Aug. 21, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET
- The OHSAA football season began Aug. 21 and continues Aug. 22.
The 2026 Ohio high school football season kicked off Thursday night and continues tonight. Every team throughout Ohio is chasing their ultimate goal — to be in Canton for the OHSAA state championship games this December.
Our CantonRep.com sports writers will be there over the next four months, sharing the stories of the teams in our communities in their pursuit of league titles and a spot in the state playoffs.
To get ready for the 2026 season, we’ve spent the last month talking to area coaches and players to provide in-depth coverage on Greater Stark County not found anywhere else.
Each team’s schedule can be found here. Read on to find links to our breakdowns of all of the area’s teams, as well as who are this season’s projected top players.
Watch Ohio High School Football Live on the NFHS Network all season
Ranking the top Stark County-area high school football players to watch in 2026
USA Today Network Preseason top 25 football player rankings
Ohio high school football again features elite players drawing the attention of assorted college football powerhouse. The USA Today Network sports writers in Ohio ranked the top 25 heading into this fall. Here’s who made the cut.
▶ Click here to see who made the list.
Federal League football previews
Stark County football previews
Stark County-area PAC-7 football previews
Stark County-area Eastern Buckeye Conference football previews
Stark-area IVC previews
Additional Stark County high school football preseason info
Who are the area’s top teams heading into Week 1? Who do we think will win league titles? Here’s some of projections heading into the season.
OHSAA football – Week 1
An exciting Week 1 kicked off Thursday, Aug. 20 and continues Friday, Aug. 21. Here’s what to know.
▶ Click here for our breakdown and predictions for Week 1.
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.