Gator Prep

GAME DAY! 🏈

Our 8U Gator Prep squad is back at it this morning! 💪🏾🐊

We’ll take on the Columbus Raiders 9U at 10:30 AM!

📍 Krumm Park
854 Alton Ave
Columbus, OH 43219

Come out and support our young athletes! Let’s pack the park and show our boys some love! 🐊💜🖤🤍

🏔️ OHIO’S : WHO CAN STAY ON TOP?

The preseason is in the books.
The matchups have been watched, and teams across Ohio have made their case.

Now, eight teams enter the 2026 season standing at the top of the mountain.

Congratulations to our FINAL PRESEASON :

🏆 6U — Gator Prep
🏆 7U — Trotwood Rams
🏆 8U — NEO Flight
🏆 9U — Cincinnati Cardinals
🏆 10U — Legacy Buckeyes
🏆 11U — Legacy Tar-Heels
🏆 12U — Legacy Hurricanes
🏆 13U — Top Dawgs Elite

But being #1 in August and being #1 in December are two completely different accomplishments.

Now the targets are on their backs.

Every opponent knows who’s at the top. Every upset can shake up an entire division. One statement win can send a team climbing, and somewhere in Ohio there’s a team outside the spotlight preparing to shock everybody.

Some of these teams may never give up the throne.

Others may find out just how hard it is to defend it.

Rankings don’t win football games — the field gets the final vote.

Who gets knocked off? 👀
Who rises to #1? 📈
Who survives every challenge? 🏆
And when December arrives… who will still be standing at the top?

AUGUST GIVES YOU THE RANKING.
DECEMBER GIVES YOU THE LEGACY.

🏔️ THE CLIMB STARTS NOW.

— Buckeye State Youth Football Rankings
Powering Ohio’s Youth Football Landscape.

🏈 8U REPORT: NEO FLIGHT HOLDS THE THRONE — BUT THE GAP IS CLOSING

The final 2026 preseason rankings end with NEO Flight sitting at #1 in Ohio’s 8U division, a spot they’ve held since November 2025.

And they’ve earned it on the field.

✈️ NEO Flight defeated #4 Fastbreak in a good game.

Then came one of their biggest tests — a showdown with #2 Trotwood, where Flight escaped with a 19-18 victory.

But those scores tell an important story:

There is NO comfortable gap at the top of 8U.

Trotwood. CPE. Fastbreak. SmashBros.

All four are hunting that #1 spot, and any one of them could shake up this division.

NEO Flight enters the season as the defending AYF champions with the résumé and the ranking, but being #1 means everybody is coming for you. Every week becomes somebody else’s opportunity to make a statement.

👑 NEO Flight has the crown.

🎯 CPE, Fastbreak, SmashBros and Trotwood have the target locked in.

The question heading into 2026:

Can the defending AYF champs fight everybody off and finish where they started — #1 in Ohio?

Or will one of these contenders finally knock Flight off the throne?

This 8U race could be one of the closest battles in the entire state. 👀🔥

— Buckeye State Youth Football Rankings
Powering Ohio’s Youth Football Landscape

🏈 9U REPORT: CARDINALS OWN THE THRONE — BUT A RIVALRY IS BREWING

The Cincinnati Cardinals finish the 2026 preseason ranked #1 in Ohio at 9U, and there’s a major reason why:

Since Buckeye State Youth Football Rankings began ranking teams, the Cardinals have yet to lose to an Ohio opponent. 👀

But Cincinnati’s 9U scene is heating up.

🐊 GTA Gators took a loss to the Cincinnati Buffs, then got their opportunity for revenge in Indiana — and came back with the W.

That type of back-and-forth is exactly what makes this division interesting.

And now we have a matchup circled.

🔥 CARDINALS vs. GTA GATORS.

The Cardinals are playing AYF this season, and the Gators are officially on their schedule. Two teams with legitimate claims among Ohio’s elite will finally have the opportunity to settle some of the conversation ON THE FIELD.

Can the Cardinals protect their undefeated record against Ohio competition and remain #1?

Can GTA hand them the loss nobody in Ohio has been able to give them?

Or does another team — ranked or currently completely outside the rankings — come out of nowhere and shake up the entire division?

One thing is clear:

9U IS LOADED. 💥

The difference between being #1 and falling several spots could come down to one Saturday.

Buckle up, Ohio. The 9U division could get crazy. 🍿🏈

— Buckeye State Youth Football Rankings
Powering Ohio’s Youth Football Landscape

🏈 THE FINAL 2026 PRESEASON 6U RANKINGS — THE FIELD JUST GOT BIGGER

The 6U division is expanding from a Top 5 to a Top 8.

Why? Because Ohio’s youngest division is getting deeper, more competitive, and harder to ignore. With so many 6U teams stepping into real competition, more coaches, players, and programs deserve an opportunity to shine.

👑 Gator Prep remains #1 in Ohio until somebody proves otherwise. The target stays on their back heading into the season.

📈 Lil Viks crash the rankings for the first time after making noise with a big win over CPE last week.

🔥 Steelmen of Lorain are another newcomer, earning their way into the conversation after a successful weekend.

🌆 And keep your eyes on Cincinnati — the Queen City currently holds THREE of Ohio’s Top 8 teams at 6U, giving Cincinnati an early argument for the deepest 6U scene in the state.

But these are the LAST preseason rankings of 2026.

From here on out, preseason hype won’t matter.

Wins matter. Competition matters. Who you play matters.

The road to becoming Ohio’s true #1 6U team starts now. 🏆

Who rises? Who falls? And who isn’t ranked yet that we’re going to be talking about very soon? 👀

— Buckeye State Youth Football Rankings
Powering Ohio’s Youth Football Landscape 🏈

🏆 DAY 2 OF NORTHERN HOSPITALITY! 🏆

GTA Gators 🐊 13
Oldtown Ducks 0

🏆 DAY 1 OF NORTHERN HOSPITALITY! 🏆

GTA Gators 🐊 18
Motor City Chiefs Burnout Boys 0

Just want to take a moment to thank everyone who came out and supported Gator Prep at our first home game of the season! Your support means everything to our organization and our athletes.

A special shoutout to my incredible staff for all the hard work that went into making this event happen, and to every volunteer who stepped up and helped wherever they were needed. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Thank you to every team that came out and competed with us. We appreciate your support and sportsmanship.

We hope everyone is ready for the next one—it’s only going to get bigger and better! 💜🏈

Gator Prep Football is back! It’s time for an action-packed day of youth football! Join us this Sunday, August 2 for the Gator Prep vs. Colerain Cardinals Bash as teams from across Ohio battle it out on the field.

📍 Mifflin Middle School
3000 Agler Rd
Columbus, OH 43219

💲 Admission: $5
👶 Kids 5 & Under: FREE

Come out and support all of our athletes as organizations from across the area battle it out. Bring your family, bring your energy, and let’s pack the stands!