Four Ohio High School football matchups to watch in the second round of the playoffs

COLUMBUS – The OHSAA State Tournament rolls on this week as Week Two kicks off on Friday. Hundreds of teams in Ohio will continue their pursuit of an OHSAA State Championship.

Lettermen Row has found a few matchups to watch in Week Two of the OHSAA State Tournament. Here are the four matchups that Ohio high school football fans should be watching on Friday.

No. 9 Cincinnati St. Xavier at No. 16 Winton Woods

Region Four in the OHSAA Division I State Tournament brackets is loaded and as a result No. 9 Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier travels to No. 16 Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods in a second round matchup.

St. Xavier is one of the most historic high school football programs in the state of Ohio. The Bombers are 8-3 on the season but two losses were to Massey Ratings Top-10 teams in Ohio and the third was to Louisville (Kent.) Trinity, the No. 2 team in Kentucky. St. Xavier is led by a strong defense that features 2026 four-star linebacker and Ohio State target Kobe Clapper. Across the field, Winton Woods is led by four-star Alabama EDGE commit Justin Hill and an experienced defense. The Warriors are in their first season at the Division I level after moving up from Division II this offseason.

This game figures to be a low scoring matchup with the team that makes less mistakes coming out on top. St. Xavier’s experience and history at the Division I level should help them as well.

Score Prediction: St. Xavier 28, Winton Woods 14

Win Probability: St. Xavier 85%, Winton Woods 15%

No. 22 Pickerington North at No. 35 Pickerington Central

Pickerington North (Ohio) vs Pickerington Central (Ohio) is one of the top rivalries in the state of Ohio.

Pickerington North is 9-2 on the season with two losses to Massey Ratings Top-25 teams in the state of Ohio. The Panthers have a high-powered offense that is led by the three-headed monster of 2026 Wisconsin quarterback commit Jarin Mock, 2025 three-star Kentucky wide receiver Preston Bowman and 2025 three-star Ohio running back commit Michael Taylor. Pickerington North has scored 30 or more points in eight of 11 games this season. Pickerington Central has a potent offense of their own. 2026 quarterback Rocco Williams and 2025 Marshall commit Sherrone White lead the way.

These two teams met in Week Three of the season with Pickerington North getting a 38-27 win over Pickerington Central.

Score Prediction: Pickerington Central 37, Pickerington North 31

Win Probability: Pickerington Central 59%, Pickerington North 41%

Columbus Academy at No. 50 Columbus Harvest Prep

One of the better second round matchups in the OHSAA Division III State Tournament is Columbus Academy (Ohio) at No. 50 Columbus (Ohio) Harvest Prep.

Columbus Academy is 10-1 on the season with their lone loss coming to conference rival Columbus (Ohio) Bishop Ready coming in Week 10. The Vikings have a talented defense led by 2026 safety Gabe Davis-Ray in the secondary. As for Harvest Prep, the Warriors are 8-2 with season but both losses came to Massey Ratings Top-25 teams. The player to watch for Harvest Prep is 2026 athlete Jamarcus Jones who makes an impact on both sides of the ball.

Score Prediction: Harvest Prep 38, Columbus Academy 6

Win Probability: Harvest Prep 99%, Columbus Academy 1%

Liberty Benton at No. 41 Liberty Center

The small school game of the week is Findlay (Ohio) Liberty Benton at No. 41 Liberty Center (Ohio). A trip to the third round of OHSAA Division V State Tournament is on the line.

Liberty Center is 11-0 on the season and one of the top teams at the Division V level. The Tigers have scored 30 or more points in 10 of 11 games this season while giving up less than a touchdown a game on defense. Liberty Benton might have the best player on the field, however. 2026 Toledo wide receiver commit Seth Elchert is a dynamic two-way player that has the potential to take over the game. The Eagles have scored 30 or more in eight of 10 games on offense.

Liberty Center is a heavy favorite but Liberty Benton has the talent to challenge them on Friday.

Score Prediction: Liberty Center 42, Liberty Benton 14

Win Probability: Liberty Center 93%, Liberty Benton 7%