Ohio High School Football Games of the Week: St. Edward, Moeller, Lakota West

Ohio high school football opening week is here, and some of the state’s best teams will face off against one another to start the 2024 season.

Below are the top games of the week in the state of Ohio.

The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

Ohio Games of the Week

August 23

No. 7 St. Xavier at No. 6 Lakota West: St. Xavier will head to Lakota West on Friday to continue a series that has produced low-scoring nailbiters each of the last two seasons. Lakota West won the 2022 contest 16-13 before dropping last year’s game 10-0. St. X Bombers linebacker Kobe Clapper is a four-star prospect in the 2026 class while Notre Dame commit Gordy Sulfsted and Kentucky pledge Tucker Kattus hold things down in the trenches. This year’s senior class for the Firebirds is led by four-star Miami (Fla.) commit Luka Gilbert and Purdue linebacker commit Grant Beerman. Junior athlete Cam Thomas also ranks as a four-star prospect in the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking.

No. 1 St. Edward at No. 16 Pickerington North: The nation’s No. 54 team and three-time defending state champ St. Edward will travel to Columbus on Friday to face Ohio top-25 opponent Pickerington North. The Eagles lost three Power 4 signees along the line of scrimmage but return as the top team in the Buckeye State for 2024. Pickerington North senior wide receiver Preston Bowman and junior athlete Malachi Taylor are both committed to Kentucky.

No. 3 Archbishop Moeller at No. 11 Princeton: The preseason top team in the Greater Catholic League will take on Princeton this weekend as both teams look to build upon solid 2023 campaigns. Moeller made it to the Division I state semifinal, while Princeton’s lone loss came in the regional semifinal to Lakota West. Two Moeller players are committed to Power 4 schools: Louisville defensive back commit Micah Rice and Northwestern EDGE pledge Jonah Hayes. Princeton’s linebacker corps should shine this year with senior Indiana commit Paul Nelson and three-star junior Andre Parker.

No. 9 Avon at No. 20 St. Ignatius: This Cleveland-area clash will feature multiple Power 4 prospects Friday night. Avon senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Kelly is committed to Cincinnati and junior athlete Jakob Weatherspoon is a top-200 prospect in 2026. St. Ignatius continues to produce Power 4 talent, with four-star junior OL Will Conroy joining senior safety Cody Haddad (Ohio State commit) and running back Grant Washington (Minnesota pledge).

No. 22 Winton Woods at No. 8 Springfield: Springfield will look to get over the hump this season as the Wildcats hope to get back to their fourth-straight state title game, still looking for their first win. They will kick off against No. 22 Winton Woods, which features one of the top prospects in the state in Alabama top-100 EDGE commit Justin Hill.

No. 29 Mason at No. 13 Gahanna Lincoln: Mason will make the hour-and-a-half trip up I-71 to take on Gahanna Lincoln on Friday. Lincoln is led by Kentucky quarterback commit Brennen Ward, who passed for nearly 2,500 yards and 21 touchdowns a year ago. Gahanna Lincoln took last year’s matchup over Mason by a score of 10-5. The Lions went on to lose to Upper Arlington in the regional semifinal while Mason fell the same weekend to Moeller.