COLUMBUS – Three Midwest Athletic Conference teams and one Greater Western Ohio Conference teams will compete for state championships this week at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
The Coldwater, Fort Recovery and Marion Local football teams from the MAC and Wayne football team from the GWOC all will play in Ohio High School Athletic Association state championship games this weekend. GWOC member Trotwood-Madison lost 21-13 in the Division III state semifinals on Friday to Toledo Central Catholic.
Coldwater (14-0) will play in the Division V state championship game at 10 a.m. Friday against Canton Central Catholic (10-3), which is a rematch of last year’s championship game that Coldwater won 62-21. Coldwater is seeking its fourth consecutive state championship in its seventh consecutive trip to the state finals.
Fort Recovery (12-2) will play in the Division VII state championship game at 3 p.m. Friday against Mogadore (13-1). This is Fort Recovery’s first trip to the state finals, and it is trying to become the seventh MAC program to win a state championship in football. Fort Recovery, which made the playoffs for the first time last year, only had one playoff win prior to this season.
Marion Local (13-1) will play in the Division VI state championship game at 10 a.m. Saturday against Kirtland (13-1). Marion Local, which has won eight state championships since 2000, is trying to join St. Ignatius as the second team in OHSAA football history with five consecutive state championships. The Flyers, who have won a state record 24 consecutive playoff games, won Division VII state titles the past two seasons prior to moving up to Division VI this year. Kirtland also is making its fifth consecutive appearance in the state finals. The Hornets are 71-3 the past three years with two of their losses in state finals vs. MAC teams – to Coldwater in 2012 and to Minster in 2014.
The MAC, which last year became the first conference in OHSAA history to win three football state championships in a single season (Coldwater, Minster and Marion Local), is trying to repeat the feat this year.
Wayne (14-0) will play in the Division I state championship game against Lakewood St. Edward (13-1), which is a rematch of last year’s state final that St. Edward won 31-21. Lakewood St. Edward and Wayne are meeting for the third time in the state championship game with St. Edward also winning their matchup in 2010. St. Edward and Wayne finished the season ranked No. 1 and 2 in the Associated Press state rankings.
In the other championship games, Akron Archbishop Hoban (13-1) will play Toledo Central Catholic (12-2) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for the Division III title, Cincinnati La Salle (12-2) will play Massillon Perry (12-2) at 8 p.m. Friday for the Division II title, and Steubenville (13-0) will play Columbus Bishop Hartley (10-3) at 8 p.m. Saturday for the Division IV title.
The state championship games will be televised live on SportsTime Ohio. For more information on the championship games, visit the OHSAA website at ohsaa.org.
