Final Top 25 Ohio High School Football Rankings (1/5/2025)

Avon finishes as the No. 1 team for high school football out of Ohio for 2024
Avon defenders Caden Clapham, Merck Dunn and Jeremiah Kelly converge on Hoban tight end Tayte Crable after a reception during the Division II state semifinal, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Avon defenders Caden Clapham, Merck Dunn and Jeremiah Kelly converge on Hoban tight end Tayte Crable after a reception during the Division II state semifinal, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. / Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The end of the 2024 Ohio high school football season was a few weeks ago, but to close it out we wanted to bring to you our final set of rankings.

Avon tops our rankings as they ended the season with an undefeated 16-0 record and capped it with a Division II state title.

We bring to you Ohio's final set of top 25 high school football rankings, as we see it.

Final Top 25 Ohio High School Football Rankings

1. Avon (16-0)

Avon defensive back Aiden Atkins
Avon defensive back Aiden Atkins tackles Hoban running back Brayton Feister during the Division II state semifinal, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. / Mike Cardew / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming in as the state's top team is the Avon Eagles after they defeated Anderson, 20-13, for the Division II state championship. It capped an undefeated campaign for Avon.

2. Anderson (15-1)

Falling in the Division II state championship game was the Raptors, which the loss to Avon (see above) was the only one of the entire season. Anderson otherwise was as good as anyone in the state.

3. Olentangy Liberty (14-2)

For the first time in program history, Olentangy Liberty took home a state championship. Defeating Archbishop Moeller, 28-14, for the Division I state crown was a first, holding their opponents to less than 100 yards of offense in the big game.

4. Bishop Watterson (16-0)

In a rematch for the Division III state championship, Bishop Watterson came out on top against Central Catholic, 19-14, last month. It capped an undefeated campaign for the Eagles.

5. Archbishop Moeller (14-2)

Archbishop Moeller vs. St. Xavier: Ohio high school football
Archbishop Moeller and St. Xavier know each other very well. / Ben Jackson

We place the Fighting Crusaders just on the edge of the Top 5 of our rankings after they fell to Oletangy Liberty in the Division I state championship game. Impressive season nonetheless for Archbishop Moeller.

6. Archbishop Hoban (12-3)

When you look at the Knights' losses, it's hard to have these guys too far down the rankings. Archbishop Hoban fell to top-ranked Archbishop Spalding (Maryland), Walsh Jesuit and No. 1 Avon.

7. Marion Local (16-0)

We find it too difficult to not have the Flyers higher in the rankings after a 74-0 thrashing of Hillsdale for the Division 7 state championship. It capped an undefeated season.

8. Walsh Jesuit (13-1)

Though the Warriors were able to defeat Archbishop Hoban in the regular season, it would be a playoff loss to the same opponent that did them in. Despite that, Walsh Jesuit finished as one of the state's top clubs.

9. Highland (13-1)

Another team that nearly ran the table undefeated before facing Avon was Highland, which lost in the playoffs to the Eagles, 28-20.

10. St. Xavier (10-4)

Looking at the Bombers' body of work throughout the 2024 season, it would be a narrow 28-20 loss to Archbishop Moeller that capped the fall campaign.

11. Central Catholic (14-2)

The Fighting Irish got back to the Division III state championship game, but lost to Watterson, 19-14. Isaiah Fox concluded the campaign by throwing for over 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns.

12. Big Walnut (13-2)

Only two losses on the season came up against Anderson and Watterson, two teams sitting within the Top 10 of these rankings. The Golden Eagles will be back in 2025 as a force.

13. Massillon Washington (11-3)

Other than a loss to in-state Big Walnut, the Tigers only other losses came to national powers Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) and DeMatha (Maryland).

14. Indian Valley (16-0)

It was a historic first for Indian Valley when they barely edged out Perkins, 37-36, for the Division IV state championship. The victory capped an undefeated season.

15. St. Edward (9-6)

St. Edward (Ohio) hosts Boyle County (Kentucky) on Saturday in a battle between repeat high school football state champions.
St. Edward (Ohio) hosts Boyle County (Kentucky) on Saturday in a battle between repeat high school football state champions. / Jeff Harwell

The Eagles continued to show why they're consistently one of the state's top programs in 2024. St. Edwards' season ended with a 21-7 loss to Oletangy Liberty.

16. Perkins (14-2)

Running back Isaac Bunts will be missed after he rushed for 2,387 yards and scored 32 touchdowns last season.

17. Glenville (11-4)

The Tarblooders came within a field goal of upending Perkins and making a deeper run in the Division IV postseason.

18. Mentor (13-1)

Only loss of the entire season came against St. Edward's, 13-7, in the playoffs. Mentor had themselves a strong campaign and return plenty of talent to make another run in '25.

19. Ironton (15-1)

Ironton senior quarterback Brayden Schreck threw for over 3,000 yards and 37 touchdowns en route to winning the Division V state championship over Liberty Center.

20. Lakota West (11-2)

Having Lakota West further down the rankings was a tough call, as its only loss of the season came against St. Xavier in a 16-13 loss. The Firebirds will be in the mix among the state's best in the spring/summer.

21. Liberty Center (15-1)

Offensively, Liberty Center was one of the best in all of Ohio, averaging a cool 40.5 points per game in 2024.

22. Ursuline (13-2)

The 2024 season came to a bittersweet end for the Fighting Irish as they fell, 7-6, to Central Catholic in the playoffs.

23. Princeton (10-3)

Two of the Vikings' three losses came against Archbishop Moeller this past season.

24. Upper Arlington (10-3)

As the season wore on, Upper Arlington got better after a season-opening loss to Glenville. The Golden Bears' season ended with a 17-13 loss to Oletangy Liberty.

25. Coldwater (15-1)

The Cavaliers made a strong run through the Division VI state playoffs, which culminated with a dominating 31-7 victory over Kirtland for the title.


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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.