CANTON, Ohio – The inaugural OHSAA girls flag football state tournament has Ohio’s top eight teams ready to square off in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
The top four finishers from both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns regionals are here in Canton for a three-round championship event. Teams will compete against a counterpart from outside their region in the quarterfinals, then bracket play will continue until a champion is crowned.
Cincinnati’s representatives reached the regional semifinals in Paycor Stadium on Monday, May 11. Defending state champion Badin claimed the regional crown and the south’s No. 1 seed; joining them in Canton are St. Ursula, Princeton and Mount Notre Dame.
Initially scheduled for a noon kickoff, inclement weather pushed the tournament’s start back until lightning could pass. Stay tuned as The Enquirer brings live updates from all the action in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Mount Notre Dame knocks off No. 1 Madison
Mount Notre Dame had only lost one game all season, but that loss sent them down to the No. 4 seed in the south. That proved to be a tough draw for Cleveland’s No. 1 seed, Madison, as Mount Notre Dame pulled out a 26-20 win. Even in adverse conditions, quarterback Evie Schoolfield was able to make the right plays at the right time to pull off the win.
Three Cincinnati schools fall in quarterfinals
The trip up to Canton was a quick one for three of Cincinnati’s four schools. St. Ursula, Princeton, and Badin all fell in the first round of the state tournament.
Badin struggled in a physical matchup with Nordonia, falling 6-0 as Nordonia broke a scoreless tie late in the game.
Princeton held a late 14-7 lead, but a last-second touchdown and two-point conversion gave Midview the go-ahead score to send the Vikings home.
St. Ursula’s passing attack couldn’t find purchase in the wet, windy environment, and Berkshire capitalized with a potent ground game to win 34-18.
Quarterfinals off to a slow, wet start
Continuous rainfall is putting a damper on some of the offensive output here in Canton. Just through the first half of play, only two of the four games have seen scoring.
Mount Notre Dame currently leads an upset bid against Madison, 20-12, while Saint Ursula is trailing Berkshire 20-6. Both Badin and Princeton are locked with their opponents in 0-0 ties.
Lightning delay impacts start of flag football state tournament
With lines of storms across the state, Canton did not escape lightning’s wrath. The OHSAA announced a weather delay of the first game, which will last until at least 12:22 p.m. Officials are monitoring lightning strikes in the area and play will resume when no lightning strikes within a 30-minute period.
Cincinnati’s Ohio 2026 flag football state tournament schedule
The inaugural OHSAA girls flag football state championship kicks off on Saturday, May 16. The top four teams from the Cincinnati Bengals regional will match up against the top four teams from the Cleveland Browns regional in Canton’s Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Quarterfinal matches start at noon, with semifinals scheduled for 1 p.m. and the state title game to be played at 2:30 p.m.
Here are the matchups for the first round:
∎ Badin (1 south) vs. Nordonia (4 north)
∎ St. Ursula (2 south) vs. Berkshire (3 north)
∎ Princeton (3 south) vs. Midview (2 north)
∎ Mount Notre Dame (4 south) vs. Madison (1 north)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Live updates from inaugural girls flag football OHSAA championship
Reporting by Chase Souder, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
