Powerhouses of Ohio High School Football

Join author Tim Raab as he presents the champions, contenders, heartbreaks and heroics of this thrilling era of Ohio pigskin history.

Few things seem as important to Americans as sports, particularly football. By the middle of the twentieth century, Ohio high school football ranked among the mightiest in the nation. Dynastic programs Massillon and Canton McKinley dominated the 1950s. Not to be outdone, Barberton, Portsmouth, Cleveland Cathedral Latin and Jackson staked their claims to greatness, and championship squads from Benedictine to Marion Harding and Alliance fought their way to the top of the rankings though ever-steady Massillon continued their winning ways in the '60s. Along the way, determined newcomers like Niles McKinley, Toledo Central Catholic, Wyoming, Sandusky, Bishop Watterson and Marion Catholic snatched their share of gridiron glory. At the decade's close, the fierce Golden Bears of Upper Arlington forged their own dynasty. These are the stories of hundreds of young men who pushed themselves to their limits, and the coaches who pushed them to victory.