Dublin High School Football Season Kicks Off This Week as Jerome Hosts Westerville South

One day after Dublin students return to classrooms, the lights at Dublin Jerome High School Stadium will bring families, alumni and neighbors together for one of the city's first fall traditions.

The Celtics open the 2026 football season at home against Westerville South at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. Students in grades K-12 return to classrooms the day before, on Aug. 20, offering residents—including families still settling into newer subdivisions—an early chance to gather. Jerome plays at Dublin Jerome High School Stadium, 8300 Hyland-Croy Rd.

The opener launches a season that runs through late October and signals the return of fall sports rhythms across Dublin Schools. Football is the leading edge, with schedules filling weeknight fields and weekend tournaments at all three Dublin high schools—Dublin Coffman, Dublin Jerome and Dublin Scioto.

In a city of 49,328 residents stretching across Franklin, Delaware and Union counties, high school football remains one of the dependable rituals connecting people who otherwise move through different corners of Dublin. Jerome serves 2,009 students in grades 9-12, and games offer families and neighbors from across the city's growing subdivisions a shared civic gathering place.

Mark Crabtree leads the Celtics as head football coach, with Jay Schwanke serving as athletic director. Crabtree stepped down from Dublin Coffman after 39 years of coaching before taking the Jerome job in February 2025, bringing deep knowledge of Dublin football culture—and its crosstown rivalry—to Jerome's sideline.

Jerome finished the 2025 season 6-5 overall after a 3-3 start through its first six games. Those early results included victories over Westerville South, 23-13; Reynoldsburg, 45-0; and Dublin Coffman, 24-7.

Friday's opener is a rematch with a Westerville South team that finished the 2025-26 season 9-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play under head coach Eric Calland. The Wildcats open their 2026 campaign with the road trip to Jerome, looking to reverse last year's 23-13 loss.

The schedule's biggest local date follows quickly. Jerome visits Coffman Stadium on Sept. 4, 2026, for the schools' annual crosstown rivalry game. Dublin Coffman lists the matchup as a home game, and Nick McVay serves as the Shamrocks' head football coach. Jerome won the most recent meeting 24-7 on Sept. 5, 2025; four years earlier, Coffman defeated Jerome 49-42 in overtime on Sept. 10, 2021. The rivalry remains one of Dublin's signature civic events, drawing families and alumni from across the city's three-county footprint.

Beyond the opener and the Coffman rivalry, Jerome's 10-game schedule includes Reynoldsburg on Aug. 28, Westerville Central on Sept. 11, New Albany on Sept. 18, Marysville on Sept. 25, Hilliard Darby on Oct. 2, Olentangy Berlin on Oct. 9, Olentangy on Oct. 16 and Thomas Worthington on Oct. 23—weeks of community gatherings through late October.