Way-Too-Early Ohio High School Football Top 25 Rankings

As the 2025 Ohio high school football season approaches, programs across the Buckeye State are preparing for what promises to be an intense and competitive battle for supremacy. Come August, more than 700 teams across seven divisions will return to action in pursuit of a state championship. From traditional powerhouses to rising stars eager to prove themselves, these are the top teams in the the Ohio football rankings according to Massey.

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.

1. Archbishop Moeller Crusaders

Archbishop Moeller was oh-so-close to winning its first state title since 2013 last year but fell to Olentangy Liberty in the championship game. If the Crusaders are to make another run in 2025, they’ll need to navigate a challenging schedule featuring interstate matchups against Mount Carmel (Ill.), Trinity (Ky.) and Christ Presbyterian Academy (Tenn.)

Four-star Kentucky quarterback commit Matt Ponatoski headlines an offense stacked with FBS talent. Offensive linemen Kalel Johnson and Patrick O’Brien, running back Benjamin Yuudai and tight ends Sam Hamilton and Cooper McCutchan will all be playing college football after they graduate.

2. St. Edward Eagles

St. Edward didn’t have the 2024 campaign it wanted but, well, at least it was something different. The Eagles ended the previous three seasons with wins over Springfield in the Division I state championship game. Last fall, however, the Eagles dropped a 21-7 decision to eventual champs Olentangy Liberty in the semifinal.

If St. Edward is to reclaim its spot atop Division I, its stacked defense will likely play a key role. Kent State pledge Dion’dre Taylor anchors the Eagles’ defensive front while the team’s defensive backfield is patrolled by three FBS commits. Three-star safety Brayden Thomas committed to Michigan State in June, while corners Makhi Boone and Brodon Moore chose Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan, respectively, in May.

3. St. Xavier Bombers

St. Xavier finished last season in a heartbreakingly familiar way: losing to Archbishop Moeller in the playoffs, this time in the regional final. The Bombers actually led at the halftime, but the Crusaders took control in the second half and never looked back.

The program opens the 2025 campaign with its sights on winning a fifth state title. Replacing quarterback Chase Herbstreit won’t be easy, but St. Xavier can lean on four-star linebacker Kobe Clapper, three-star linebacker Aden Reeder and three-star athletes Brayden Reilly and Daniel Vollmer to pick up the slack.

4. Marion Local Flyers

Marion Local has won a staggering 64 games in a row, the longest-active winning streak in the county. What else is there to say? The Flyers will have a chance to push that streak to 80 if everything goes according to plan this fall. And there’s no reason to think otherwise. The team outscored its opponents 783-49 last season, including a six-game stretch where it won by a combined score of 276-0. Gulp.

5. Avon Eagles

Avon capped off a perfect 16-0 season with its first-ever Division II championship last year, beating Anderson in the title game. The Eagles will need to reload, especially with quarterback Nolan Good off to Kent State, if they are to defend their crown. Cincinnati offensive line commit Lance Dawson will help settle things for Good’s replacement, while Ohio State pledge Jakob Weatherspoon and future Miami Redhawk Ryan Stolarski will anchor Avon’s defense.

6. Archbishop Hoban Knights

Few Ohio high school football teams across the country will be able to top the high-end talent on Archbishop Hoban‘s roster. That conversation starts with four-star cornerback Elbert Hill, the top-ranked prospect in Ohio who committed to USC in May. But it doesn’t end there. Four-star offensive lineman Sam Greer pledged to the in-state Buckeyes in March. Payton Cook, a four-star athlete, also came off the board in March, pulling the trigger for Louisville. Four-star athlete Brayton Feister is still deciding between scores of Power Four options but Penn State appears to be the favorite. Colorado State pledge Ace Brown also deserves to be mentioned.

7. Lakota West Firebirds

Lakota West‘s 2025 season will begin the same last season ended: with a matchup against St. Xavier. This time out, though, the Firebirds are hoping for a different result after the Bombers beat them in the regional semifinals last November.

Class of 2027 quarterback Jackson Smith will headline a Lakota West offense that features a pair of standout running backs in Braydon Johnson and Kenyon Norman.

8. Washington Tigers

Washington‘s pursuit of back-to-back Division II titles ended last year with a loss to Big Walnut in the regional finals. The graduation of quarterback Jalen Slaughter means the Tigers will need to lean on their defense to set the tone early in the season. Three-star linebacker Ja’Dyn Williams and three-star cornerback Demari Clemons will spearhead those efforts.

9. Central Catholic Irish

Central Catholic‘s pursuit of a three-peat last season ended with a loss to Bishop Watterson in the state finals. The Irish will look to get back on top of the Ohio high school football mountaintop this fall. They’ll need big performances from four-star Texas A&M cornerback commit Victor Singleton and three-star Notre Dame commit Preston Fryzel.

10. Olentangy Liberty Patriots

The defending Division I champs had a storybook 2024 campaign that saw them knock off Archbishop Moeller in the state title game. The Patriots lost a ton of production from last year’s squad. Quarterback Andrew Leonard, running back Jake Struck, receiver Christian Moulton, linebacker Lincoln Gardner and defensive back Tyler Thornton will all need to be replaced. And that won’t be easy.

Olentangy Liberty’s title defense will begin on Aug. 22 against district rival Olentangy.

11. Anderson
12. Walsh Jesuit
13. Elder
14. LaSalle
15. Ursuline

16. Bishop Watterson
17. Princeton
18. Springfield
19. Highland
20. Mentor

21. Gahanna Lincoln
22. Centerville
23. Upper Arlington
24. Pickerington North
25. Winton Woods