Top players and teams will be on exhibit in Canton for the Ohio State Championship.

 

 

The state championship weekend for Ohio high school football has arrived. The seven state championship games begin tonight with the Division II championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

There will be three games both Friday and Saturday. All games will be broadcast on Spectrum News 1 as well as the OHSAA Radio Network. Spectrum’s televised games are available on Spectrum News 1, the Spectrum app and on OHSAA.tv.

All tickets for the state championship games must be purchased online in advance at www.OHSAA.org/tickets. There will not be tickets sold at the gates.

The OHSAA and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have announced a new three-year contract that will keep the OHSAA football state championships in Canton at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium through 2026. The agreement includes two option years. The current three-year contract is set to expire after this week’s state finals.

OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute made the announcement Monday in Canton at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club. Ute was in Canton to speak to the members as part of his annual visit with the group on Monday of state championships week.

“We are excited to continue to grow this partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Ute said. “They have been so good to work with and are just as excited as us to take the next steps with the finals in Canton and have people experience all that the Hall of Fame, the surrounding Hall of Fame Village, and Canton have to offer in addition to state championship football.

 

 

We also thank Visit Canton for their support of the state championships and appreciate their support to host the games in Stark County.”

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame is proud to partner with Visit Canton and the OHSAA to keep the seven state championship games in Canton for the next three years,” said Jim Porter, Hall of Fame president. “The Hall wants this relationship to continue long into the future. Our staff will look for additional ways to build the weekend into a full community celebration – making the experience even more special for the teams playing in Canton and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”

After Ohio Stadium in Columbus hosted the state championships throughout the 1980s, the finals moved to Massillon and Canton in Stark County from 1990 through 2013. The finals moved back to The Ohio State University from 2014-16, which was also when Fawcett Stadium in Canton was torn down and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was built, which has hosted the state finals since 2017 except in 2020 due to the pandemic, when the finals were hosted in Obetz and Massillon.

The 2023 Ohio Mr. Football award winner will be announced at 4 p.m. today prior to the start of the state championship weekend.

 

 

Cleveland Heights junior running back Marquise Davis, Hilliard Darby senior quarterback Bradyn Fleharty, Cincinnati Moeller senior running back Jordan Marshall (Michigan commit), Findlay junior quarterback Ryan Montgomery, Columbus Watterson senior LB Dom Purcell, West Muskingum senior RB Rashid SeSay, Canton South senior QB Poochie Snyder, and Medina senior QB Danny Stoddard are among the finalists.

 Ohio State 2025 commit LB Eli Lee plays for Akron Hoban. The Buckeyes have also offered Hoban 2026 OL Sam Greer. Hoban OL William Satterwhite is committed to Tennessee for the 2024 class. Hoban RB Rickey Williams is committed to West Virginia. Massillon Washington OL Nolan Davenport is one of Ohio’s top prospects for 2025 … Hoban is in a state title game for the eighth time and fourth consecutive year.

Hoban has five state championships (most recently in 2020) … Massillon Washington boasts a number of state poll championships from the period prior to the start of the playoffs (before 1972). This is Massillon’s seventh state title game appearance and first since 2020 … Hoban’s lone loss this season was to Lakewood St. Edward (14-7) … Massillon has won its 15 games by an average of 33.1 points per game.

 

 

Versailles is in its 11^th state championship game and is seeking its eighth state title. The Tigers most recently won in 2021 … In his 17th year at Kirtland, Coach Tiger LaVerde has a 228-20 (.919) record. Combined with three seasons coaching in Pennsylvania, LaVerde’s career record is 248-30 (.892). Per Kirtland’s stat crew, his 91.9 winning percentage is the highest of any coach in OHSAA history with a minimum of 150 games coached. This is Kirtland’s 12th state title appearance in 13 seasons. The Hornets are 12-0 in regional championship games and have won six state championships (most recently in 2020) to go with five state runner-up finishes.