Several Ohio high schools join newly formed Ohio Catholic Athletic Conference

A number of catholic high school football teams from across Ohio will participate in the Ohio Catholic Athletic Conference beginning in 2026

Walsh Jesuit players celebrate a win over St. Vincent-St. mary on October 21, 2022. The two teams will both join the Ohio Catholic Athletic Conference for football in 2026. / Jeff Harwell, SBLive Sports

When the 2026 high school football season begins in the state of Ohio, it will do so with at least one new conference, as the formation of the Ohio Catholic Athletic Conference was announced on Tuesday.

The schools range as far north as Cuyahoga Falls, as far south as Columbus and as far east as Youngstown.

Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, Columbus Bishop Hartley, Columbus Bishop Watterson, Columbus St. Francis De DeSales, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney and Youngstown Ursuline are the eight schools who will begin play in the conference in its inaugural season.

The plan moving forward is for the conference to compete in all sports offered by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

Among the notable schools not included in the Ohio Catholic Athletic Association is Akron Archbishop Hoban, who not only falls within the geographic footprint of the conference, but has had a rivalry with both Walsh Jesuit and St. Vincent-St. Mary in past years.

-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh