High School Football made its way back to the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton for the 2023 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Football State Championship. Seven teams represented Northeast Ohio, with the hopes to bring the championship trophy back home.
The seven division championships took place this past weekend and seven high schools located in one of the 13 Northeast Ohio counties were represented: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Columbiana, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne.
For the third time since 2013, Northeast Ohio High School football teams were represented in at least six of the seven divisions, with several teams making multiple appearances in the state title game since the creation of the 7th division in 2013 — Lakewood St. Edward (6), Archbishop Hoban (8), Washington Massillon (4), Kirtland (9), Dalton (1), Perry (2) and Glenville (3). The OHSAA added an additional tournament division in 2013, totaling seven current football divisions.
The Division II matchup set the stage for what turned out to be an incredible weekend. Archbishop Hoban vs. Massillon Washington was a game that drew over 15,000+ fans, a roaring crowd. The intense showdown between these schools marked only the third encounter the two powerhouses faced since 2018, and it did not disappoint. Massillon bested Hoban in a 7-2 victory, their first state title since 1970.
The past two years Kirtland made it to the state title game but came up short. This time around, they were not going to let the opportunity get away from them. In true hornet fashion, Kirtland got a commanding win over Versailles 32-15 to secure their seventh Division VI Football State Championship.
In remarkable fashion, St. Edward faced Springfield for the third consecutive year in the Division I State Championship, having emerged victorious in their last two matchups. After a nail biting first half, St. Edward ran up the scoreboard in the second half, taking down Springfield, 31- 21.
Perry outplayed Liberty Center in a back-and-forth 21-14 Division V state title game. Not only did this impressive win establish Perry's football dominance, they also captured a historical state championship, their first in school history.
Cleveland's own Glenville secured their back-to-back state championship in a dominating performance over Kettering Archbishop Alter 38-3. Glenville's offense was no match for Alter and they walked off with an incredible win, bringing the title back home to Cleveland.
In the Ohio high school football area, Northeast Ohio shines brightly, champions hailed from five of the seven divisions.
The teams that represented Northeast Ohio in this year's State Championship games are as follows: St. Edward (I), Archbishop Hoban (II), Washington Massillon (II), Glenville (IV), Perry (V), Kirtland (VI) and Dalton (VII).
