Area teams mostly stay in same divisions
COLUMBUS — Crestview is the only area football team changing divisions this fall.
The Rebels will drop to Division VI, according to new divisional breakdowns released by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Thursday
Salem is only three boys shy of moving up to Division III, while South Range is among the smallest Division V schools, one boy above the Division VI line.
No schools in Divisions II through VII opted to move up to Division I.
Twelve additional schools moved up a division due to the OHSAA’s competitive balance process that analyzes data from roster information provided by each school from the previous season. Those 12 schools join 34 schools that remain in a higher division this year due to competitive balance, for a total of 46 schools that were moved up a division from the base male enrollment count.
Schools can have up to 13 days of practice without pads during the summer, beginning May 12. An additional five days are permitted beginning July 15 for schools to complete the mandatory five-day acclimatization period. The OHSAA does not set a limit on physical fitness and conditioning workouts in the summer.
The first Friday for football is Aug. 22, 2025.
The OHSAA recently conducted a survey with member schools regarding the format of the postseason tournament. More information on those results will be released at a later date.
2025 Football Calendar
Summer Period: May 12 through July 31 (13 practices permitted, plus five days for acclimation)
• Practice Begins — August 1.
• Regular-Season Begins — Week of August 18 (first Friday is August 22).
• Regular-Season Ends — Saturday, October 25.
• Playoff Qualifiers Announced — Sunday, October 26.
• Regional First Round –Friday, October 31.
• Regional Quarterfinals — Friday, November 7.
• Regional Semifinals — Friday, November 14.
• Regional Finals — Friday, November 2.1
• State Semifinals — Friday, November 28.
• State Championships — December 4-6, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton.
2025 Divisional breakdowns
Div. Adjusted Enrollment Teams
I 592 and more 72
II 378 to 591 104
III 268 to 377 107
IV 202 to 267 105
V 157 to 201 106
VI 112 to 156 106
VII 111 and less 106
Total Teams 706
Where area teams are
How area football teams stack up in the OHSAA new divisional breakdowns. The first number is the boys in grades 9-11 as of October 2023. The second number is the adjusted enrollment that includes competitive balance numbers:
DIVISION IV
Salem 255 265
West Branch 232 253
Beaver Local 228 253
East Liverpool 238 249
Minerva 225 229
——
DIVISION V
South Range 145 157
——
DIVISION VI
Crestview 140 151
United 124 133
Columbiana 119 132
——
DIVISION VII
Lisbon 102 106
East Palestine 100 102
Wellsville 72 89
Western Reserve 66 85
Leetonia 75 77


