OHSAA announces football state semifinal pairings

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio High School Athletic Association released on Tuesday its pairings for next week's state football semifinals in Divisions II through VII, while the games' neutral site selections will be announced this Sunday.

The matchups, which were not factored by regional seeds, records, or rankings, are instead based primarily on the geography of competing schools to keep travel time and distance to a minimum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Division II-VII regional final games, taking place throughout this weekend, are to be played either at the better-seeded team's home stadium, or another site of their choosing.

The state semifinal pairings (along with the regional final matchups) are listed as followed, in descending order by division. Home teams are listed first:

DIVISION II STATE SEMIFINALS - Friday, Nov. 13, 7:00 p.m.

Region 6 winner vs Region 5 winner

Region 7 winner vs Region 8 winner

Regional Final Round (Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.)

Region 5 Final: (3) Hudson at (1) Akron Archbishop Hogan

Region 6 Final: (3) Avon Lake at (1) Avon

Region 7 Final: (2) Massillon Washington at (1) Massillon Perry

Region 8 Final: (2) Cincinnati LaSalle at (1) Cincinnati Winton Woods

State Finals: Nov. 20 or Nov. 21 at Fortress Obetz

DIVISION III STATE SEMIFINALS - Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.

Region 11 winner vs. Region 12 winner

Region 10 winner vs. Region 9 winner

Regional Final Round (Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.)

Region 9 Final: (3) Canfield at (1) Chardon

Region 10 Final: (6) Parma Heights Holy Name at (1) Tiffin Columbian

Region 11 Final: (2) Columbus Bishop Hartley at (1) Columbus St. Francis DeSales

Region 12 Final : (6) Kettering Archbishop Alter at (4) Hamilton Ross

State Finals: Nov. 21 or Nov. 22 at Fortress Obetz

DIVISION IV STATE SEMIFINALS - Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.

Region 13 winner vs. Region 15 winner

Region 14 winner vs. Region 16 winner

Regional Final Round (Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.)

Region 13 Final: (12) Mentor Lake Catholic at (6) Youngstown Ursuline

Region 14 Final: (5) Van Wert at (2) Shelby

Region 15 Final: 3) Carroll Bloom-Carroll at (1) St. Clairsville

Region 16 Final: (3) Cincinnati Wyoming at (1) Clarksville Clinton-Massie

State Finals: Nov. 21 or Nov. 22 at Fortress Obetz

DIVISION V STATE SEMIFINALS - Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.

Seedings TBD by teams advancing to state semifinals

Regional Final Round (Saturday, Nov. 7, 7: p.m.)

Region 17 Final: (1) Kirtland vs. (2) Canfield South Range (to be played at Mentor High School)

Region 18 Final: (5) Pemberville Eastwood at (2) Tontogany Otsego

Region 19 Final: (2) West Lafayette Ridgewood at (1) Ironton

Region 20 Final: (7) Springfield Shawnee at (1) St. Bernard Roger Bacon

State Finals: Nov. 21 or Nov. 22 at Fortress Obetz

DIVISION VI STATE SEMIFINALS - Saturday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.

Region 23 winner vs. Region 21 winner

Region 24 winner vs. Region 22 winner

Regional Final Round (Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.)

Region 21 Final: (3) Creston Norwayne at (1) New Middletown Springfield

Region 22 Final: (3) Sherwood Fairview vs. (4) Columbus Grove (to be played at Defiance High School)

Region 23 Final: (3) Proctorville Fairland at (1) Beverly Fort Frye

Region 24 Final: (2) Mechanicsburg at (1) Coldwater

State Finals: Nov. 21 or Nov. 22 at Fortress Obetz

DIVISION VII STATE SEMIFINALS - Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.

Region 25 winner vs. Region 27 winner

Region 26 winner vs. Region 28 winner

Regional Final Round (Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.)

Region 25 Final: (2) Lucas at (1) Warren John F. Kennedy

Region 26 Final: (6) Bascom Hopewell-Loudon at (1) Lima Central Catholic

Region 27 Final: (7) Shadyside at (5) Newark Catholic

Region 28 Final: (3) New Breman at (1) Maria Stein Marion Local

Along with the regional final games, this weekend will see the state semifinal games for Division I. These are the matchups:

DIVISION I STATE SEMIFINALS (Friday, Nov. 6, 7 p.m.)

Pickerington Central at Mentor (to be played at New Philadelphia High School)

Springfield at Cincinnati St. Xavier (to be played at Piqua Alexander High School)

State Finals: Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m. at Fortress Obetz