Ohio High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams - September 23

The Ohio high school football rankings have seen some major changes after an electric fifth week of games in the Buckeye State. Most notably, there is a new No. 1 team in the state of Ohio.

Massillon Washington and Archbishop Moeller won the biggest games of the week, taking down St. Edward and St. Xavier, respectively. With the win, Massillon is now the first team ranked No. 1 not named St. Edward this season.

Below is the updated Ohio On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 23.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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1. Massillon Washington

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+2)
Massillon won the Buckeye State showdown of the week when it went on the road and once again took down St. Edward — this year by a 31-21 score. The Tigers are defending state champs and have a top-5 offense and defense in Ohio. Wisconson commit Nolan Davenport anchors the offensive line of that top-5 offense. DeMatha Catholic (Md.) comes to town this week — the No. 3 team in the state of Maryland.

2. Archbishop Hoban

Previous Ranking: No. 2
Hoban improved to 4-1 with a 45-14 win over Cleveland St. Ignatius. The Knights are looking to get back to the state championship game this year after losing to Massillon Washington to end the 2023 campaign. Ohio State linebacker commit Eli Lee and elite junior cornerback Elbert Hill lead the defense that ranks No. 2 in the Buckeye State. Next up is Mount Vernon.

3. St. Edward

Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-2)
The Eagles have won three consecutive Division I state championships and are looking to defend those titles again this year. Despite those three consecutive state titles, St. Edward cannot seem to get over the regular season hump that is Division II Massillon Washington. The Tigers downed the Eagles 31-21 last week. St. Ed will look to rebound against Ted Ginn Sr.’s Glenville.

4. Archbishop Moeller

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (+1)
While St. Edward and Massillon dominated the Northeast Ohio headlines, Moeller and St. Xavier dominated Southwest Ohio. Despite a stellar game from Bombers quarterback Chase Herbstreit, Moeller beat St. X 45-37 to improve to 4-1. Two Crusaders are already committed to Power 4 schools: Louisville defensive back commit Micah Rice and Northwestern EDGE pledge Jonah Hayes. They lead a defense that ranks No. 11 in the state of Ohio. Another Greater Catholic League matchup is on deck with No. 17 LaSalle.

5. Avon

Previous Ranking: No. 6 (+1)
Avon is still undefeated on the year after beating North Ridgeville 38-7 on Friday. Senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Kelly is committed to Cincinnati, and junior athlete Jakob Weatherspoon is a top-200 prospect in 2026. The Eagles will travel to 4-1 Olmsted Falls this Friday. 

6. Marion Local

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+2)
Division VII Marion Local went into its game against New Bremen on a 51-game winning streak. Its last loss came on Nov. 6, 2020 — against New Bremen. The Flyers avenged that four-year-old loss 48-7. This week may be the Flyers’ toughest matchup of the year to date with a road tilt at Versailles.

7. Walsh Jesuit

Previous Ranking: No. 7
Walsh Jesuit stayed a perfect 5-0 with a 49-0 win over Firestone. The Warriors have wins over Youngstown Ursuline, McDowell, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Cleveland St. Ignatius on the season. Next in line is Cleveland Benedictine, where Walsh is a 26-point favorite.

8. Toledo Central Catholic

Previous Ranking: No. 11 (+3)
Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.) broke Toledo Central Catholic’s 33-game winning streak two weeks ago, but the Irish have bounced back with wins over Brother Rice (Mich.) and De La Salle Collegiate (Mich.). On deck is Cleveland
St. Ignatius, and the Irish are three-score favorites. Elite junior cornerback Victor Singleton headlines Ohio’s No. 6 defense.

9. St. Xavier

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (-5)
St. Xavier dropped a tough one to rival Moeller, 45-37, to fall to 3-2 on the year. The Bombers’ other loss came in week one to Lakota West, but they have wins over Centerville, Indianapolis Cathedral (Ind.) and Withrow. On each side of the trenches are Notre Dame defensive line commit Gordy Sulfsted and Kentucky offensive line pledge Tucker Kattus. A GCL matchup with No. 13 Elder is on deck.

10. Anderson

Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Anderson moved into the Ohio top 10 for the first time this season with a 40-0 shutout win over Kings. The Raptors will play Milford this Friday, hoping to move to 6-0 on the year. Sophomore EDGE Antwoine Higgins is a ranked prospect in the 2027 class, and senior tight end Caden Piening is committed to UCF.

Teams 11-25 in latest Ohio High School Football Rankings

11. Lakota West (-1)
12. Winton Woods (-3)
13. Elder
14. Bishop Watterson (+3)
15. Princeton (+1)

16. Mentor (-1)
17. LaSalle (+3)
18. Wapakoneta
19. Coldwater (+5)
20. Highland (+1)

21. Wadsworth (-2)
22. Ironton (NR)
23. Pickerington North
24. Austintown Fitch (-2)
25. Perkins (NR)

Dropped from rankings: Chardon, Olentangy Liberty