High School Football Returns

FOX Sports Ohio is excited for the return of High School Football Game of the Week and Prep Zone.

Once again, the network is bringing its Emmy award-winning live coverage of high school football between celebrated rival match-ups into homes this season with 7 exclusive games that will air LIVE Thursday evenings this fall.

High school football action on FOX Sports Ohio kicks off Thursday, August 23 at 7:30pm. Week one starts up in Northern Ohio when the Buchtel Griffins visit the Massillon Tigers. Week two takes viewers south as the Ryle Raiders host the Colerain Cardinals. Click HERE for a complete schedule of the network's High School Football Game of the Week.

For high school football fans beyond the network’s television reach, FOXSportsOhio.com will simulcast the Thursday night games online. As part of FOXSportsOhio.com’s Prep Zone package, the website will additionally stream online up to 10 live Saturday games. The first Prep Zone game will be on August 25th between St. Edward and Glenville Academic. The Saturday Prep Zone games are included in the complete schedule HERE.

The Northern Ohio televised games will feature color analyst Hanford Dixon, who played defensive back on the Cleveland Browns for nine seasons and was named to three Pro Bowls. He will sit aside Emmy award winner Jeff Phelps, serving as the play-by-play announcer. Phelps is a member of FOX Sports Ohio’s Cavaliers broadcast team and hosted Cruise-In this summer, featuring classic car shows throughout Ohio.

The Southern Ohio televised games will feature Brian Giesenschlag doing play by play with color analysts Dave Lapham and Jeff Piecoro. While this is his first season doing High School Football Game of the Week, Giesenschlag is a feature reporter for Reds baseball on FOX Sports Ohio as well as the sports director for WXIX-TV FOX 19 in Cincinnati. For the first Southern Ohio game on Aug. 30, Reds Live co-host Jeff Piecoro will be the color analyst. Lapham will serve as analyst for the remaining four Southern Ohio games. He was a Bengals offensive lineman from 1974-83 and is in his 27th consecutive season as the analyst on Bengals radio broadcasts. He also works as a reporter/analyst for Cincinnati's WLWT-TV (NBC/Ch. 5) and is an analyst for Big 12 college games on FSN.

Natalie Taylor will serve as sideline reporter for all of the games. Taylor joined FOX Sports Ohio last season as rink-side reporter for the Columbus Blue Jackets. She has also anchored weekend sports segments, reported for “Good Day Columbus,” hosted “The Football Fever,” and served as on-site reporter for high school football for WSYX / WTTE in Columbus.

Each week’s telecast will promote the schools’ other sports and activities through interviews with athletic directors, principals and other key faculty. And of course, no game is complete without getting the chance to see and hear the marching bands perform at halftime!