Area football teams will play in same divisions

COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced the new divisional breakdowns and playoff regions for 2025 football season Thursday. None of the Register area teams moved divisions or regions. Sandusky will still compete in Division II, Region 6 while Norwalk is in Division III, Region 10. Clyde, Bellevue, Vermilion and Perkins are still in Division IV, Region 14 while Port Clinton and Edison are in Division V, Region 18. Margaretta and Huron sit in Division VI, Region 22. St. Paul and Monroeville are Division VII, Region 25. Danbury and St. Mary Central Catholic will continue to play 8-man football. Perkins advanced to the Division IV state championship game last season before losing to Indian Valley, who still sits in Division IV, Region 16. Perkins nemesis, Glenville, who the Pirates defeated in the state semifinals, remain in Division IV, Region 13. Ontario, which Perkins defeated in the regional finals, moved up to Division III. Top teams in Region 14 such as Shelby and Napoleon remain in the region this upcoming season. The 2025-26 school year is the second of the current two-year enrollment cycle using data provided by the Ohio Department of Education. There are a total of 706 schools in Ohio that play football. The top 72 teams — enrollments of 592 or higher — are Division I. Enrollments from 378 to 591 (104 schools) are Division II, 268 to 377 (107 schools) are Division III, 202 to 267 (105 schools) are Division IV, 157 to 201 (106 schools) are Division V, 112 to 156 (106 schools) are Division VI, and enrollments 111 or less (106 schools) are Division VII. Twelve schools moved up a division due to the OHSAA's competitive balance process that analyzes data from roster information provided by each school from the previous season. Those 12 schools join 34 schools that remain in a higher division this year due to competitive balance, for a total of 46 schools that were moved up a division from the base male enrollment count. Schools can have up to 13 days of practice without pads during the summer, beginning May 12. An additional five days are permitted beginning July 15 for schools to complete the mandatory five-day acclimatization period. The OHSAA does not set a limit on physical fitness and conditioning workouts in the summer. The OHSAA recently conducted a survey with member schools regarding the playoff format. More information on those results will be released at a later date. Football administrator Beau Rugg spoke to the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association Thursday morning, conducting a Q&A session for about 30 minutes about possible changes to the postseason format. Currently, the top 16 teams in each region make it, but the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association is seeking changes to cut to 8 or 12 per region. There are pros and cons to each change, Rugg said. Going to 12 teams would eliminate half of the first-round games currently, but potentially takes away a home game for the top-4 seeds. That would take out revenue generated from hosting a first-round playoff game. 2025 OHSAA Football Divisional Breakdowns Division Adjusted Enrollment Number of Teams I &emsp;&emsp;592 and more &emsp;&emsp;72 II &emsp;&emsp;378 to 591 &emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;104 III &emsp;&emsp;268 to 377 &emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;107 IV &emsp;&emsp;202 to 267 &emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;105 V &emsp;&emsp;157 to 201 &emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;106 VI &emsp;&emsp;112 to 156 &emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;106 VII &emsp;&emsp;111 and less &emsp;&emsp;106 &emsp;&emsp;Total Teams &emsp;&emsp;706 2025 OHSAA Football Calendar Summer Period — May 12 through July 31 (13 practices permitted, plus five days for acclimation) Practice Begins — August 1 Regular-Season Begins — Week of August 18 (first Friday is August 22) Regular-Season Ends — Saturday, October 25 Playoff Qualifiers Announced — Sunday, October 26 Regional First Round — Friday, October 31 Regional Quarterfinals — Friday, November 7 Regional Semifinals — Friday, November 14 Regional Finals — Friday, November 21 State Semifinals — Friday, November 28 State Championships — December 4-6, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton Golf, girls tennis, soccer and girls volleyball The OHSAA earlier this week announced new divisional breakdowns for the upcoming fall sports of golf, girls tennis, soccer and girls volleyball. There were no changes in boys soccer or girls tennis for area teams. In girls soccer, Edison moved from Division IV down to Division V. In volleyball, Monroeville went down from Division VI to Division VII. Earlier this month, schools were given the opportunity to move up to Division I. For golf, the official start date for tryouts, practice and competition is July 28. For all other fall sports, tryouts and practice can begin on August 1, followed by staggered season start dates by sport. State tournament host sites and formats will be announced in August.