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

COLUMBUS – Week Three of the OHSAA State Tournament 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 Three of the OHSAA State Tournament. Here are the four matchups that Ohio high school football fans should be watching on Friday.

Reward your favorite players in real-time. Five Star Fans is where fiercely-loyal fans can directly reward their favorite players.  CLICK HERE to send your first $5 on us!

No. 7 Lakota West v. No. 9 Cincinnati St. Xavier

For the second straight week a Top-25 matchup in Region Four of the OHSAA Division I State Tournament bracket gets the top spot on this list. Matter of fact it’s a Top-10 matchup this week as No. 7 West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West takes on No. 9 Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier.

Lakota West is one of the top talent producing teams in the state of Ohio. This season the Firebirds are led by 2025 Miami tight end commit Luka Gilbert, 2025 Purdue linebacker commit Grant Beerman, 2025 Bowling Green defensive line commit Vincent Giordano and 2026 four-star linebacker Cam Thomas. The Lakota West defense has yet to allow a team to score 30 points or more this season.

St. Xavier is led by a strong defense that features 2026 four-star linebacker and Ohio State target Kobe Clapper. The Bombers have only allowed 30 points or more twice this season. St. Xavier also has a potent offense with 2025 three-star quarterback Chase Herbsteit under center. He is son of former Ohio State quarterback and long-time ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

These two teams met in week one of the season and Lakota West beat St. Xavier 17-13 behind a strong second half. Lettermen Row was actually in attendance for that game.

Score Prediction: Lakota West 21, St. Xavier 20

Win Probability: Lakota West 53%, St. Xavier 47%

Gilmour Academy v. Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy

Gates Mills (Ohio) Gilmour Academy v. Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy should be one of the top Week Three matchups in the OHSAA Division III State Tournament bracket. The Lancers and Royals are both having their best season in several years.

Gilmour Academy is led by a high-flying offense that features 2025 Ohio State tight end commit Brody Lennon. He lines up all over the field on offense and is also one of Lancers top defensive linemen. Gilmour Academy has scored over 30 points in all but one game this season while holding opposing teams under 12 points per game.

Across the field, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy also has a stout defense. The Royals are holding teams to 13 points per game. Additionally, CVCA is coming off a big upset win over Chardon in which they not only beat the Hilltoppers but also the Massey Ratings Win Probability. The prospect to know for the Royals is 2026 linebacker Joey Kopec who holds a handful of group of five offers. Kopec is a two-way impact player for CVCA.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy is the slight favorite but Gilmour Academy is capable of pulling off the upset in this game.

Score Prediction: Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 27, Gilmour Academy 24

Win Probability: Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 56%, Gilmour Academy 44%

Shelby v. Ontario

Shelby (Ohio) vs. Mansfield (Ohio) Ontario is perhaps the top game in the state of Ohio in Week Three of the playoffs, let alone the OHSAA Division IV State Tournament bracket. The Whippets and Warriors are fierce conference rivals.

The Whippets are averaging 40 points per game this season. Shelby 2026 quarterback Brayden Devito is threat to take over the game both through the air and on the ground. Devito might be an even better defensive back than he is a quarterback, however. He is one of the top impact players on Shelby’s stout defense.

Ontario has an impressive two-way athlete of their own in 2025 Ohio State wide receiver commit Bodpegn Miller. The 6-foot-4 Miller is being recruited by the Buckeyes as a pass catcher but he plays quarterback for the Warriors. Ontario is averaging just over 35 points per game. Miller is also one of best players on the Warriors defense.

Shelby beat Ontario 50-35 in Week Nine of the regular season and won the outright MOAC conference title. The Warriors will be looking for Revenge over the Whippets on Friday.

Score Prediction: Shelby 35, Ontario 28

Win Probability: Shelby 62%, Ontario 38%

No. 20 Ironton v. Columbus Harvest Prep

No. 20 Ironton (Ohio) is one of the favorites to win the OHSAA Division V State Championship but the Fighting Tigers have a tough road to Canton. That starts this week with Columbus (Ohio) Harvest Prep on the schedule in Week Three of the playoffs.

Ironton is one of the most talented small school teams in the state of Ohio. The Fighting Tigers offense is led by 2025 Missouri wide receiver commit Shaun Terry while 2025 Penn State safety commit Josh Johnson sets the tone on defense. Ironton averaging over 40 points per game this season and giving up less than two touchdowns a game on defense. From top to bottom, Ironton is one of the best teams in Ohio.

Harvest Prep will not be afraid of Ironton, however. The Warriors actually upset the Fighting Tigers 20-14 in Week Three of the playoffs last season after losing to them the year prior. Harvest Prep is 9-2 this season but both losses came to Massey Ratings Top-25 teams. The player to watch for the Warriors is 2026 athlete Jamarcus Jones who makes an impact on both sides of the ball.

This is one of the more unpredictable matchups in the state of Ohio this week but it figures to be an exciting game.

Score Prediction: Ironton 35, Harvest Prep 20

Win Probability: Ironton 76%, Harvest Prep 24%