COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three defending state champions are among the 14 teams that have advanced to the final weekend of the 2014 Ohio high school football season.
Coldwater, in Division V, Kirtland in Div. VI and Maria Stein Marion Local in Div. VII are back to defend their titles.
Cincinnati LaSalle, in Div. II had not won a playoff game before this season and joins Athens in Div. III as schools that are in the state championship games for the first time.
The first of seven state title games kicks off at 7:30 Thursday evening at Ohio Stadium, which hosted 37 state championship games from 1972-1989. When natural grass was installed in Ohio Stadium in 1990, the OHSAA was asked to move the championships to another location and found homes at Canton Fawcett Stadium and Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Since FieldTurf was installed in Ohio Stadium in 2008, talks began to return the games to Columbus. Games this year and next will be hosted in Ohio Stadium but the location of the finals after 2015 have not been determined.
Thursday, Dec. 4
7:30 p.m. – Division III, Athens (14-0) vs. Toledo Central Catholic (12-2)
Friday, Dec. 5
10:00 a.m. – Division IV, Cleveland Benedictine (13-1) vs. Kettering Archbishop Alter (14-0)
3:00 p.m. – Division VI, Kirtland (14-0) vs. Minster (11-3)
8:00 p.m. – Division II, Macedeonia Nordonia (14-0) vs. Cincinnati LaSalle (13-1)
Saturday, Dec. 6
10:00 a.m. – Division VII, Norwalk St. Paul (13-1) vs. Maria Stein Marion Local (14-0)
3:00 p.m. – Division I, Huber Heights Wayne (13-1) vs. Lakewood St. Edward (12-2)
8:00 p.m. – Division V, Canton Central Catholic (14-0) vs. Coldwater (12-1)
Single-game tickets are available through one of the participating schools for $10, at Gate 5 of Ohio Stadium before the game, or online.