It's Week 1 of the 2026 Ohio high school football season, and several Columbus-area teams face tough opening tests.
Defending Division I state champion Olentangy Orange takes on school district rival Olentangy Berlin, and two-time reigning Division III state champion Watterson – the Eagles are now in Division II – has to travel about 130 miles to northwest Ohio to play Whitehouse Anthony Wayne.
Orange at Berlin is one of four opening night games featuring two Division I, Region 3 teams. The others are Licking Heights at Newark, Pickerington Central at Gahanna Lincoln and Upper Arlington at Olentangy.
Watch Ohio high school football on NFHS Network
Central Ohio high school football schedule, Week 1
Thursday, Aug. 20
- Fairbanks at North Robinson Colonel Crawford
- Harvest Prep at Versailles
Friday, Aug. 21
- Africentric at Groveport
- Amanda-Clearcreek at West Jefferson
- Bellville Clear Fork at Granville
- Berlin Center Western Reserve at Whetstone
- Berne Union at Bidwell River Valley
- Bloom-Carroll at Caledonia River Valley
- Bucyrus Wynford at Cardington
- Canal Winchester at Grove City
- Centennial at Grandview Heights
- Centerburg at Utica
- Chillicothe Southeastern at Fairfield Christian
- Circleville at Chillicothe
- Dalton at Danville
- Dayton Dunbar at Briggs
- Delaware Hayes at Buckeye Valley
- Dublin Coffman at Hartley
- Dublin Scioto at Thomas Worthington
- East Knox at Northridge
- Eastmoor Academy vs. Ready at Fortress Obetz
- Fisher Catholic at Belpre
- Franklin Heights at West
- Fredericktown at Highland
- Hamilton Township at Whitehall
- Heath at Duncan Falls Philo
- Hilliard Bradley at Big Walnut
- Hilliard Darby at Lancaster
- Huntington at Newark Catholic
- KIPP Columbus at Beechcroft
- Liberty Union at Woodsfield Monroe Central
- Licking Heights at Newark
- Linden-McKinley at Bexley
- Logan Elm at Chillicothe Zane Trace
- Madison-Plains at Westfall
- Mansfield Senior at Hilliard Davidson
- Marion Pleasant at North Union
- Martins Ferry at Mount Gilead
- Marysville at Westerville North
- Millersport at Portsmouth Sciotoville East
- Mount Vernon at Marion Harding
- New Albany at London
- New Lexington at Fairfield Union
- Northland at Columbus Academy
- Olentangy Liberty vs. Lakewood St. Edward at Lakewood
- Olentangy Orange at Olentangy Berlin
- Pickerington Central at Gahanna Lincoln
- Pickerington North at Troy
- Reynoldsburg at Toledo Whitmer
- St. Charles at Central Crossing
- South at Mifflin
- Thornville Sheridan at Licking Valley
- Upper Arlington at Olentangy
- Vermilion at Johnstown
- Walnut Ridge at East
- Watkins Memorial at Worthington Kilbourne
- Watterson at Whitehouse Anthony Wayne
- West Liberty-Salem at Jonathan Alder
- Westerville Central at Marion-Franklin
- Westerville South at Dublin Jerome
- Westland at Teays Valley
- Worthington Christian at Grove City Christian
- Youngstown Ursuline at DeSales
- Zanesville West Muskingum at Lakewood
Saturday, Aug. 22
- Independence vs. Dayton Meadowdale at Welcome Stadium
Watch OHSAA football games on NFHS Network
The top central Ohio games on NFHS Network in Week 1 include Hilliard Bradley at Big Walnut and Pickerington Central at Gahanna. Ohio games on NFHS can be found at this link. Use the Promo Code USAT15 through Sept. 7 to get 15% off an annual pass.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio high school football schedule Week 1, every Columbus-area OHSAA game