CANTON, Ohio — The Ohio High School Athletic Association football championships begin Thursday night. The three-day event kicks off with the Division II championship game between Akron Archbishop Hoban and Toledo Central Catholic. 



What You Need To Know

  • OHSAA football championships begin Thursday night with a game between Akron Archbishop Hoban and Toledo Central Catholic

  • Both of the teams' head coaches have been to OHSAA championship games before

  • These teams have been scrimmaging each other before each season for the last seven years

  • Both teams and coaches have respect for each other, regardless of the outcome of the game
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Tim Tyrrell, the head coach of Hoban, and Greg Dempsey, head coach of Central Catholic, have both coached in OHSAA championship games before. Tyrrell explained that each time is different.

“We’ve been playing in this game for, you know, a few years now. It seems to be just as special every single year," he said. "It kinda doesn’t get old."

These coaches faced each other in the championship in 2015, and Hoban came away with the championship title. Dempsey said he doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder for this year’s game and that his team would be ready to take on any team in the championship game.

“Doesn’t matter who you’re playing, the goal is to win the title and whoever you come up against is just an obstacle in front of that goal," Dempsey said. "And this week it’s Hoban, it could’ve been anybody else and I and the team are going to feel the same way about, it’s just another hurdle to clear."

These teams are used to each other. They have been doing a scrimmage every year before the season since 2015. A tradition Tyrrell wanted to start when he was new to the Hoban program.

“I just got the scrimmage because they were coming off a state championship, they had been to a couple already, I was new here, it was only my second year, you know when we talked we weren’t very good so I wanted our kids to see what a champion looked like,” Tyrrell said.

Dempsey said he and Tyrrell have respect for each other and so do their teams, and regardless of the outcome, they will continue to feel that same way. 

“It is a lot of respect and, like I said, we’ve become, we’ve developed a very good relationship over these last seven years. It’ll be fun to go up against them again,” he said. 

Tyrrell is excited about this year’s championship game and to see how both teams compete on the football field.

“They’ll be ready for the game. Again, two great programs going at it, who knows what the outcome will be, but two great programs,” he said.

The Akron Archbishop Hoban vs. Toledo Central Catholic game is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.