The 2025 high school football season came to a close this past weekend with the crowning of seven state champions.

Closer to home, the season concluded a week earlier when two local teams were eliminated in state semifinal games.

Despite those setbacks, the season provided area football fans with 15 weeks of excitement, drama and standout individual and team performances.

McDonald (13-1) put together perhaps the most impressive season of any team in the Mahoning Valley this year. The Blue Devils’ began their campaign by celebrating the program’s 100th year of football. They ended things by advancing to the Division VII state semifinals. In the process, the Devils recorded a perfect 10-0 regular season, won a league title and captured the school’s first regional championship in 31 years.

The 13 wins equaled a program-best for McDonald, matching the 1994 team that advanced to the state title game.

Cardinal Mooney coach Frank Colaprete deserves area coach of the year consideration for his role in guiding the Cardinals to a 10-3 finish. In his first year at the school, Colaprete guided Mooney to its first winning season in eight years, and their first 10-win season since 2013. And like McDonald, Mooney’s success carried into the playoffs and resulted in a regional title.

Colaprete wasted no time breathing life into a storied program which was desperate to turn things around.

Girard may have been the surprise team of the ’25 season. Granted, it’s never a surprise to see the Indians put together a solid campaign – they’ve reached the playoffs nine straight years, the longest current streak among all area schools. Still, Pat Pearson cemented his status as one of the school’s all-time top coaches with what he and his staff did with an extremely young squad.

This was supposed to be somewhat of a transition year for the Indians. Instead, they put together an undefeated regular season (just the second in school history) and a 12-1 overall record. Girard also went 6-0 in league play, ending South Range’s five-year reign in the Northeast 8 Conference.

Girard treated area fans with two of the most exciting games of the season, and with an epic season-long individual performance.

The Indians and Poland were involved in a pair of one-point games, both decided on two-point conversion attempts.

As just a sophomore, Girad quarterback A.J. Pearson put together one of the area’s all-time single-season performances. Pearson threw for 3,080 yards and 29 touchdowns, then scored 29 more touchdowns as a runner, rushing for 1,438 yards.

Canfield put together its best season since the 2022 state championship campaign, winning its first nine games before falling to Boardman in Week 10. The Cardinals rebounded with a playoff win against Kenston before falling to Villa Angela-St. Joseph in a regional semifinal game.

West Branch continued its dominance of the Eastern Buckeye Conference, winning its sixth straight league title while extending its league winning streak to 31 games.

Chalker established itself as one of the elite 8-man football programs in the state, advancing to the Ohio 8-man football state title game before falling to St. Mary Central Catholic.

While the book has just been closed on the season, the wheels are already turning for 2026.

Leetonia will have a new home next year, as the school is leaving the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference for the Northeastern Athletic Conference.

Windham will become the third Valley school to switch to 8-man football, joining Chalker and Sebring. Also making the move will be Kennedy Catholic, located in Hermitage, Pa. Both schools will join forces with the Northern 8 Conference.

The Youngstown City School District will usher in a new era with the opening of Youngstown High School – the city’s lone public high school as of the start of the 2026-27 school year. While the book closes on the East Golden Bears and the Chaney Cowboys, the two programs will merge to begin the Youngstown Defenders era of football.

There will be changes at the top for at least two teams, as both Niles and LaBrae are searching for head coaches.

Area fans are already buzzing about an early season matchup which will pit Kirtland – which just won its eighth state championship – against Poland.

For now, fans will have to enjoy the memories of 2025 while looking forward to what will hopefully be another banner football year in the Mathoning Valley.

We’re just 255 days away from the kickoff to the 2026 season.