🏈 Key Dates
- Season start: Thursday, Aug. 21 (one game), full slate Friday, Aug. 22.
- Playoff pairings announced: Oct. 26.
- Playoffs begin: Oct. 31.
- State Championships: Dec. 4–6, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton).
Tailgating?
- Browns BBQ Grill Set & Cooler Combo on Amazon – Includes tongs, spatula, fork, and a cooler with the team logo.
- Tailgate Chair or Folding Table on Amazon – Great for cookouts and tailgating.
- Browns-themed Apron on Amazon – For the dad who dominates the grill.
🔶 Akron City Series
Buchtel Griffins – Notable: opener at Hoover (Aug. 22), rivalry vs. Garfield Oct. 11.
East Dragons – Opens Aug. 22 at Bedford, big game vs. Hoban (Sept. 12).
Ellet Orange – Starts Aug. 22 vs. Tallmadge, faces rival Garfield Oct. 18.
Firestone Falcons – Road-heavy early slate, Buchtel matchup Sept. 27.
Garfield Golden Rams – Season opener Aug. 21 at Southeast, home rivalry stretch Oct. 11–18.
North Vikings – Opens Aug. 22 at St. Thomas Aquinas, rivalry vs. Buchtel Oct. 25.
⛪ Parochial & Independent Powers
Archbishop Hoban – Huge schedule: Harvest Prep (Aug. 22), Detroit King (Sept. 4), Walsh Jesuit (Sept. 26), St. Edward (Oct. 24).
St. Vincent–St. Mary – Starts at Nordonia (Aug. 22), rivalry vs. Walsh (Oct. 17).
Walsh Jesuit – Loaded slate: Toledo Central Catholic (Aug. 22), Canisius (Sept. 19), Hoban (Sept. 26), St. V–M (Oct. 17).
🟢 Suburban League – American Conference
Aurora – Big opener vs. Brecksville (Aug. 22), closes Oct. 24 at Barberton.
Barberton – Season starts at Wadsworth (Aug. 22), finishes with Aurora.
Copley – Opens at Streetsboro, rivalry vs. Revere Oct. 24.
Cuyahoga Falls – Opens at Willoughby South, league rival Aurora Oct. 3.
Highland – Tough nonleague: Erie McDowell (Pa.), Hudson, Avon Lake.
Revere – Opens at Woodridge, finishes Oct. 25 at Copley.
Kent Roosevelt – Starts at Ravenna, ends at Tallmadge.
Tallmadge – Opens at Ellet (Aug. 22), wraps vs. Kent Roosevelt.
🟡 Suburban League – National Conference
Brecksville – Starts at Aurora, finishes at Twinsburg.
Hudson – Opens vs. Austintown Fitch, rivalry Oct. 17 vs. Nordonia.
Nordonia – Opens vs. St. V–M, rivalry Oct. 17 at Hudson.
North Royalton – Starts at Valley Forge, finishes vs. Hudson.
Stow – Opener vs. Medina, rivalry Oct. 24 at Nordonia.
Twinsburg – Starts at Boardman, finishes vs. Brecksville.
Wadsworth – Opens vs. Barberton, closes at Solon.
🔵 Metro Athletic Conference
Cloverleaf – Opens at Manchester, ends Oct. 24 at Norton.
Coventry – Mirror schedule with Cloverleaf (same opponents).
Field – Season starts at Canton South, finishes at Ravenna.
Norton – Opens at Northwest, closes at Coventry.
Ravenna – Opens vs. Kent Roosevelt, finishes at Field.
Springfield – Starts vs. Waterloo, ends Oct. 24 vs. Woodridge.
Streetsboro – Opener vs. Copley, closes at Cloverleaf.
Woodridge – Starts vs. Revere, finishes at Springfield.
⚪ Other Summit County Teams
CVCA – Opens Aug. 29 at Canton South, finishes Oct. 24 vs. Elyria Catholic.
Green – Opens vs. Indian Valley, faces rival Hoover Sept. 12.
Lake – Season opener Aug. 22 at South Range, rivalry Oct. 17 vs. Hoover.
Manchester – Starts vs. Coventry, closes Oct. 24 vs. Northwest.
Mogadore – Opens at Crestwood, closes Oct. 24 vs. Richmond Heights.
✅ In short: The 2025 Akron-area football season kicks off Aug. 21–22, with loaded rivalry games across the City Series, Suburban League (American & National), Metro Athletic, and independent powers like Hoban, St. V–M, and Walsh. The road ends Dec. 4–6 with the OHSAA state finals in Canton.
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