Video: Tadas Tatarunas' highlights vs. Benedictine High
See the Mentor High quarterback in actionWho do you favor for Ohio High School football regional titles? State championships? Here's who we think makes the Final Four and walks away with hardware.
Division I
Final FourRegion 1: Mentor Region 2: Olentangy Liberty (Powell)Region 3: Wayne (Huber Heights)Region 4: Colerain (Cincinnati)State champion pick: Colerain
Don't be surprised if…A catholic school doesn't make the state final.
St. Edward (Lakewood),
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) and
St. Xavier (Cincinnati) all lead the parochial charge, but Colerain, Wayne, Mentor and Liberty headline an extremely talented public school pool this season. Catholic schools have won five straight D-I state titles and 12 of the last 16.
Hilliard Davidson (Hilliard) beat
Glenville (Cleveland) in the 2009 final, which was the last time a private school didn't reach the state final and a public school won the title. Other public D-I winners since the turn of the century include: Davidson (2006), Colerain (2004) and
Upper Arlington (Columbus) (2000).
Division IIFinal FourRegion 5: CopleyRegion 6: Midview (Grafton)Region 7: Washington (Massillon) Region 8: La Salle (Cincinnati)State champion pick: LaSalle
Don't be surprised if…La Salle doesn't win three straight state titles. It's been a historic ride for the Lancers recently but they are in a deep region that features plenty of hurdles, including
Kings (Kings Mill),
Loveland,
Miamisburg,
Winton Woods (Cincinnati) and
Edgewood (Trenton).
Division IIIFinal Four
Region 9: Archbishop Hoban (Akron)Region 10: Central Catholic (Toledo)Region 11: St. Francis de Sales (Columbus)Region 12: Trotwood-MadisonState champion pick: Hoban
The Archbishop Hoban defense seeks to live up to the prediction of a repeat state title.
Photo by Jeff Harwell
Toledo Central Catholic and Trotwood-Madison meet in the state playoffs for a fourth time in five years. The Irish beat the Rams in the 2012 D-II state final (16-12) and in the 2014 and 2015 D-III state semifinals (17-14 and 21-13, respectively).
Division IV
Final Four
Region 13: Woodridge (Peninsula)Region 14: Bishop Hartley (Columbus)Region 15: SteubenvilleRegion 16: Archbishop Alter (Kettering)State champion pick: Hartley
Don't be surprised if…Hartley or Alter wins the state title. The Hawks and Knights have combined to win half of the last eight D-IV titles. Each has two trophies during the span.
Division VFinal Four
Region 17: Canton Central CatholicRegion 18: Edison (Milan)Region 19: WheelersburgRegion 20: Coldwater
State champion pick: Coldwater
Don't be surprised if…Coldwater and Canton Central Catholic meet for the third-straight season in the state final. Coldwater has won the previous two, 62-21 and 35-18.
Division VI
Final Four
Region 21: KirtlandRegion 22: Liberty CenterRegion 23: Grandview Heights (Columbus)Region 24: Marion Local (Maria Stein)State champion pick: Marion Local
Marion Local and Kirtland in another state final like last year? Yep, that's the prediction.
Photo by Michael Noyes
Marion Local and Kirtland meet in the state final again. Last year the Hornets snapped the Flyers state record 24-game postseason win streak and denied them their fifth state title in a row with a 22-20 come-from-behind win. Kirtland has played in five straight state finals itself.
And don't be surprised if…Mechanicsburg finally breaks through against the Midwest Athletic Conference (MAC). The Indians lost to eventual state champion
Minster 42-41 in overtime in the 2014 regional quarterfinals. It lost to Marion Local 9-7 in last year's regional final.
Division VII
Final Four
Region 25: MogadoreRegion 26: McCombRegion 27: East (Sciotoville)Region 28: Fort RecoveryState champion pick: Fort Recovery
Don't be surprised if…The MAC continues its small-school dominance. The D-VII classification has crowned three state champions and all have been MAC members: Marion Local (2013, 2014) and Fort Recovery (2015).
