Section X Football Is Back: 2026 Season Kicks Off Across the North Country

Section X football is officially back.

High school football teams across New York returned to the field this week for the start of the 2026 season, and across Section X, the next few weeks will begin answering some very big questions.

Can Ogdensburg remain on top?

Can Potsdam take another step after a strong 2025 season?

What does Gouverneur have in store after another postseason appearance?

Can Canton, Massena, Malone, St. Lawrence Central, Tupper Lake or another program shake up the standings?

Right now, everyone starts in the same place.

0-0.

And after the way the 2025 Section X football season finished, there should be plenty to watch in 2026.

Ogdensburg Enters 2026 After Setting the Standard

Ogdensburg Free Academy finished atop the 2025 Section X standings with a perfect 6-0 division record and went 9-0 during the regular season.

The Blue Devils carried that success into the postseason, defeating Beekmantown 38-8 in the New York State Class B subregional before beating Malone 40-14 in the Class B sectional championship at Potsdam High School.

OFA's run eventually ended in the state playoffs with a 40-14 loss to Glens Falls, closing an impressive 10-1 season.

That makes Ogdensburg the obvious measuring stick heading into 2026.

But a new season doesn't care much about last year's record.

New roles have to be filled. New leaders have to emerge. And every team in Section X gets another chance to take its shot.

Potsdam Looks to Build on a Strong 2025

Potsdam finished second in the 2025 division standings at 5-1, putting together an 8-1 regular season.

The Sandstoners were one of Section X's strongest teams throughout the year and enter another season with expectations that will naturally come with that success.

The question for 2026 is simple:

Can Potsdam turn another strong regular season into an even deeper postseason run?

That's one of the biggest storylines we'll be following once games begin.

Gouverneur Has Another Opportunity to Make Noise

Gouverneur finished 2025 with a 4-2 division record and reached the New York State Class C subregional.

The Wildcats' season ended there with a 29-6 loss to Saranac Central, but another postseason appearance showed that Gouverneur remained firmly in the Section X football picture.

They'll begin 2026 with another opportunity to challenge the teams at the top and make a run into November.

Don't Forget About Canton

Canton went 3-3 in Section X play last season and finished 5-2 overall during the regular season.

That put the Golden Bears directly behind the top three in the final division standings and makes Canton another program worth watching as the new season develops.

In high school football, the gap between the middle of the standings and the top can change quickly.

A few close games, a breakout unit, or a team finding its identity at the right time can completely change a season.

Massena, Malone and St. Lawrence Central Look for a Climb

Massena finished 2-4 in division play in 2025, while Malone and St. Lawrence Central each finished 1-5.

But Malone's season also showed why the regular-season standings don't always tell the entire story.

The Huskies advanced through the Class B postseason and reached the Section X championship game against Ogdensburg.

That's exactly why trying to predict Section X football in August can be dangerous.

The teams we think we know today may look very different by October.

Tupper Lake Returns to the Eight-Man Football Picture

Tupper Lake competed in eight-man football in 2025 and finished its season with a 1-6 record.

The Lumberjacks' schedule and postseason path are different from the traditional Section X Class B and Class C programs, but they'll once again be part of the North Country football story in 2026.

The Best Part? Nobody Knows Yet

That's what makes the first week of football practice fun.

There are no 2026 standings yet.

No undefeated teams.

No winless teams.

No sectional champions.

No playoff heartbreak.

No Cinderella run that everybody will still be talking about years from now.

All of that is still ahead.

Right now there are just teams on practice fields across the North Country getting ready for Week 1.

Ogdensburg begins the season as the defending Section X Class B champion and the team that finished atop the division standings a year ago.

Everyone else gets a chance to change the story.

And somewhere in Section X right now, there's probably a team we're not talking enough about yet.

Follow the 2026 Section X Football Season

Section X Scoreboard will be following high school football across the North Country throughout the 2026 season with schedules, scores, standings, results, postseason updates and more.

From the opening kickoff through sectional championship weekend and the New York State playoffs, we'll keep track of the Section X football season as it unfolds.

Because last year's standings are history.

Everybody is 0-0 now.

And the road to November has officially begun.

Who do you think will be the biggest surprise in Section X football this season?