Heart of Ohio Sports | October 25, 2026
Ten weeks of football have brought us to this.
The regular season is in the books, the computer points have been calculated, and the Ohio High School Athletic Association has officially set the field for the 2026 high school football playoffs.
For the Heart of Ohio Sports coverage area, there is plenty to be excited about. Eighteen teams from our extended coverage area have earned postseason berths, including four of our primary coverage programs.
Hopewell-Loudon enters postseason play with a perfect 10-0 record and a first-round bye. Mohawk brings a 9-1 record into a home playoff matchup, while 7-3 Tiffin Columbian, 7-3 Seneca East, 6-4 Carey and 7-3 Fremont Ross will also open their postseason runs in front of their home crowds.
The opening round kicks off Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m., with the top four seeds in each region receiving a bye into the November 6 regional quarterfinals.
Here is how the playoff picture shapes up across the Heart of Ohio Sports coverage area.
The 2026 OHSAA football playoffs begin Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m., with first-round games across Ohio.
The top four seeds in each region receive a first-round bye and begin postseason play on November 6.
Tiffin Columbian, Mohawk, Seneca East, Carey and Fremont Ross will host first-round playoff games. Hopewell-Loudon and Sandusky Perkins earned first-round byes and will host their postseason openers November 6.
Division III | Region 10 | No. 7 Seed
FIRST ROUND: No. 7 Tiffin Columbian (7-3) VS No. 10 Grafton Midview (5-5)
Friday, October 30 | 7 p.m. | Tiffin
The Tornadoes are back in the postseason, and they'll get to begin their playoff journey on familiar ground.
Columbian earned the seventh seed in Division III, Region 10, setting up a first-round matchup against the Midview Middies.
The Tornadoes finished the regular season 7-3 and will look to carry that success into the postseason against a Midview program that enters at 5-5.
A victory would send Columbian on the road in the regional quarterfinals for a rematch from Week 3 against second-seeded Ontario (9-1), which earned a first-round bye.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Winner travels to No. 2 Ontario on November 6.
Division VII | Region 26 | No. 2 Seed
FIRST ROUND: BYE
PLAYOFF OPENER: Friday, November 6 | 7 p.m. | Bascom
A perfect regular season has earned the Chieftains an extra week to prepare for the postseason.
Hopewell-Loudon completed an unbeaten 10-0 campaign and secured the second seed in Division VII, Region 26.
The Chieftains will sit out the opening round before welcoming the winner of the matchup between No. 7 Gibsonburg (5-5) and No. 10 Toledo Christian (5-5).
Hopewell-Loudon has positioned itself for a postseason run, but the road through Region 26 includes unbeaten top seed Leipsic (10-0), third-seeded McComb (9-1) and fourth-seeded North Baltimore (9-1).
THE ROAD AHEAD: Hosts Gibsonburg or Toledo Christian on November 6.
Division VII | Region 26 | No. 5 Seed
FIRST ROUND: No. 5 Mohawk (9-1) VS No. 12 Wayne Trace (6-4)
Friday, October 30 | 7 p.m. | Sycamore
The Warriors have put together one of the area's strongest regular seasons, and their reward is a home playoff game.
Mohawk enters the postseason at 9-1 as the fifth seed in Division VII, Region 26.
The Warriors welcome Haviland Wayne Trace, which finished 6-4 and claimed the region's final qualifying spot.
Mohawk finds itself in the same region as Northern 10 Athletic Conference Co-Champion Hopewell-Loudon, but the two teams opposite sides of the bracket.
A first-round victory would send Mohawk to fourth-seeded North Baltimore (9-1) for a regional quarterfinal matchup.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Winner travels to No. 4 North Baltimore on November 6.
Division VI | Region 22 | No. 6 Seed
FIRST ROUND: No. 11 Delta (7-3) at No. 6 Seneca East (7-3)
Friday, October 30 | 7 p.m. | Attica
The Tigers are headed back to the postseason for an incredible 12th straight season, and their opening-round opponent brings an identical record.
Seneca East finished 7-3 and earned the sixth seed in Division VI, Region 22, setting up a home matchup against the 7-3 Delta Panthers.
The matchup features two teams with winning records and plenty at stake as the postseason begins.
Should Seneca East advance, the Tigers would travel to face third-seeded Woodmore, which completed a perfect 10-0 regular season and earned a first-round bye.
It's a potential matchup with significant local interest, but first the Tigers must take care of business against Delta.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Winner travels to No. 3 Woodmore on November 6.
Division VI | Region 22 | No. 7 Seed
FIRST ROUND: No. 10 Sherwood Fairview (8-2) at No. 7 Carey (6-4)
Friday, October 30 | 7 p.m. | Carey
The Blue Devils are no strangers to postseason football, and they'll have another opportunity to make some noise in November.
Carey finished the regular season 6-4, earning the seventh seed in Division VI, Region 22.
The Blue Devils draw a challenging opening-round opponent in Sherwood Fairview, which enters the postseason at 8-2 despite being seeded tenth.
The matchup is a reminder that regular-season records don't always tell the full story when it comes to Ohio's computer-point system.
The winner will advance to face second-seeded Lima Central Catholic, which enters the playoffs undefeated at 10-0.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Winner travels to No. 2 Lima Central Catholic on November 6.
Division II | Region 6 | No. 5 Seed
FIRST ROUND: No. 12 Sylvania Southview (5-5) at No. 5 Fremont Ross (7-3)
Friday, October 30 | 7 p.m. | Fremont
The Little Giants will open their postseason run at home after earning the fifth seed in Division II, Region 6.
Fremont Ross finished the regular season 7-3 and will welcome Sylvania Southview, which enters at 5-5.
The Little Giants sit just outside the region's top four, narrowly missing a first-round bye but securing home-field advantage for their opening contest.
A victory would set up a second-round trip to fourth-seeded Oregon Clay (8-2).
THE ROAD AHEAD: Winner travels to No. 4 Oregon Clay on November 6.
Division IV | Region 14 | No. 3 Seed
FIRST ROUND: BYE
PLAYOFF OPENER: Friday, November 6 | 7 p.m. | Sandusky
Perfection has earned the Pirates a week off.
Sandusky Perkins completed an undefeated 10-0 regular season and secured the third seed in Division IV, Region 14.
The Pirates will have an opportunity to rest and prepare while sixth-seeded Bellevue (7-3) hosts No. 11 Marengo Highland (4-6) in the opening round.
The winner of that contest will travel to Sandusky for Perkins' postseason opener on November 6.
The region features three unbeaten teams in top-seeded Ottawa-Glandorf, second-seeded Shelby and third-seeded Perkins, setting the stage for what could become a highly competitive road to the regional championship.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Hosts Bellevue or Marengo Highland on November 6.
Beyond our seven primary coverage teams, 11 additional programs from the Heart of Ohio Sports coverage area have qualified for postseason play.
Several will begin their playoff journeys at home, while others face difficult road tests.
No. 10 North Olmsted (5-5) at No. 7 Findlay (6-4)
The Trojans earned a home playoff game and will welcome North Olmsted. A victory sends Findlay to second-seeded Olmsted Falls (8-2) on November 6.
No. 11 Marengo Highland (4-6) at No. 6 Bellevue (7-3)
The Redmen will host Highland with an opportunity to advance into a potential local showdown against unbeaten Sandusky Perkins.
No. 9 Medina Buckeye (5-5) at No. 8 Upper Sandusky (6-4)
The Rams secured the eighth seed and a home playoff opener. The winner advances to face top-seeded Ottawa-Glandorf (10-0).
No. 11 Port Clinton (8-2) at No. 6 Margaretta (7-3)
One of the most intriguing local matchups of the opening round. Despite finishing with eight victories, Port Clinton will travel to Castalia to face the seven win Margaretta Polar Bears.
The winner advances to face third-seeded Eastwood (9-1).
No. 9 North Union (7-3) at No. 8 Vermilion (7-3)
The Sailors earned a home playoff game against North Union in a matchup of 7-3 teams. The winner will travel to face top-seeded Keystone (9-0).
No. 3 Woodmore (10-0) — FIRST-ROUND BYE
The Wildcats completed a perfect regular season and earned a week off. Woodmore will host the winner of Seneca East and Delta on November 6.
No. 10 Monroeville (5-4) at No. 7 Dalton (4-6)
The Eagles are playoff-bound and will open on the road against Dalton. The winner advances to face second-seeded Cuyahoga Heights (9-1).
No. 12 Norwalk St. Paul (5-4) at No. 5 East Canton (7-3)
The Flyers enter the postseason as the twelfth seed and will travel to East Canton. A victory would set up a matchup against fourth-seeded New Middletown Springfield (7-3).
No. 10 Toledo Christian (5-5) at No. 7 Gibsonburg (5-5)
The Golden Bears earned a home playoff opener against Toledo Christian. The winner advances to Bascom to face unbeaten Hopewell-Loudon.
The OHSAA playoffs begin October 30, but the journey won't end until seven state champions are crowned in December.
The postseason schedule is as follows:
The higher-seeded team will host through the regional semifinals, with neutral-site games beginning in the regional finals.
For the teams in our coverage area, the road to Canton starts now.
Some will begin that journey under the Friday night lights this week. Others have earned the opportunity to watch, prepare and wait for their opponents.
But every team enters the postseason with the same goal: survive, advance and keep playing football.
And Heart of Ohio Sports will be following the action every step of the way.
For the official OHSAA playoff brackets, pairings and postseason information, visit the OHSAA Website HERE
Stay connected with Heart of Ohio Sports for playoff updates, game coverage, highlights and analysis throughout the postseason.
Heart of Ohio Sports — The Pulse of the Buckeye State.
We definitely have some great games in our area. I live in the Mohawk school district so cheering for them plus I have a nephew who plays for Carey so I will be cheering for them also. With that said I think the team that makes the final four in their division will be Hopewell