WHEELING — Last season was nothing that high school football teams in the Ohio Valley had ever experienced before — and not in a good way.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to schedule stops and starts. West Virginia coaches were left wondering from week to week whether a state map would allow them to play.

Outbreaks sent some teams to the sidelines for multiple games. The Super Six, West Virginia’s three state championship games, were moved from Wheeling to Charleston and ultimately canceled.

As frustrating as last season was, the excitement for the upcoming season is off the charts.

The season begins tonight for Ohio schools, and a couple of local tilts will highlight that bill. River hosts Bellaire and Barnesville hosts Buckeye Local.

The fun continues Friday with the rest of the slate, featuring Martins Ferry at Shadyside and Steubenville playing host to a stout opening opponent, Olentangy Liberty.

West Virginia kicks off its prep season next week. Wheeling Park travels to St. Clairsville for a big game, while Wheeling Central hosts Ambridge, Linsly visits Martins Ferry and John Marshall opens at University.

The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register get you geared up for those games and many more, plus team-by-team breakdowns of our area team, inside today’s newspaper with the 54th annual Ohio Valley Football Preview. This year’s preview brings into focus “The Light at the End of the Tunnel.” After the tension and frustrations of last year, teams and officials on both sides of the Ohio River are ready to retrain their focus on the gridiron.

Our preview section isn’t the only place where Ohio Valley football fans can dive into information on their favorite teams. This season, The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register has partnered with WVU Medicine to offer an enhanced online experience.

Head to our Football Preview 2021 for all the information you’re looking for on teams, both high school and college, throughout the Ohio Valley. There, you’ll find not only stories and photos, but audio from each team’s head coach and videos of each team that our family of newspapers covers. It’s easy to navigate with plenty of options to find the teams you’re looking for.

Our preview section and website also will give readers a look at the several college programs kicking off their seasons this fall. While the Football Bowl Subdivision schools battled through the fall in 2020, the area’s smaller schools are back to a fall schedule after pushing their slates into the spring.

West Virginia University will try to build off a Liberty Bowl-winning 2020. The Mountaineers will open their season Sept. 4 at Maryland. Ohio State made it all the way to the national title game last season, ultimately falling to Alabama. The Buckeyes will try to stay in that pantheon of elite teams, opening their season Sept. 2 at Minnesota.

Notre Dame was a national semifinalist, also falling to Alabama in the playoffs. The Fighting Irish have a tough test before them Sept. 5, opening at Florida State. Pitt will try to climb the Atlantic Coast Conference ladder, but will open its season Sept. 4 with a non-conference home game against UMass.

The area’s two Mountain East Conference college programs, West Liberty and Wheeling, get back to normal with openers Sept. 2. Wheeling visits Seton Hill (Pa.), while West Liberty hosts Walsh. The Cardinals and Hilltoppers face each other at Bishop Schmitt Field on Oct. 23. Meanwhile, Bethany College will open its football season Sept. 3 at Hiram.

The 2021 football season will be a highly anticipated one. We hope you join in the fun as we prepare to give you everything you need to know about what’s happening on the gridiron.