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COLUMBUS -- West Branch and Salem appear to be on a collision course.
The Eastern Buckeye Conference rivals received top 10 rankings in the initial 2026 Associated Press high school football poll released Tuesday.
The Warriors (4-0) are eighth in Division IV and the Quakers (4-0) are 10th in Division III.
The teams will meet in the regular-season finale, but have a long way to go before then.
Salem travels to unbeaten and unranked Beaver Local (4-0) on Friday in another Columbiana County showdown.
Salem features a run-oriented attack that is averaging 35.8 points a game this season. The Quakers have given up at least 17 points in every game this season and 16 of their last 17 games overall.
The Quakers will try to stop a Beaver Local team that is averaging 31.8 points a game.
West Branch is on the road Friday at Marlington.
The Warriors’ offense is led by senior quarterback Grady Hirst, a Youngstown State University commit. Hirst has completed 56 of 77 passes (73%) for 774 yards and six touchdowns and also leads the team in rushing with 482 yards and nine touchdowns on 56 carries (8.6).
West Branch is also doing defensively, giving up only three touchdowns this season.
East Liverpool (2-2) is ranked 16th in Division IV.The Potters will host 0-4 St. Clairsville on Friday.
Among other area teams, South Range (4-0) is ranked second and Mineral Ridge (4-0) is tied for ninth in Division IV and McDonald (4-0) is fifth and Toronto (4-0) is 10th in Division VII.
Toronto will host Oak Glen on Friday.
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Ohio high school football poll
(First poll of 2026)
DIVISION I
Rank School Total Points
1. Cincinnati Elder (3) (4-0) 71
(tie) Lakewood St. Edward (5) (4-0) 71
3. Cincinnati Princeton (4-0) 57
4. West Chester Lakota West (4-0) 49
5. Gahanna Lincoln (4-0) 45
6. Perrysburg (4-0) 27
7. Worthington Kilbourne (4-0) 26
8. Columbus St. Charles (4-0) 13
(tie) Cincinnati Winton Woods (3-1) 13
10. Cincinnati Moeller 12
(tie) Mentor (3-1) 12
Others receiving votes: 12, Canton McKinley 11. 13, Columbus Upper Arlington 9. 14, Pickerington North 7. 15, Cleveland St. Ignatius 7. 16, Hilliard Bradley 5. 17, Cincinnati St. Xavier 3. 18, Toledo Whitmer 1. 19, Grove City 1.
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DIVISION II
Rank School Total Points
1. Columbus Bishop Watterson (4) (4-0) 70
2. Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (4-0) 60
(tie) Massillon Washington (3) (4-0) 60
4. Sunbury Big Walnut (4-0) 51
5. Wadsworth (4-0) 33
6. Cincinnati Anderson (1) (3-1) 32
7. Toledo Central Catholic (3-1) 30
8. Trotwood-Madison (3-1) 25
9. Harrison (4-0 ) 21
10. Findlay (4-0) 17
Others receiving votes: 11, Avon 9. 12, Oregon Clay 7. 13, Hamilton Badin 6. 14, Columbus St. Francis DeSales 5. 15, New Albany 5. 16, Mayfield 3. 17, Eastlake North 3. 18, Ashland 2. 19, Medina Highland 1.
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DIVISION III
Rank School Total Points
1. Steubenville (6) (4-0) 77
2. Bellbrook (1) (4-0) 68
3. Celina (1) (4-0) 42
(tie) Plain City Jonathan Alder (4-0) 42
5. Willoughby South (4-0) 31
6. Chillicothe (4-0 ) 26
7. Newark Licking Valley (4-0) 24
8. Kettering Archbishop Alter (3-1) 23
(tie) Tipp City Tippecanoe (3-1) 23
10. Salem (4-0) 17
Others receiving votes: 11, Columbus South 10. 12, Garfield Heights 9. 13, Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 8. 14, Goshen 8. 15, Cincinnati Hughes 7. 16, St. Marys Memorial 7. 17, Columbus Linden McKinley 6. 18, Wapakoneta 4. 19, Gates Mills Hawken 3. 20, Thornville Sheridan 3. 21, Cincinnati Northwest 2.
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DDIVISION IV
Rank School Total Points
1. Rocky River (2) (4-0) 52
2. Cincinnati Wyoming (1) (4-0) 50
3. Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (2) (3-0) 49
4. Shelby (1) (4-0) 44
(tie) Sandusky Perkins (2) (4-0) 44
6. New Lexington (4-0) 40
7. Ottawa-Glandorf (4-0) 37
8. Beloit West Branch (4-0) 26
9. Dayton Oakwood (4-0) 22
10. Canal Fulton Northwest (4-0 ) 15
Others receiving votes: 11, Uhrichsville Claymont 12. 12, Peninsula Woodridge 11. 13, Urbana 10. 14, Belmont Union Local 10. 15, Cincinnati North College Hill 7. 16, East Liverpool 5. 17, Bellevue 3. 18, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 2. 19, Bellville Clear Fork 1.
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DIVISION V
Rank School Total Points
1. Perry (6) (4-0) 70
2. Ironton (1) (4-0) 59
3. Coldwater (4-0) 54
4. Archbold (4-0) 32
(tie) Bluffton (4-0) 32
6. Barnesville (4-0) 28
(tie) Waynesville (4-0 ) 28
8. Beverly Fort Frye (4-0) 24
9. Youngstown Mooney (1) (2-2) 18
10. Martins Ferry (4-0) 15
(tie) Girard (4-0) 15
Others receiving votes: 12, Port Clinton 13. 13, LaGrange Keystone 12. 14, Conneaut 12. 15, St. Paris Graham 8. 16, Richwood North Union 7. 17, Williamsburg 5. 18, Wheelersburg 3. 19, Youngstown Liberty 2. 20, Castalia Margaretta 1. 21, Wooster Triway 1. 22, Worthington Christian 1.
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DIVISION VI
Rank School Total Points
1. Liberty Center (4) (4-0) 60
2. South Range (1) (4-0 ) 55
3. Lima Central Catholic (4-0) 53
4. Kirtland (2) (3-1) 50
5. New Madison Tri-Village (1) (4-0 ) 47
6. Newark Catholic (4-0) 22
7. Collins Western Reserve (4-0) 21
8. Sugarcreek Garaway (4-0 ) 20
9. St. Henry (2-2) 17
(tie) Mineral Ridge (4-0) 17
Others receiving votes: 11, Columbus Grove 13. 12, Elmore Woodmore 11. 13, Nelsonville-York 11. 14, Cincinnati Deer Park 10. 15, Wickliffe 7. 16, Van Buren 7. 17, Smithville 5. 18, Jeromesville Hillsdale 4. 19, Versailles 3. 20, Hamler Patrick Henry 2. 21, Columbia Station Columbia 2. 22, Hannibal River 1. 23, Delta 1. 24, Mechanicsburg 1.
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DIVISION VII
Rank School Total Points
1. Maria Stein Marion Local (8) (4-0) 80
2. Minster (4-0) 50
3. Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (4-0) 49
4. Ansonia (4-0) 41
5. McDonald (4-0) 37
6. Leipsic (4-0) 35
7. Willow Wood Symmes Valley (4-0 ) 32
(tie) Danville (4-0) 32
9. North Baltimore (4-0) 19
10. Toronto (4-0 ) 14
Others receiving votes: 11, New Bremen 12. 12, Strasburg-Franklin 10. 13, Shadyside 9. 14, Ft. Loramie 9. 15, Sycamore Mohawk 7. 16, Mogadore 3. 17, Lancaster Fisher Catholic 1.