Who’s ready for some high school football?

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

For many, the unofficial end of summer occurs when the high school football season kicks off and that time is just days away.

The season will actually kick off on Thursday night for 56 teams around the state. The list of games that night includes six that will be played around the area:

• Lehman Catholic at Delphos St. John’s
• Shawnee at Lima Central Catholic
• Antwerp at Montpelier
• Pandora-Gilboa at Columbus Grove
• Harvest Prep at Versailles
• Leipsic at Tiffin Calvert

The rest of the teams will play on Friday, the traditional opening night.

In a season opening series that dates back many years, Van Wert will welcome in Bryan. The Cougars have won eight straight over the Golden Bears. That doesn’t count the 2020 season, when the two teams did not meet during the COVID-19 shortened regular season.

Crestview has two new non-conference opponents, but one of them isn’t exactly a stanger. Defending GMC champion Paulding will come to Convoy to kick off the brand new season. The two teams met annually when Paulding was a member of the NWC. The Panthers replace Parkway on the non-conference portion of Crestview’s schedule. Minster is Crestview’s other new non-conference opponent.

Among Western Buckeye League teams, Elida will open the season on the road against Toledo Rogers. The two teams have met the previous three seasons and Elida has won all three by a combined score of 120-6.

Celina will host defending Division VII state champion St. Henry on Friday, while St. Marys Memorial – the VW independent’s pick to win the WBL this season – will host Galion. Defiance and Napoleon will play their longtime opener on Friday, while Ottawa-Glandorf has a tough test to start the new season, as Liberty-Benton comes to Putnam County.

Kenton will be home to Eastwood and defending WBL champion Wapakoneta will head to Lucas County to face Oregon Clay. The Bath Wildcats will begin the season on the road against Indian Lake. Something to keep in mind – Indian Lake has not won a season opener since the 2017.

Along with Crestview, NWC teams in action Friday night include Spencerville, as the Bearcats host Anna. Delphos Jefferson will be home to Evergreen, Allen East will travel to Perry, Bluffton will face Benjamin Logan on the road, and Fort Loramie, the NWC’s football-only member, will entertain Minster.

Including Paulding, seven of the GMC’s teams will play on Friday night, with Wayne Trace traveling to New Bremen. The two teams met for the first time last year and the Cardinals posted a 41-0 victory. Hicksville will travel to West Unity to face Hilltop, Edgerton will head to Edon, Ayersville will host Delta, and Fairview will be home to Wauseon.

Tinora has the toughest draw of all GMC teams on Friday night. The Rams will face defending Division V state champion Liberty Center on the road. The Tigers, who finished as state runners-up in 2023 and 2024, are now in Division VI, Region 22.

Among MAC schools, with Crestview off the schedule, Parkway has a new season opener and it will be a challenge. The Panthers will host Brookville, a team from Montegomery County. Brookville was 10-2 last season while playing in Division IV, Region 16. This year, the Panthers are in Division V, Region 20.

Marion Local’s state record 76-game winning streak was snapped by St. Henry in the Division VII regional finals, but the Flyers still have a 58-game regular season winning streak. They’ll put that on the line at home against the Carey Blue Devils. Coldwater will host Valley View, while Fort Recovery will travel to Dayton to face Ponitz Tech, a team from Division III, Region 12 that went 1-9 last year and is 2-28 in the last three seasons.

Lima Sr. will host Piqua Friday night. The Spartans and Blue Racers have opened the season the previous three years and Lima Sr. has won all three, including 12-7 last year.

Predictions for all of these games will be feature in Thursday’s Pigskin Pick’Em feature.