2026 HS football -some old, some new

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Some things may never change but others will when the 2026 high school football season kicks off in August. If you take out the COVID-19 season, Van Wert and Bryan have opened the regular season against each other seemingly forever and they’ll do so again this year. Crestview and Parkway met in the season opener for over 20 years (minus 2020), but they won’t square off at all this season.

Van Wert Cougars

The Cougars will continue their longstanding opening game rivalry against the Bryan Golden Bears August 21 at Eggerss Stadium. Except for the COVID-19 season of 2020, the two teams have opened the season against each other for a number of years. In fact, it’s thought to be one of Ohio’s longest season opening rivalries.

By the way – during the shortened COVID-19 regular season, the two teams were expected to meet once their respective playoff runs were complete. In 2020, the OHSAA allowed teams to schedule regular season games after a playoff loss. Just one thing – the Cougars kept winning in the postseason and went on to win the Division IV state championship.

If you’re keeping track, Van Wert has won eight straight games against the Golden Bears. Bryan’s last victory in the series came in 2016.

Van Wert’s WBL opener will be at home against Elida on August 28, giving the Cougars two straight home games to begin the season. Other regular season home games this year will be against Defiance on September 18, vs. St. Marys Memorial on October 2, and vs. Shawnee on October 16. A special dedication ceremony for the massive Eggerss Stadium renovation project is scheduled prior to the September 18 game vs. Defiance.

Crestview Knights

Crestview’s non-conference schedule is getting a two-thirds makeover.

Last season, the Knights opened the season against Parkway and powerhouse Marion Local. In 2024, the first two games were against Parkway and McComb. This year, Crestview will host a former NWC foe Paulding in the August 21 season opener. The northern Panthers are replacing Parkway, a team that the Knights faced in the season opener since 2003, except for the 2020 COVID-19 season. The Knights then will hit the road against a different, but still consistently strong team from the MAC – Minster. The third and final non-conference matchup will be a familiar one – the Wayne Trace Raiders. In addition to home games against Paulding and Wayne Trace, the Knights will also host Allen East, Bluffton and Columbus Grove.

Friday Flashback: Cougars vs. Wildcats

Editor’s note: The Friday Flashback has returned for the summer season and will continue until the start of the 2026 fall sports season. This week’s Friday Flashback takes us back to October of 2011, when Van Wert hosted Bath in a Week No. 6 homecoming game. Below is the story as it appeared on the VW independent Sports page.

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

The Van Wert Cougars looked like they would take a 13-6 lead into the halftime locker room during Friday night’s Homecoming football game against the Bath Wildcats. Unfortunately, the ‘Cats scored again with 24 seconds left on the clock and the touchdown seemed to take the wind out of Van Wert’s sails as Bath went on to score two more touchdowns en route to a 27-13 Western Buckeye League victory over the Cougars.

The key to the game was the inability of the Van Wert defense to stop the dive play, which the Wildcats used successfully to pick up first downs throughout the game.

Bath scored first when Cam Jenkins found Eric Heffner on what was a 61-yard scoring strike with 5:40 remaining in the first quarter. The kick was blocked, though, and the Wildcats led 6-0.

Van Wert scored twice in the second quarter, the first on a 4-yard run by quarterback Colin Smith at the 3:51 mark, and again two minutes later when Smith found Terrance Branson for a 62-yard touchdown pass at the 1:44 mark.

Gavin Gardner kicked one of the two extra points and the Cougars led 13-7, with halftime coming up.

But the Wildcats weren’t done yet. After they penetrated to the Van Wert 20-yard line, Jenkins then found Heffner and connected for a 20-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left on the clock. Hunter Weis kicked the PAT and the score was tied at 13-all at halftime.

Unfortunately, that would be all the scoring for the Cougars, although Bath added two more touchdowns, both in the third quarter and both on runs by Nate Stonehill. Stonehill ran the first score in from the 1-yard line and the second from the Van Wert 5 (that one with just five seconds left in the third quarter).

Although both teams tried to get some offense going in the final period, no one could put the ball into the end zone and the game went to the Wildcats, 27-13.

Bath generated 392 yards of offense, with 207 of those on the ground and 185 through the air. The Cougars were held to 245 yards of total offense, 137 of those through the air and the remaining 108 on the ground.

Lincoln Highway Classic!

The first ever Lincoln Highway Classic went down the wire at Smiley Park on Wednesday night. The Klosterman Pizza All-Stars led 6-1 after four innings, then held on for a 6-5 win. The Lee Kinstle All-Stars scored three runs in the sixth, one more in the seventh and had more runners on base but couldn’t capitalize. Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent

Flag football recognized by OHSAA

Submitted information

COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association has elevated girls flag football to a fully recognized sport for the 2026-27 school year, following a unanimous vote of the OHSAA Board of Directors at its June meeting.

Girls flag football becomes the OHSAA’s 29th recognized sport, including 15 sports for girls and 14 for boys. There are now 23 high school state associations in the United States that sanction girls flag football and a total of 40 states that offer girls high school football programs. Flag football will be included as a new sport in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“The OHSAA is so proud to welcome girls flag football to our family,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “Flag football has grown so rapidly and will continue to do so. The Browns, Bengals and NFL put in so much work to promote the game and bring us to this moment to welcome girls flag football to the OHSAA.”

This past spring, there were 162 high school girls flag football teams in Ohio. In May, the OHSAA partnered with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to conduct a high school state tournament event, which was won by Macedonia Nordonia.

“The Bengals are proud to support girls flag football and celebrate this historic milestone, which will help pave the way for the sport’s continued growth and success,” said Bengals Vice President Elizabeth Blackburn. “Full sanctioning is a testament to the dedication of many advocates who helped make it possible, including the Ohio High School Athletic Association, athletic directors, players, coaches and referees. The rapid expansion of flag football across Ohio reflects the passion, talent and commitment young women have for the game. We are excited to see the opportunities this creates for future generations of athletes.”

The OHSAA has been meeting with Ohio flag football leaders for several years. The growth of girls flag football began in 2021 with the creation of the first Girls High School Flag Football division in Northeast Ohio. Three years ago, there were 20 schools in Ohio that had a team. Girls Flag Football is included in the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association.

“The recognition of girls flag football as an official varsity sport in Ohio is a tremendous milestone for student-athletes across the state,” said Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. “At the Cleveland Browns, we believe in creating more opportunities for young athletes to learn, compete and grow through the game of football and this decision marks just the beginning of that journey for many young women across Ohio. We’re proud to support the continued growth of girls flag football and look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on schools, communities and the next generation of players.”

Dates for the 2027 season and tournament will be determined in the near future. The Bengals and Browns will continue to be heavily involved with girls flag football in Ohio.

Lancer awards, camp…

The Lincolnview varsity baseball team recently held its end of the season awards ceremony. Special awards went to (left to right): Holden Price, Most Valuable Player; Chayse Overholt, Most Valuable Pitcher; Jackson Ingledue, Most Improved, and Case Young, Lancer Award. The Lincolnview baseball proram wrapped up its 11th annual baseball camp, which had 87 campers from K-8. Members from the high school team and staff helped instruct the two-day camp with featured pitching, outfield, infield, hitting drills and age-appropriate games. Photos submitted

Schools moving up to Division I

Submitted information

COLUMBUS — Eight schools have opted up to Division I for the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoffs, which has resulted in a number of shifts to Division I regional assignments that were initially announced on April 23.

All eight schools that opted up to Division I had been initially assigned to Division II. There are no changes to Divisions III through VII. The OHSAA does not move schools up a division to replace schools that opt up to Division I. The changes increase Division I to 80 schools (from 72), while decreasing Division II to 98 schools (from 106).

Five of the schools that opted up to Division I have been assigned to Region 1, including Austintown-Fitch, Cleveland Heights, Elyria, Euclid and Hudson. The remaining three schools that opted up to Division I have been assigned to Region 2, including Clayton Northmont, Dublin Scioto and Toledo St. John’s Jesuit.

Perrysburg and Toledo Whitmer have been reassigned from Region 1 to Region 2. Lebanon, Middletown and Springboro have been have reassigned from Region 3 to Region 4. Upper Arlington has been reassigned from Region 2 to Region 3.

The 2026 football divisions and regions are posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Football/Football-2026.

As noted in the initial divisional breakdowns announcement on April 23, school consolidations are anticipated this summer within Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Youngstown City School District, which will result in some schools within those districts being reclassified into higher divisions. The OHSAA annually sets September 10 as the date to collect enrollment data from new schools and schools that have consolidations.

The remaining fall sports divisional breakdowns will be announced later this week, while the winter sports divisional breakdowns will be announced next week.

2026 OHSAA Football Divisional Breakdowns

Lincoln Highway Classic postponed

Editor’s note: due to field conditions, the Lincoln Highway Classic has been postponed until 8 p.m. this Wednesday, June 24.

VW independent sports

The first annual Lincoln Highway Classic baseball game will be played under the lights at Smiley Park in Van Wert at 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24. 

The game, sponsored by Lee Kinstle GM Sales and Service and Klosterman Pizza and organized by local businessment Eric McCracken and Kevin Price, will feature 19 recent graduates from Delphos Jefferson, Lincolnview, Van Wert and Crestview high schools.   

Teams will be formed via a blind draw on Wednesday. Managers for the game will be Van Wert alum Ryan McCracken and Lincolnview graduate Landon Price, who went on to play collegiate baseball at Ohio State, then Ohio University.

There’s no charge for admission to the game. Ray Geary (Delphos) and Tim Price (Lincolnview) and one person from Crestview will be honored before the game. Brent’s Rolling Kitchen will be at the game serving food.

The game will air live on WERT 1220AM/104.3FM.

Players

   Crestview – Braxtyn Couts

   Crestview – Huxley Grose

   Crestview – Owen Heckler

   Crestview – Jace Wehner

   Delphos Jefferson – Leyton Parent

   Delphos Jefferson – Luke Rode

   Delphos Jefferson – Isaac Rostorfer

   Lincolnview – Jackson Ingledue

   Lincolnview – Owen Long

   Lincolnview – Chayse Overholt

   Lincolnview – Holden Price (captain)

   Lincolnview – Case Young

   Lincolnview – Grant Zielke

   Van Wert – Finley Dickinson

   Van Wert – Trevor Halker

   Van Wert – Conner Harris

   Van Wert – Blade Lowe

   Van Wert – Griffin McCracken (captain)

   Van Wert – Cam Werts

Friday Flashback: Cougars, Lancers win

Editor’s note: The Friday Flashback returns for the summer season and will continue until the start of the fall sports season. This week’s Friday Flashback takes us back to late January of 2011, when Van Wert and Lincolnview both posted basketball wins. Below is the story as it appeared on the VW independent Sports page.

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

The Van Wert Cougars got back on the winning track Saturday with a 55-43 victory over Bryan in a non-conference game played in the Cougar’s Den.

The Cougars had a 1-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 13-12, and parlayed that into a one-basket advantage, 23-21, at the half. The third quarter proved to be the difference in the ballgame as Van Wert went on a 17-7 tear to lead 40-28 by the three-quarter mark. The Golden Bears outscored Van Wert by a basket in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.

With the win, the Cougars are now 11-1 on the year, while the Golden Bears were 7-7 overall.

Corey Clifton was Van Wert’s leading scorer with 21 points, including two treys and a 5-for-6 performance at the free throw line. Jake Myers scored 14 points for the Cougars, while Joe Moonshower added 9 points for the locals. For Bryan, Adam McBride scored 14 points to lead the Golden Bears offensively.

Statistically, Van Wert was 20 of 34 from two-point range (58.8 percent), but hit only 2 of 7 three-point attempts (28.6 percent). The Cougars were awesome at the free-throw line, knocking down 9 of 10 attempts from the charity stripe (90 percent).

Bryan was 13 of 26 (50 percent) from two-point range and hit 3 of 8 three-point attempts (37.5 percent). The Golden Bears were 8 of 15 from the line (53.3 percent).

The Cougars had a slight edge in rebounding over Bryan, 15-14, and also had three fewer turnovers, 15-18, than the Golden Bears.

Van Wert also won the junior varsity game, 48-29, with Tyler Coll taking scoring honors for the Cougar JVs with 14 points, including two treys.

Crestview baseball awards…

The Crestview baseball program concluded its season with head coach Kole Rolsten and his coaching staff recognizing the team’s accomplishments throughout the season. Special Awards (above, left to right): Huxley Grose (NWC Honorable Mention), Owen Heckler (NWC 2nd Team), Zaine Cereghin (NWC 1st Team, QAB Award), Luke Sawmiller (NWC 2nd Team, .350 Club Award, Pitching Award). NWC Scholar-Athletes (below): Row 1 – Owen Heckler, Tate Lichtensteiger, Austin Yinger, Braxtyn Couts. Row 2 – Evin Brincefield, Luke Sawmiller, Cole Miller. Crestview Baseball Alumni Jim Wharton Award (bottom): Huxley Grose, pictured with Wharton and alumnus Nathan Powelson. Photos submitted

All-Ohio honors…

Lincolnview’s Holden Price (above) was named Division VI first team All-Ohio in the Ohio High School Baseball Association’s all-state team, while teammate Chayse Overholt (below) was named Division VI second team All-Ohio. In addition, Van Wert’s Trevor Halker was named honorable mention All-Ohio in Division IV. Photos courtesy of Hanna Young