Ohio High School Football Playoffs 2025: Division III First Round Matchups, Predictions, Brackets

The OHSAA football playoffs begin Oct. 31, see matchups and predictions for Division III

Akron East head coach Marques Hayes watches his team warm up prior to a game in the 2023 season / Jeff Harwell, High School on SI

Well, that was a quick 10 weeks of the Ohio high school football season, as the regular season has now concluded and the postseason is set to begin.

With that in mind, we at High School on SI Ohio have decided to post the matchups for each Division in each round, while also making predictions for each and every game.

As a reminder, the OHSAA has once again changed the format for the playoffs.

The change that was made by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the postseason this year is a reduction in teams making the playoffs and we posted a story at the midway point of the season as to what the playoffs would look like at that point in Division III.

Starting in 2021, the OHSAA went to a format that saw the top 16 teams in each region qualify for postseason play. But starting in 2025, only 12 will make the playoffs with the top four seeds in each region earning a bye in the first round.

Also, the first three rounds of the postseason will be hosted by the higher seeded team instead of the first two rounds. 

With the top four teams earning a bye, the first-round games will be the following:

No. 12 at No. 5
No. 11 at No. 6
No. 10 at No. 7
No. 9 at No. 8

In round two, the No. 1 seed will host the winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9, the No. 2 seed will host the winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10, the No. 3 seed will host the winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11, and the No. 4 seed will host the winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12. 

As has been the case over the last several years, all playoff games until the state championships will be played on Friday night.

The playoff qualifiers and first round matchups will be announced on Sunday, Oct. 26 with the first round being played on Friday, Oct. 31. The second round (or regional quarterfinals) will be played on Nov. 7, the regional semifinals on Nov. 14, the regional finals on Nov. 21 and the state semifinals on Nov. 28. The regional finals and state semifinals will all be held at neutral sites as determined by the OHSAA.

The state championship games will once again be at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton from Dec. 4-6, with the Division III state championship game on Friday, Dec. 5 at 3:00 p.m.

OHSAA Football Playoffs - Division III First Round Matchups and Predictions

Region 9 Bracket

No. 1 Canfield (9-1), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9

No. 2 Cuyahoga Falls CVCA (9-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 10 vs. No. 7

No. 3 Gates Mills Hawken (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 11 vs. No. 6

No. 4 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (8-1), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 12 vs. No. 5

No. 12 Maple Heights (7-3) at No. 5 Chardon (6-4)

No. 11 Cleveland Benedictine (8-2) at No. 6 Akron East (8-2)

No. 10 Geneva (8-2) at No. 7 Alliance (8-2)

No. 9 Madison (7-3) at No. 8 Chagrin Falls Kenston (6-4)

Predictions:

Chardon over Maple Heights
Akron East over Benedictine
Geneva over Alliance
Madison over Kenston

Region 10 Bracket

No. 1 Medina Buckeye (10-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9

No. 2 Wapakoneta (10-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 10 vs. No. 7

No. 3 Lexington (9-1), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 11 vs. No. 6

No. 4 Richfield Revere (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 12 vs. No. 5

No. 12 Grafton Midview (5-5) at No. 5 Rocky River (8-2)

No. 11 Ontario (6-4) at No. 6 Toledo Central Catholic (6-4)

No. 10 Parma Heights Holy Name (6-4) at No. 7 Lima Shawnee (7-3)

No. 9 Copley (7-3) at No. 8 St. Marys Memorial (7-3)

Predictions:

Rocky River over Midview
Ontario over Central Catholic
Holy Name over Shawnee
Copley over St. Marys Memorial

Region 11 Bracket

No. 1 Columbus Bishop Watterson (9-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9

No. 2 Newark Licking Valley (10-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10

No. 3 Steubenville (7-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11

No. 4 Dresden Tri-Valley (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12

No. 12 Columbus Independence (6-4) at No. 5 Columbus Hamilton Township (8-2)

No. 11 The Plains Athens (9-1) at No. 6 Delaware Buckeye Valley (8-2)

No. 10 Columbus Linden McKinley (8-2) at No. 7 Carroll Bloom-Carroll (7-3)

No. 9 Thornville Sheridan (7-3) at No. 8 Granville (7-3)

Predictions:

Hamilton Township over Independence
Athens over Buckeye Valley
Bloom-Carroll over Linden McKinley
Granville over Sheridan

Region 12 Bracket

No. 1 London (10-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9

No. 2 Tipp City Tippecanoe (10-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10

No. 3 Hamilton Badin (9-1), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11

No. 4 Jackson (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12

No. 12 Hillsboro (5-5) at No. 5 Washington Court House Miami Trace (9-1)

No. 11 Bellbrook (6-4) at No. 6 Kettering Archbishop Alter (7-3)

No. 10 Goshen (7-3) at No. 7 Oxford Talawanda (9-1)

No. 9 Chillicothe (6-4) at No. 8 Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (6-4)

Predictions:

Miami Trace over Hillsboro
Archbishop Alter over Bellbrook
Talawanda over Goshen
Archbishop McNicholas over Chillicothe

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