Second-half slate features eight key Wayne/Holmes County football matchups
The short version
- Chippewa (4-1) plays Norwayne, Dalton, Hillsdale and Smithville in a stretch that will determine its playoff hopes.
- West Holmes (2-0 in the OCC) hosts Dover in Week 6 and visits Ashland in Week 8 after losing to the Arrows 40-7 last season.
- Orrville and Northwest, both 2-0 in the Principals Athletic Conference, meet in Week 7.
- Norwayne has beaten Hillsdale 11 straight times; the teams meet in Week 9.
- Smithville, undefeated and a top 15-20 Division VI team, closes at Dalton in Week 10 with the WCAL title and a perfect season potentially at stake.
Eight high school football games across Wayne and Holmes counties in Ohio carry playoff and league-title implications over the final five weeks of the regular season.
With Ohio's high school football regular season at its midpoint and five weeks remaining, eight games in the Wayne/Holmes County area stand out for what they could decide. Chippewa (4-1) opens the stretch at Norwayne in Week 6 on Friday, Sept. 25, having already matched its most wins in a season since 2021. The Chipps still must face Norwayne, Dalton, Hillsdale and Smithville, the top of the Wayne County Athletic League, and likely need at least one win among them to stay in playoff position.
West Holmes, unbeaten in Ohio Cardinal Conference play at 2-0, hosts 3-2 Dover (2-0) in Week 6 after averaging 47.0 points across its last four games behind quarterback Brayden Parsons, who has 16 touchdown passes, two interceptions and 1,320 passing yards. The Knights visit league contender Ashland in Week 8, looking to avenge a 40-7 loss from a year ago. In the Principals Athletic Conference, Orrville and Northwest — both 2-0, with Northwest undefeated overall — could enter their Week 7 meeting at 3-0 in league play, and Orrville's Week 10 trip to Triway may again decide the PAC after Triway's win there clinched the title last season.
Week 8 also brings Smithville at Norwayne, a matchup that could feature two undefeated WCAL teams with the winner in strong position for the league crown. Norwayne then travels to Hillsdale in Week 9 for a rivalry the Bobcats have won the last two regular-season meetings, with the Falcons carrying an 11-game skid in the series. Norwayne opened 0-3 but has won both league games comfortably and first faces Chippewa, Dalton and Smithville in consecutive weeks.
The season closes with Smithville at Dalton in Week 10. Smithville, undefeated and ranked among the top 15-20 teams in Division VI, could complete a perfect regular season and claim the WCAL by beating the Bulldogs for a second straight year, while 1-4 Dalton may need the win to reach the playoffs.
