2018 Ohio High School Football Preseason State Rankings

By Eric Frantz Aug 20, 2018, 12:30pm

Who are the top teams in Ohio entering Week 1? A look at the MaxPreps (man and machine) preseason rankings.

Early contenders...the top team from each state
Who does MaxPreps consider the Buckeye State's top squad entering the 2018 season?

2018 Ohio High School Football MaxPreps Preseason State Rankings

Statewide Football Schedules & Live/Final Scores
Click the following link to access 2018 Ohio High School Football Schedules and Scores.

Akron Hoban is going for a fourth straight state title and opens as a unanimous No. 1 in Division II.
Akron Hoban is going for a fourth straight state title and opens as a unanimous No. 1 in Division II.
Photo by Jeff Harwell

MaxPreps Preseason Computer Rankings
Who does the formula favor? Here's who the MaxPreps Computer Rankings like...


EF's MaxPreps Preseason Top 10
Picking Ohio high school football winners and producing state polls is something I've been doing for nearly two decades. Here's my latest installment. Week 1 has arrived.

Division I Rankings



MaxPreps Preview (Top Players, Games and Storylines)

1. Pickerington Central
2. Mentor
3. Pickerington North
4. Colerain (Cincinnati)
5. Whitmer (Toledo)
6. St. Edward (Lakewood)
7. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)
8. St. Xavier (Cincinnati)
9. St. Ignatius (Cleveland)
10. Euclid

Watch list: Wayne (Huber Heights), Berea-Midpark (Berea), Elder (Cincinnati), Northmont (Clayton), Olentangy Liberty (Powell)

Division II Rankings

MaxPreps Preview (Top Players, Games and Storylines)

1. Archbishop Hoban (Akron)
2. La Salle (Cincinnati)
3. Washington (Massillon)
4. Avon
5. Central Catholic (Toledo)
6. Winton Woods (Cincinnati)
7. Whitehall-Yearling
8. Anderson (Cincinnati)
9. Perry (Massillon)
10. Olmsted Falls



Watch list: Northland (Columbus), New Albany, Wooster, Troy, Springfield (Holland)

Division III Rankings

MaxPreps Preview (Top Players, Games and Storylines)

1. Trotwood-Madison
2. Bishop Hartley (Columbus)
3. Archbishop Alter (Kettering)
4. Padua Franciscan (Parma)
5. Granville
6. Kenston (Chagrin Falls)
7. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron)
8. St. Francis de Sales (Columbus)
9. New Philadelphia
10. Mansfield Senior

Watch list: Eastmoor Academy (Columbus), Celina, Marion-Franklin (Columbus), Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (Chardon), Wapakoneta

Division IV Rankings



MaxPreps Preview (Top Players, Games and Storylines)

1. Wyoming (Cincinnati)
2. Clinton-Massie (Clarksville)
3. Steubenville
4. Girard
5. Perry
6. Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown)
7. Indian Valley (Gnadenhutten)
8. Licking Valley (Newark)
9. Memorial (St. Marys)
10. Hubbard

Watch list: St. Clairsville, London, Woodridge (Peninsula), Highland (Marengo), Clearview (Lorain)

Division V Rankings

MaxPreps Preview (Top Players, Games and Storylines)

1. Wheelersburg
2. Madison Senior (Middletown)
3. Eastwood (Pemberville)
4. Meadowbrook (Byesville)
5. Johnstown-Monroe
6. Pleasant (Marion)
7. Anna
8. Grand Valley (Orwell)
9. Otsego (Tontogany)
10. Liberty Center



Watch list: Sandy Valley (Magnolia), Manchester (Akron), Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Greeneview (Jamestown), Portsmouth West (West Portsmouth)

Division VI Rankings

MaxPreps Preview (Top Players, Games and Storylines)

1. Marion Local (Maria Stein)
2. Kirtland
3. Coldwater
4. Fort Recovery
5. Mechanicsburg
6. Lima Central Catholic
7. Columbia (Columbia Station)
8. Dawson-Bryant (Coal Grove)
9. Shadyside
10. Gibsonburg

Watch list: Seneca East (Attica), Mogadore, Catholic Central (Steubenville), Shenandoah (Sarahsville), Nelsonville-York, Fairbanks (Milford Center), Liberty-Benton (Findlay)

Division VII Rankings



MaxPreps Preview (Top Players, Games and Storylines)

1. Lehman Catholic (Sidney)
2. Minster
3. McComb
4. St. Paul (Norwalk)
5. Pandora-Gilboa
6. Crestview (Convoy)
7. St. John's (Delphos)
8. Cuyahoga Heights (Cleveland)
9. Trimble (Glouster)
10. Danville

Watch list: Windham, Calvert (Tiffin), Mohawk (Sycamore), Edgerton, Fort Loramie, Bishop Rosecrans (Zanesville), Toronto, East Canton