down as one of the greatest individual tacklers in Danville history, but what Josh Byers is most proud of is what the Blue Devils accomplished as a team. The newly-crowned North Central Ohio Defensive Player of the Year, Byers helped led Danville to a regional championship and a berth in the […]
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Ontario’s Miller is the North Central Ohio Offensive Player of the Year
ONTARIO — He finished third in Ohio’s Mr. Football balloting at a position he will not play in college. It’s going to be fun to see what Ontario’s Bodpegn Miller becomes when he lines up at receiver for Ohio State. Miller is the newly-minted North Central Ohio Offensive Player of the Year on top of […]