High school football: OHSAA releases new playoff regions

The Ohio high school football season is only four weeks old, but the playoffs are right around the corner.

That is the reality created by adjustments to the schedule in anticipation of avoiding a second wave of coronavirus infections in late fall and early winter.

Every school that wants to be part of the playoffs is able to this year, and the OHSAA says 664 schools have taken that option, down 45 from the original number according to the organization.

The computer rankings are not in use this year. Instead, coaches in each region will vote on seeds early next week, the same process used in other sports in which all teams make the playoffs.

The OHSAA will publish brackets Oct. 1, and many higher seeds will have byes because numbers of schools in each region varies. Higher seeds will host at least until the state semifinals, and a team unable to play a playoff game on the assigned day will be eliminated while its opponent advances.

Here are the local teams by region (listed in alphabetical order):

Division I

Region 2: Beavercreek, Centerville, Dublin Coffman, Dublin Jerome, Fairmont, Findlay, Hilliard Bradley, Marysville, Miamisburg, Northmont, Olentangy Liberty, Perrysburg, Springboro, Springfield, Wayne, Toledo Whitmer

Region 4: Moeller, Colerain, Elder, Fairfield, Hamilton, Lakota East, Lakota West, Lebanon, Mason, Middletown, Milford, Oak Hills, Princeton, St. Xavier, Sycamore, Walnut Hills, West Clermont

Division II

Region 8:Anderson, Belmont, Columbus Briggs, Edgewood, Fairborn, Franklin Heights, Harrison, Kings, La Salle, Lima Senior, Little Miami, Loveland, Piqua, Sidney, Stebbins, Talawanda, Teays Valley, Tecumseh, Troy, Turpin, Columbus West, Winton Woods, Cincinnati Withrow, West Carrollton, Xenia

Division III

Region 11: Athens, Columbus Beechcroft, Bellefontaine, Bishop Hartley, Buckeye Valley, Columbus Centennial, Chillicothe, Granville, Hamilton Township, Jackson, Jonathan Alder, London, Marietta, Miami Trace, Thornville Sheridan, Columbus South, Columbus DeSales, Dresden Tri-Valley, Western Brown, Wilmington

Region 12: Alter, Badin, Bellbrook, Cincinnati Aiken, Cincinnati Hughes, Celina, Fenwick, Butler, Carroll, Chaminade Julienne, Dunbar, Elida, Franklin, Goshen, Greenville, Lima Shawnee, Monroe, Mount Healthy, New Richmond, Cincinnati Northwest, Ponitz, Ross, St. Mary’s Memorial, Tippecanoe, Trotwood-Madison, Wapakoneta

Division IV

Region 16: Batavia, Behtel-Tate, Cincinnati Shroder, Clinton-Massie, Eaton, Graham, Greenfield McClain, Hillsboro, Indian Hill, Kenton Ridge, McNicholas, Milton-Union, Northridge, Northwestern, Norwood, Oakwood, Taylor, Thurgood Marshall, Unioto, Urbana, Valley View, Washington Court House, Waverly, Waynesville, Wyoming

Division V

Region 18: Benjamin Logan, Indian Lake, Lima Bath, Brooklyn, Doyleston Chippewa, Eastwood, Elmwood, Elyria Catholic, Fairview, Fostoria, Genoa, Milbury Lake, Kansas Lakota, Liberty-Benton, North Union, West Salem Northwestern, Oak Harbor, Orrville, Otsego, Ottawa-Glandorf, Marion Pleasant, Swanton, Waynedale, Willard, Wynford

Region 20: Bethel, Blanchester, Brookville, Carlisle, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Cincinnati Summit Country Day, Clermont Northeastern, East Clinton, Finneytown, Greenon, Madeira, Middletown Madison, Madison Plains, Mariemont, Meadowdale, North College Hill, Preble Shawnee, Purcell Marian, Reading, Roger Bacon, Springfield Shawnee, Taft, Versailles, West Liberty-Salem

Division VI

Region 24: Frankfort Adena, Harrod Allen East, Anna, Arcanum, Cincinnati Country Day, Coldwater, Covington, Dayton Christian, Deer Park, Delphos Jefferson, Dixie, Fairbanks, Fort Recovery, Greeneview, Mechanicsburg, Miami East, Minster, National Trail, Northeastern, Paint Valley, Parkway, St. Bernard, Triad, West Jefferson

Division VII

Region 28: Ansonia, Cedarville, Cincinnati College Prep Academy, Fayetteville-Perry, Fort Loramie, Grove City Christian, Lehman Catholic, Lockland, Manchester Marion Local, Miami Valley Christian Academy, Mississinawa Valley, New Bremen, New Miami, Ridgemont, De Graf Riverside, Southeastern, St. Henry, Tri-County North, Tri-Village, Troy Christian, Twin Valley South

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