High school football in Ohio isn't just a weekend hobby. It's basically a religion with a really loud soundtrack of marching bands and rattling bleachers. When you look at the list of Ohio HS football champions from the last few seasons, you start to notice a pattern that's almost frustrating if you live anywhere else. It’s a mix of private school dominance and a group of small-town public schools in Western Ohio that seemingly refuse to lose.
The OHSAA state championships are held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. It’s a pro-level stage. And every December, the same handful of programs treat that stadium like their own backyard.
The Unstoppable Force of Lakewood St. Edward
Let’s talk about Division I. For the last three years, the big school division has basically been a coronation for Lakewood St. Edward. They won it in 2021, 2022, and 2023. That’s a "three-peat" in the toughest division in the state. They do it with a mix of brutal offensive line play and a defense that flies to the ball like they're being paid for it.
Honestly, the gap between St. Ed’s and the rest of the field has felt wider lately. In the 2023 final, they handled Springfield 31-0. It wasn't even close. Springfield has been the hard-luck story of the decade, making it to the title game four years in a row and coming up empty every single time. It’s heartbreaking. You have players like Aaron Scott and Bryce Schondelmyer putting up massive numbers all year, only to hit a brick wall when they face the Eagles from Lakewood.
St. Edward head coach Tom Lombardo has built a machine. They play a national schedule. They travel to Georgia, they play the best teams in Indiana, and by the time the Ohio playoffs roll around, they’ve already seen everything a teenager can throw at them.
Massillon Washington Finally Gets Over the Hump
For years, the biggest "yeah, but..." in Ohio was the Massillon Tigers. They have the most tradition. They have the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. They have the live tiger mascot. But until 2023, they hadn't won an "on-the-field" playoff era state title since the current format started in 1972. They had plenty of "poll championships" from the old days, but the trophy case was missing the big one.
That changed in 2023. Massillon beat Akron Archbishop Hoban 7-2 in a game that was basically a defensive fistfight. It wasn't pretty. It was gritty, rainy, and stressful. But for the city of Massillon, it was everything. Seeing the Tigers finally listed among the official Ohio HS football champions felt like a shift in the universe.
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The Midwest Athletic Conference: Small Town, Big Rings
If you want to understand why Ohio football is different, you have to look at the MAC (Midwest Athletic Conference). These are small schools—mostly rural, mostly Catholic, all obsessed. We’re talking about places like Maria Stein Marion Local and Coldwater.
Maria Stein is a tiny town. You’ll blink and miss it. But Marion Local is arguably the greatest dynasty in the history of American high school sports, not just Ohio.
- They have 14 state titles.
- They recently broke the state record for consecutive wins, passing Delphos St. John’s.
- Coach Tim Goodwin has a winning percentage that looks like a typo.
In 2023, Marion Local dismantled Dalton 38-0 in the Division VII final. They just don't make mistakes. They play "complementary football" before most kids even know what that means. If you're a small school in Ohio and you see Marion Local on your side of the bracket, you're basically playing for second place. It's a tough pill to swallow.
Why the Private vs. Public Debate Never Dies
You can’t talk about Ohio HS football champions without mentioning the "Competitive Balance" conversation. It’s the elephant in the room. Public school fans often complain that schools like Cleveland Glenville, St. Edward, or Archbishop Hoban have an unfair advantage because they can draw students from across district lines.
Glenville is an interesting case. They are a public school in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, but they operate a bit differently. Under legendary coach Ted Ginn Sr., the Tarblooders became the first Cleveland public school to win a state title in 2022. Then they did it again in 2023. They produce NFL talent like it’s a factory—Marshon Lattimore, Donte Whitner, Cardale Jones.
The OHSAA tried to fix the perceived imbalance with a "multiplier" formula. Basically, if you have a lot of kids from outside your district on your roster, you get bumped up to a higher division. It hasn't really stopped the usual suspects from winning. The reality is that the best programs have the best coaching, the best weight rooms, and a culture that starts in the third grade.
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The 2024 Landscape and Beyond
Looking at the most recent winners provides a roadmap for who to watch next year.
Division II: Akron Archbishop Hoban vs. The World
Hoban has been a powerhouse, but Massillon stopped their streak. They are still the gold standard for Northeast Ohio. They have a roster full of Division I college recruits. If you're betting on a comeback, bet on the Knights.
Division IV: Perry’s Breakthrough
Perry (Lake County) won their first-ever state title in 2023 by beating Canton South. It was a refreshing change. They didn't rely on a star-studded roster of four-star recruits; they just played incredibly disciplined football. It proves that the "old guards" can be toppled if the right group of seniors comes together.
Division VI: Kirtland’s Revenge
Kirtland is another small-school powerhouse. Coach Tiger LaVerde (yes, that’s his real name) has turned a small community near Cleveland into a factory of fundamentally sound football. They beat Versailles in 2023 to reclaim their spot at the top. Kirtland doesn't pass much. They don't do anything fancy. They just run the ball down your throat until you quit.
Realities of the Playoff Grind
The Ohio playoffs are a marathon. It used to be that only a few teams made it. Now, 16 teams per region qualify. That means you have to win six straight games to be crowned Ohio HS football champions.
By the time teams get to Canton in December, they are beat up. Injuries usually decide the finals more than talent does. If your star quarterback tweaks an ankle in the regional semifinal, your season is likely over. The depth of schools like St. Xavier or St. Ignatius usually allows them to weather those storms, which is why the big private schools stay consistent.
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What Makes a Champion?
It’s not just the talent. It’s the "scout team" players who never see the field on Fridays but work the starters to death in practice. It's the community support. In Steubenville, the "Big Red" fans fill the stadium three hours before kickoff. When Steubenville wins a title, the whole town shuts down.
Specific things to look for in a championship-caliber Ohio team:
- Line Play: If you can't win the trenches in 35-degree weather in November, you won't win a title.
- Special Teams: So many playoff games are decided by a muffed punt or a missed 30-yard field goal.
- The "MAC" Factor: If you're in a lower division, you have to find a way to beat the Midwest Athletic Conference teams. They are the gatekeepers.
How to Track the Next Generation of Champions
If you're looking to follow the road to the next state championship, don't just look at the scores. Watch the regional brackets in Regions 1, 5, and 9. Those are typically the "Regions of Death" where the best teams eliminate each other before the state semis even start.
Next Steps for Fans and Researchers:
- Check the OHSAA official website for the updated "Competitive Balance" numbers released every June. This tells you which schools are moving up or down in divisions based on their roster makeup.
- Follow local beat writers like those from the Canton Repository or Cleveland.com. They have the deepest archives on these programs.
- Attend a regional final game. The state finals are great, but the regional finals—usually played on a neutral high school turf—often have more intensity and "winner-takes-all" stakes.
- Watch the historical data of the Midwest Athletic Conference. Their ability to produce champions in Divisions V, VI, and VII is statistically an anomaly that sports historians are still trying to figure out.
The beauty of Ohio high school football is that every August, every town thinks this is their year. Most are wrong. But for the few that end up under the lights in Canton, the glory lasts forever. Names like Kirtland, Marion Local, and St. Ed’s aren't just names on a bracket; they are the benchmarks for everyone else. Regardless of which division you follow, the path to the trophy always goes through a legacy program that has been there before.