Breaking Down Badin’s 2026 Schedule With All Series Information

By Rick Cassano

HAMILTON — The 103rd season of Hamilton Catholic/Badin prep football will begin Aug. 21 when Hamilton invades the Matandy SportsPlex on New London Road.

Badin is 88-22 in the first nine years of the Nick Yordy era, and Yordy’s .800 winning percentage ranks No. 1 in program history. The Rams haven’t had a losing season since going 2-8 in Bill Tenore’s final year at the helm in 2016.

BHS will be seeking its ninth straight playoff berth this year, though the Rams have a new classification in 2026. They’ve been bumped up to Division II, Region 8.

Here’s a breakdown of Badin’s 2026 regular-season schedule:

WEEK 1

Date: Friday, Aug. 21

Matchup: Hamilton Big Blue at Badin Rams, 7 p.m.

Series: Badin leads 5-2

First Meeting: 1980, Badin 28-14

Last Meeting: 2025, Badin 38-20

Highest-Scoring Games: 1999, Hamilton 45-13; 2025, Badin 38-20

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1981, Badin 3-0

Notes: Badin has won three of the last four meetings … Hamilton is the only Greater Miami Conference team the Rams have faced since losing to Fairfield 24-0 in the 1986 season finale … Badin has won 14 of its last 17 season openers … Big Blue finished 4-7 last year.

WEEK 2

Date: Friday, Aug. 28

Matchup: Dixie Heights (Ky.) Colonels at Badin Rams, 7 p.m.

Series: Badin leads 1-0

First Meeting: 2025, Badin 66-21

Notes: The Rams’ 66-point outburst last season in Kentucky matched the third-highest single-game total in program history. Badin beat Fairfield 76-0 in 1966, Dayton Jefferson 68-6 in 1977 and Ross 66-21 in 1987 … Hamilton Catholic/Badin is 22-4-1 against Kentucky opponents … The Colonels finished 4-7 last year.

WEEK 3

Date: Friday, Sept. 4

Matchup: Badin Rams at Edgewood Cougars, 7 p.m.

Series: Badin leads 19-7

First Meeting: 1973, Badin 38-6

Last Meeting: 2025, Badin 32-18

Highest-Scoring Game: 1992, Badin 56-6

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1974, Edgewood 3-0

Notes: Badin has won the last four meetings by a combined score of 118-39 … Last season’s game was the first football contest in the Rams’ new Matandy SportsPlex … The Cougars finished 4-6 last year and have a new head coach in 2026, former EHS quarterback Matt Root.

WEEK 4

Date: Friday, Sept. 11

Matchup: Badin Rams at Columbus Hartley Hawks, 7 p.m.

Series: Badin leads 7-2

First Meeting: 1982, Badin 35-16

Last Meeting: 2025, Badin 42-24

Highest-Scoring Game: 2025, Badin 42-24

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1988, Badin 14-0

Notes: Badin owns a four-game winning streak in the series and hasn’t lost to Hartley since 1986 (21-14) … The Hawks finished 5-5 last year.

WEEK 5

Date: Friday, Sept. 18

Matchup: La Salle Lancers at Badin Rams, 7 p.m.

Series: Tied 2-2

First Meeting: 1964, Hamilton Catholic 14-0

Last Meeting: 1992, La Salle 20-7

Highest-Scoring Game: 1991, La Salle 21-7

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1964, Hamilton Catholic 14-0

Notes: La Salle has won the last two meetings. Badin hasn’t beaten the Lancers since BHS opened in the fall of 1966 … The Rams are 6-27 against current Greater Catholic League South Division members Elder (0-9 from 1926 to 1943), St. Xavier (3-15 from 1927 to 1957), Moeller (1-1 in 1962-63) and La Salle … The Lancers finished 9-4 last year.

WEEK 6

Date: Friday, Sept. 25

Matchup: Dayton Chaminade Julienne Eagles at Badin Rams, 7 p.m.

Series: CJ leads 30-28-2

First Meeting: 1927, Hamilton Catholic 21-12

Last Meeting: 2025, Badin 45-14

Highest-Scoring Game: 2014, Badin 55-49

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1928, 0-0 tie

Notes: Badin has won the last six and 11 of the last 14 meetings … The Rams’ 55-49 win in 2014 is the highest-scoring game in program history … The Eagles finished 1-9 last year.

WEEK 7

Date: Friday, Oct. 2

Matchup: Badin Rams at Fenwick Falcons, 7 p.m.

Series: Badin leads 23-9

First Meeting: 1954, Hamilton Catholic 20-12

Last Meeting: 2025, Badin 41-13

Highest-Scoring Games: 2010, Badin 38-31 (OT); 2015, Fenwick 38-31

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1972, Badin 8-0

Notes: Badin has been victorious in the last six meetings by a combined score of 194-41 … The Falcons haven’t scored more than 13 points against the Rams since winning 21-9 in 2018 … Fenwick finished 6-5 last year.

WEEK 8

Date: Friday, Oct. 9

Matchup: Dayton Carroll Patriots at Badin Rams, 7 p.m.

Series: Badin leads 29-7-1

First Meeting: 1964, Hamilton Catholic 12-6

Last Meeting: 2025, Badin 55-6

Highest-Scoring Game: 2006, Carroll 52-33

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1968, 6-6 tie

Notes: This will be Badin’s homecoming … The Rams have won the last nine and 14 of the last 15 meetings. The lone Carroll victory during that stretch was a 21-17 decision in 2016 … The Patriots finished 1-9 last year.

WEEK 9

Date: Friday, Oct. 16

Matchup: Badin Rams vs. Kettering Alter Knights at Bellbrook, 7 p.m.

Series: Alter leads 27-19

First Meeting: 1965, Hamilton Catholic 20-6

Last Meeting: 2025, Badin 35-28 (Division III playoffs)

Highest-Scoring Game: 2007, Alter 63-14

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1994, Badin 7-3

Notes: Badin has won the last six and nine of the last 10 meetings. Before that, Alter had a 22-game winning streak in the series … The two teams shared the Greater Catholic League Coed Division championship last season … The Knights finished 8-4 in 2025.

WEEK 10

Date: Friday, Oct. 23

Matchup: McNicholas Rockets at Badin Rams, 7 p.m.

Series: Badin leads 41-18-1

First Meeting: 1960, McNicholas 44-36

Last Meeting: 2025, McNicholas 17-10

Highest-Scoring Game: 1960, McNicholas 44-36

Lowest-Scoring Game: 1983, 0-0 tie

Notes: Badin had a seven-game winning streak in the series before McNick’s win last season. The Rams had won 31 straight Greater Catholic League Coed Division games up to that point … The teams’ last three meetings have been decided by a total of 14 points … The Rockets finished 7-5 last year.

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