Cooper: Football season kicks into full gear this weekend

Hamilton and Badin face off on week one of high school football Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 at Virgil M. Schwarm Stadium in Hamilton. Badin won 38-20. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Hamilton and Badin face off on week one of high school football Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 at Virgil M. Schwarm Stadium in Hamilton. Badin won 38-20. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

EDITOR’S NOTE: Last week’s Sport Update e-mail was inadvertently sent to readers this morning. We apologize for the error.

Good morning, and welcome to another Friday edition of the Dayton Daily News Sports update!

Football season kicks into full gear this weekend.

We’re three weeks into the high school season. College football began last Saturday with an instant classic last week between Ohio State and Texas. The NFL gets underway this weekend, including an All-Ohio matchup.

Here’s what you need to know heading into this weekend:

High School Football: 4 things to know about Week 3

Hamilton and Badin face off on week one of high school football Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 at Virgil M. Schwarm Stadium in Hamilton. Badin won 38-20. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

icon to expand image

Credit: Nick Graham

The Greater Miami Conference and Miami Valley League continue league play this week with two key matchups.

Defending co-champion Lakota West (2-0) will travel to Hamilton (2-0) in a matchup of 1-0 GMC squads, while Fairborn (2-0, 1-0) will travel to defending champion Tippecanoe (2-0, 1-0) in MVL play.


3 to watch

  • Mets at Reds (FANDUEL SPORTS): Cincinnati starts a three-game series tonight against New York, which leads the NL wild card race by five games. The Reds will likely need a sweep or a series win to stay in contention.
  • Grambling State at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m. Saturday (BTN): While the game will likely not be competitive, the Buckeyes should have plenty of opportunities to get some of their reserves playing time.
  • Bengals at Browns, 1 p.m. Sunday (FOX): Can Cincinnati get off to a fast start? The Bengals have worked all offseason to avoid an early season slide.

3 to see (in person)

  • Springfield at Trotwood-Madison: The Wildcats travel to face the Rams in their final nonconference game before Greater Western Ohio Conference play starts next week. The rivals have played one-point games each of the past two seasons.
  • Edgewood at Badin: The Rams will host the Cougars in their first Friday night football game at the new Matandy SportsPlex.
  • Wayne vs. Lakewood St. Edward at Euclid High School: The Warriors will travel more than three hours to face the Northeast Ohio powerhouse who recently won three straight Division I state titles (2021, ‘22 and ‘23). Wayne fell to Pickerington Central last week.
Wayne takes the field for a game against Pickerington Central on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Pickerington. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

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Credit: David Jablonski

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ICYMI: Dragons make history

Alexander Vargas scores for a 2-0 Dayton lead in the second inning on Carlos Jorge's two-out single Tuesday night at Day Air Ballpark. JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED

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The Dayton Dragons set a new franchise record for victories with 15 straight before falling to Lansing in a heartbreaker on Thursday night.


WHERE TO FIND OUR COVERAGE

For the latest, most up-to-date high school football news and scores from the Dayton Daily News, visit daytondailynews.com/sports.

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Readers can also get our coverage sent right to their inboxes each Saturday morning by subscribing to our High School Football newsletter.

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