DAYTON, Ohio — When you see an Ohio High School Athletic Association state tournament and schools like St. Ignatius, Lakota West, Wyoming, Glenville, Kirtland and Marion Local are participating, your immediate thoughts would turn to football.
That’s to take nothing away from those basketball programs, which have all reached the boys’ final four, occurring around the state this weekend. Four semifinals will be played in Canton, just across the street from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, ironically where the OSHAA football championship games are contested.
Each state semifinal can be seen on either Spectrum News 1, or the Spectrum News App, with direct links below.
Division I State Semifinal: Olentangy Orange (24-2) vs. St. Ignatius (22-4); Sunday at 12 p.m.
Spectrum News Cleveland, Spectrum News 1 Columbus or WATCH HERE.
St. Ignatius defends its Division I championship from a year ago, returning many of the Wildcats key players, including seniors Quinn Woidke and Damon Friery, who will play collegiately next year at Kent State and Dayton, respectfully.
First, they’ll have to get by Olentangy Orange. The Pioneers are in the final four for the first time in school history. Head coach Anthony Calo is the son of Ed Calo, the long-time head coach at Westerville South who won a state title in 2016. Orange’s Devin Brown is one of six Mr. Basketball finalists and will play at Davidson next year.
Division I State Semifinal: Lakota West (21-5) vs. Reynoldsburg (25-1); Sunday at 12 p.m.
Spectrum News Cincinnati or WATCH HERE.
The other Division I semifinal features two newcomers, sort of. While Lakota West hasn’t made the state tournament previously, Lakota High School (split into East & West in 1997) won a state championship in 1992.
Reynoldsburg has an impressive resume, beating St. Ignatius back in December, and a roster with four players either signed or committed to play in the Mid-American Conference. Seniors Jordan Fisher, Ohio University, and Toby Nwokolo, University of Toledo, have already inked letters of intent, while juniors Jorden Bowens and Xavier McKinney plan to join Fisher and the Bobcats in Athens.
Division II State Semifinal: North Royalton (25-1) vs. Massillon Perry (13-13); Sunday at 3 p.m.
Spectrum News Cleveland or WATCH HERE.
North Royalton’s first state tournament is the culmination of an active 24-game winning streak. The Bears are also a prime example of the opportunity now available with the expansion to seven divisions, as North Royalton previously would have been one of the smallest Division I schools.
Massillon Perry has a modest four-game winning streak, but that’s evened the Panthers’ record to 13-13. Only the sixth team in OHSAA history to reach the final four with that many losses, it’s Perry’s first state tournament since 1991.
Division II State Semifinal: Toledo St. Francis (16-9) vs. Westerville North (23-2); Sunday at 6 p.m.
Spectrum News Columbus, Spectrum News 1 Cincinnati or WATCH HERE.
Also in Division II, Toledo St. Francis is back on this stage for the first-time in 42 years. That 1983 Knights state championship squad is cemented in Glass City legacy, as the first boys' team from Toledo to win a state title, followed shortly by Macomber in 1989, and Scott in 1990. Jamie Kachmarik brings his second program to the final four, piloting Cardinal Stritch there in 2019.
Westerville North’s state tournament drought wasn’t as long as St. Francis’ (29 years), but the Warriors also have a state championship banner hanging in their gym. Future Buckeyes Shaun Stonerook and Kevin Martin were fixtures on the 1994 squad that won it all, sparking three straight final fours.
Division III State Semifinal: Aiken (25-1) vs. Sandusky (19-7); Sunday at 3 p.m.
Spectrum News Columbus, Spectrum News 1 Cincinnati or WATCH HERE.
Cincinnati Aiken is back in the state tournament for a second time since 2016. Senior Jaiden Arnold has signed to play in college at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
This is Sandusky’s first-ever state semifinal appearance, surprising considering the Blue Streaks strong tradition that produced Scott May, Indiana University, and Orlando Pace, Ohio State football. The program has won four consecutive conference titles, and two district championships in the last three years.
Division III State Semifinal: Louisville (22-5) vs. Garfield Heights (24-2); Sunday at 6 p.m.
Spectrum News Cleveland or WATCH HERE.
Another first-time participant is Louisville, which won a thrilling game at the buzzer over St. Ignatius earlier in the season. The Leopards will make the short ten-mile trip to Canton’s Memorial Field House for Sunday’s game.
Garfield Heights is finally back in the final four after recent losses in the regional tournament. Head coach Sonny Johnson guided the Bulldogs to state tournaments in 2011, 2015 and 2016, but the school is still seeking its first state title.
Division IV State Semifinal: Wyoming (25-2) vs. Maysville (25-3); Friday at 5:30 p.m.
There’s only an 82-year disparity in most recent state tournament appearances in this Division IV semifinal. Wyoming is back for the first time since 1942, after knocking off defending state champion Alter, who was Division II last year, in the regional final.
Maysville, meanwhile, returns to the final four after falling to those Alter Knights in last year’s championship game.
Division IV State Semifinal: Hawken (20-7) vs. Glenville (18-8); Saturday at 1 p.m.
Hawken won its first-ever regional title with a 63-58 win over Jonathan Alder, the Hawks 8th straight victory, which included the school’s first district title since 1988.
Glenville won two consecutive football state championships in 2022 and 2023 and is now trying to add a basketball title. The Tarblooders are in the state tournament for the first time, and their regional final trip was the first for the school since 1985.
Division V State Semifinal: Summit Country Day (16-8) vs. Columbus Academy (27-0); Friday at 8:30 p.m.
In Division V, Cincinnati Summit Country Day returns to the final four for the first time since winning it all in 2012. Head coach Kevin Johnson, a former Cincinnati Bearcat, was a player on that team.
Columbus Academy is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the state. Junior Jason Singleton’s father, Jason Singleton, is the school’s athletic director and was a member of Ohio State’s 1999 Final Four team.
Division V State Semifinal: Minford (25-1) vs. Lutheran East (23-4); Saturday at 4 p.m.
Minford is one of eleven schools to be making its first-ever appearance in the final four, part of a thrilling run of first-ever state tournaments for the Falcons this year, as both boys’ and girls’ soccer accomplished the feat. The girls’ basketball team reached the regional finals, also for the first time.
Lutheran East is going for a third straight state championship and knocked off a three-time defending champion, Richmond Heights, in the regional final. These Falcons have no seniors on the roster, and only three juniors.
Division VI State Semifinal: Marion Local (25-2) vs. Colonel Crawford (25-1); Friday at 6 p.m.
Marion Local won its record 15th state football championship, and record 64th consecutive game in December and can become just the fifth school all-time to win a football and basketball state title in the same school year. The most recent to do it were these Flyers in 2017-18.
Colonel Crawford is here for the first time, but not the Sheldon family. Head coach David Sheldon is the son of longtime Wynford bench boss Rob Sheldon, and his wife, Amy Taylor-Sheldon, coached the Lady Royals’ girls to the Final Four in 2003.
Division VI State Semifinal: Monroe Central (22-3) vs. Kirtland (19-8); Friday at 7 p.m.
Second-year head coach Mason Lang has guided Monroe Central to its first trip to the final four.
Kirtland has played Marion Local four times in an OHSAA football state championship, and now the programs are each a win away from doing that basketball. The Hornets haven’t been to the final four since 1991.
Division VII State Semifinal: South Webster (22-3) vs. Cornerstone Christian (20-8); Friday at 7 p.m.
Legendary status is required for this Division VII state semifinal. Norm Persin, in his 46th year as head coach at South Webster, has his team back in the final four for the first time since 2006, when the Jeeps won it all. Persin’s 823 career wins are third-most in Ohio high school basketball history.
On the other side, Quinn Kwasniak became the state’s all-time leading scorer last week, passing Jon Diebler. The Kwasniak name is well-known, as Quinn’s father, Babe, is the head coach, and led Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph to a state title as the Vikings coach, accomplishing the same feat his father, Tedd, did.
Division VII State Semifinal: Russia (27-0) vs. Arlington (24-3); Friday at 8:30 p.m.
The other unbeaten team in Ohio is Russia, who is also making its third-straight trip to the final four, one last run for a tight-knit, senior-led program.
The Red Devils from Arlington are back in the state tournament for the first time since 2012, getting there by knocking off heavily favored Delphos St. John’s in the regional final last weekend.
The winners in all seven divisions will advance to the state championship games, scheduled for next Friday and Saturday:
Friday, March 21
1 p.m. – Division III
4:15 p.m. – Division IV
7:30 p.m. – Division II
Saturday, March 22
10:45 a.m. – Division V
2 p.m. – Division VI
5:15 p.m. – Division VII
8:30 p.m. – Division I
Each game will be preceded by OHSAA Championship Gameday 15 minutes prior, and will recap the events following game coverage on Spectrum News 1.
The girls’ basketball state championship games are this weekend, and all seven games will be on Spectrum News 1.
Friday, March 14
1 p.m. – Division III: Purcell Marian vs. Avon Lake
4:15 p.m. – Division IV: Alter vs. Bellevue
7:30 p.m. – Division II: Winton Woods vs. Anthony Wayne
Saturday, March 15
10:45 a.m. – Division V: Portsmouth vs. Norwayne
2 p.m. – Division VI: Columbus Grove vs. Rootstown
5:15 p.m. – Division VII: Fort Loramie vs. Waterford
8:30 p.m. – Division I: Princeton vs. Pickerington Central
