Staff Report

The wait is over. It’s kickoff time for high school football.
And has been the case for nearly three decades, the premier game of the first week will be between Ironton and Wheelersburg as the Fighting Tigers host the Pirates on Friday.
Ironton is ranked fifth in the Columbus Dispatch preseason poll while Wheelersburg is seventh.
As usual, the game will mean key computer points for the winning team.
The season gets off to an early start with Portsmouth hosting Lucasville Valley on Thursday.
A full slate of games are scheduled Friday and there is one game on Saturday as Fairland plays Portsmouth West at Portsmouth High School. West is currently installing a new artificial playing surface.
The season begins a week earlier than usual due to the expansion of the playoffs to the top 16 teams in each region qualifying.
The extra week left teams with just two full weeks of practice instead of three.
The change in schedule not only affected the high school football teams but The Ironton Tribune annual football preview.
The magazine is printed at another location out of state and requires a week for printing and shipping. The preview should be available the week of Aug. 23-28.

High School Football
Thursday’s Game
Valley at Portsmouth
Friday’s Games
Wheelersburg at Ironton
Berne Union at Coal Grove
Rock Hill at Minford
Chesapeake at Southern, canceled due to COVID issues
South Point at Boyd Co., Ky.
South Gallia at Symmes Valley
Green at Eastern Meigs
Meigs at Gallipolis
Oak Hill at Wellston
Northwest at Southeastern
Grove City Christian at Portsmouth Notre Dame
Sciotoville East at Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans
Paint Valley at Beaver Eastern
Miami Trace at Waverly
Saturday’s Games
Fairland vs. Portsmouth West at Portsmouth High School