High school cross-country programs from across Northeast Ohio will be well represented at the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships Saturday, Nov. 7, with teams and individual runners from Stark, Carroll, Tuscarawas and surrounding counties earning spots at the season’s final meet.
The championships will take place at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park, 4175 Alum Creek Drive, in Obetz, just south of Columbus.
Among the area schools advancing are Jackson, Perry, North Canton Hoover, Lake, Minerva, Marlington, Fairless, Salem, Indian Valley and Tuscarawas Valley. Several programs qualified both their boys and girls teams, while other schools will send individual runners who earned state berths through regional competition.
The championships will feature four divisions, with runners competing over a 5,000-meter course.
Division I: Jackson sends both teams to state
Jackson will be among the Stark County programs with the largest representation at the state championships after qualifying both its boys and girls teams in Division I.
The Polar Bears are listed among the 20 qualifying teams in each race, putting Jackson in contention for both boys and girls team honors.
GlenOak will also be represented in Division I by senior Marissa Kromi, who qualified individually for the girls championship.
Division II: Hoover qualifies both teams; Perry and Lake advance boys
North Canton Hoover will have both its boys and girls teams competing in Division II, making the Vikings one of the area’s programs with representation in both races.
Perry and Lake also qualified their boys teams, giving Stark County three boys teams in Division II.
Salem advanced its boys team in Division II, while its girls team qualified in Division III.
Louisville freshman Hayden Meyer earned an individual berth in the Division II girls race.
New Philadelphia will send two individual qualifiers: senior Kylie Smith in the girls race and senior Kevin Smith in the boys race.
Green senior Lucia Sveda also qualified individually in the Division II girls competition.
Division III: Minerva, Marlington, Fairless and Tuscarawas Valley qualify both teams
Division III will feature one of the largest collections of area programs, with Minerva, Marlington, Fairless, Northwest and Tuscarawas Valley qualifying both their boys and girls teams.
Minerva’s Lions will compete in both races after another successful postseason, continuing the program’s strong tradition in distance running.
Marlington will also have both teams competing, led on the girls side by senior Irelyn Johnson, the defending Division III individual state champion. Johnson enters the championship meet after winning the Boardman regional.
Fairless, Northwest and Tuscarawas Valley will also field full boys and girls teams, giving the area considerable depth in Division III.
Indian Valley and Claymont qualified their girls teams, while Salem also advanced its girls squad.
Several area runners earned individual berths in the Division III boys race.
Canton South junior Logan Howard, who won the Boardman regional championship in 15 minutes, 32.7 seconds, will make his third state appearance.
Other individual qualifiers include West Branch senior Kyle Ormiston, Indian Valley senior Nolan Patacca, Sandy Valley junior Gleason Pfeffer and Beaver Local senior Luke Warrick.
Division IV: Lake Center Christian advances boys team; East Canton sends two runners
Hartville Lake Center Christian qualified its boys team in Division IV, earning the opportunity to compete for a team championship in Obetz.
East Canton will send two individual runners to the state meet.
Senior Savanna Rayl qualified in the Division IV girls race, while junior Michael Crissman earned a berth in the boys race.
Kidron Central Christian will also be represented by senior Izzy Rohrer and freshman Gracie Steiner in the girls race, while its boys team qualified for the state championship.
Complete area state qualifier list
The following list is based on the OHSAA’s official 2026 state team and individual qualification documents. Individual names are provided for athletes qualifying independently; the team lists identify schools that qualified full squads.
Division I
| School | State qualifiers |
|---|---|
| Massillon Jackson | Boys and girls teams |
| Canton GlenOak | Marissa Kromi (12), girls individual |
Division II
| School | State qualifiers |
|---|---|
| North Canton Hoover | Boys and girls teams |
| Massillon Perry | Boys team |
| Uniontown Lake | Boys team |
| Salem | Boys team |
| Louisville | Hayden Meyer (9), girls individual |
| New Philadelphia | Kylie Smith (12), girls; Kevin Smith (12), boys |
| Green | Lucia Sveda (12), girls individual |
Division III
| School | State qualifiers |
|---|---|
| Minerva | Boys and girls teams |
| Alliance Marlington | Boys and girls teams |
| Navarre Fairless | Boys and girls teams |
| Canal Fulton Northwest | Boys and girls teams |
| Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley | Boys and girls teams |
| Gnadenhutten Indian Valley | Girls team; Nolan Patacca (12), boys individual |
| Uhrichsville Claymont | Girls team |
| Salem | Girls team |
| Canton South | Logan Howard (11), boys individual |
| Beloit West Branch | Kyle Ormiston (12), boys individual |
| Magnolia Sandy Valley | Gleason Pfeffer (11), boys individual |
| Lisbon Beaver Local | Luke Warrick (12), boys individual |
Division IV
| School | State qualifiers |
|---|---|
| Hartville Lake Center Christian | Boys team |
| East Canton | Savanna Rayl (12), girls; Michael Crissman (11), boys |
| Kidron Central Christian | Boys team; Izzy Rohrer (12) and Gracie Steiner (9), girls individuals |
State championship schedule
All races are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park.
| Division | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| I | 10 a.m. | 10:40 a.m. |
| II | 11:50 a.m. | 12:30 p.m. |
| III | 1:40 p.m. | 2:20 p.m. |
| IV | 3:30 p.m. | 4:10 p.m. |
Awards ceremonies are scheduled for 11:10 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:50 p.m. and 4:40 p.m., respectively. OHSAA
The championships will mark the 98th annual boys state finals and 49th annual girls state finals. OHSAA
Tickets, course maps and live-results information are available through the OHSAA state championship website.
