Mahoning Valley 2026 high school football: What to know about 5 teams
Five Mahoning Valley high school football programs have released their 2026 schedules, with teams spanning from state playoff contenders to squads seeking a turnaround.
The lineups feature new opponents, division reclassifications and rivalry matchups across northeast Ohio.
Here are key takeaways:
- McDonald High School enters 2026 coming off a 13-1 season that took the team to the fifth round of the Division VII Region 25 playoffs, the deepest postseason run among the five programs.
- Mineral Ridge finished 2025 with a 7-4 record before losing in the first round of the Division VI Region 21 playoffs, and the team will remain in Division VI Region 21 for 2026.
- Springfield opens its 2026 season Aug. 21 at Lakeview after a 7-4 finish last year, with the team now classified in Division VII Region 25.
- Niles is looking to rebound from a winless 0-10 season and will stay in Division IV Region 13, adding East Cleveland Shaw as a new opponent.
- Ursuline played just two games in 2025, going 2-0 without qualifying for the D3 Region 9 playoffs, and returns to Division III Region 9 with a schedule featuring five new opponents.
- McDonald’s 2026 slate adds three new opponents: Valley Christian, Malvern and LaBrae, with the season opener Aug. 21 at Valley Christian.
- Ursuline faces a demanding lineup that includes Columbus St. Francis DeSales, Louisville and Columbus Bishop Watterson, closing the season Oct. 23 against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney.
- Mineral Ridge welcomes Crestwood as a new opponent on Sept. 4 and wraps its regular season Oct. 23 at McDonald.
- Niles kicks off the earliest of the five programs, opening Aug. 20 at Howland before hosting Youngstown Liberty a week later.
Photos by Mahoning Valley Sports
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.