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

The second round of the OHSAA football playoffs are set for Nov. 7, see matchups and predictions for Division III

OHSAA Division III state final between Bishop Watterson and Toledo Central Catholic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Friday, December 6, 2024 / Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The first round of the Ohio high school football playoffs are in the books, and now the top four teams in each region come off their bye week as the second round takes place on Friday, Nov. 7.

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.

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

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 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 Second Round Matchups and Predictions

Region 9

No. 8 Chagrin Falls Kenston (7-4) at No. 1 Canfield (9-1)

No. 10 Geneva (9-2) at No. 2 Cuyahoga Falls CVCA (9-0)

No. 6 Akron East (9-2) at No. 3 Gates Mills Hawken (8-2)

No. 12 Maple Heights (8-3) at No. 4 Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph (8-1)

Predictions:

Canfield over Kenston
CVCA over Geneva
Akron East over Hawken
Villa Angela-St. Joseph over Maple Heights

Region 10

No. 8 St. Marys Memorial (8-3) at No. 1 Medina Buckeye (10-0)

No. 7 Lima Shawnee (8-3) at No. 2 Wapakoneta (10-0)

No. 6 Toledo Central Catholic (7-4) at No. 3 Lexington (9-1)

No. 5 Rocky River (9-2) at No. 4 Richfield Revere (8-2)

Predictions:

Buckeye over St. Marys Memorial
Wapakoneta over Shawnee
Toledo Central Catholic over Lexington
Revere over Rocky River 

Region 11

No. 8 Granville (8-3) at No. 1 Columbus Bishop Watterson (9-0)

No. 7 Carroll Bloom-Carroll (8-3) at No. 2 Newark Licking Valley (10-0)

No. 6 Delaware Buckeye Valley (9-2) at No. 3 Steubenville (7-2)

No. 5 Columbus Hamilton Township (9-2) at No. 4 Dresden Tri-Valley (8-2)

Predictions:

Bishop Watterson over Granville
Licking Valley over Bloom-Carroll
Steubenville over Buckeye Valley
Hamilton Township over Tr-Valley

Region 12

No. 8 Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas (7-4) at No. 1 London (10-0)

No. 7 Oxford Talawanda (10-1) at No. 2 Tipp City Tippecanoe (10-0)

No. 6 Kettering Archbishop Alter (8-3) at No. 3 Hamilton Badin (9-1)

No. 5 Washington Court House Miami Trace (10-1) at No. 4 Jackson (8-2)

Predictions:

London over Archbishop McNicholas
Tippecanoe over Talawanda
Badin over Alter
Jackson over Miami Trace

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