**Related Video Above: Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad back in service

PENINSULA, Ohio (WJW) — Those of us living in Northeast Ohio are already well-acquainted with the wonder of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but one national study recently included the park on its list of “Hidden Gems” you need to visit right now.

The Places to Travel website looked at TripAdvisor hidden gem lists across all states, along with Google search data to determine which spots were true “hidden gems” off the beaten path for many.

Northeast Ohio park ranked among best national parks in US

“Hidden gems across America provide an excellent alternative to crowded, popular destinations, adding a unique charm to your travels,” Places to Travel CEO Jason Wilson said in a statement. “Venturing off the beaten path can be incredibly rewarding and allows you to explore a diverse range of regions you may otherwise have missed.”

Take a look at Paces to Travel Top 10 destinations below:

Highest-rated free things to do in Ohio, according to Tripadvisor

The park, which is one of the only free national parks, reportedly has garnered 4.5 star rating out of 5 on TripAdvisor, with many reviewers calling the spot “excellent,” according to Places to Travel.

Find out more about the park right here.

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Football is right around the corner in Ohio, and the Buckeye State is once again set to produce some of the best high school talent in the Midwest. Scrimmages may start on Aug. 9 with the regular season kicking off 10 days later on Aug. 19.

Preseason rankings are out, and according to the Massey Ratings — a model that combines statistics and ratings such as offensive and defensive power, as well home field advantage and strength of schedule — a three-time defending Ohio state champion ranks inside the top 50.

Four schools from the state of Ohio are in the top 100 nationwide — led by the Lakewood St. Edward Eagles. Below are the top 25 teams in Ohio heading into the 2024 season.

St. Edward finished 2023 as the Ohio Division I state champions after a 31-21 victory over Springfield. The Eagles went 15-1 with its lone loss coming on the road to Massillon Washington. St. Ed’s loses multiple blue-chip recruits from last year’s senior class — including Notre Dame EDGE signee Loghan Thomas and Ohio State offensive line signees Deontae and Devontae Armstrong. Yet, the Eagles return as the top-rated program in Ohio and the No. 42 team in the country. They will begin their season on Aug. 23 at Pickerington North as St. Edward looks to win its fourth-straight state title.

Massillon Washington has long been a staple of Ohio high school football, and that shouldn’t change in 2024. Ranked No. 75 nationwide, the Tigers are coming off of a 16-0 perfect season which includes a win over No. 1 St. Edward and an eventual Division II state championship. Heading into 2024, Wisconsin interior offensive line commit Nolan Davenport will anchor the Tigers O-Line. The defense features a host of high school recruits, including three-star corner Demari Clemons, Toledo safety commit Tyler Hackenbracht and Miami (Ohio) linebacker pledge Vito McConnell.

Moeller finished the 2023 campaign 10-5 with an overtime loss to Springfield in the state Division I semifinals. The Crusaders will look to go further this season against a usually difficult schedule featuring multiple out-of-state opponents and the three other members of the Greater Catholic League South. Two Moeller players are already committed to Power 4 schools: Louisville defensive back commit Micah Rice and Northwestern EDGE pledge Jonah Hayes. The Crusaders do lose a handful of P4 recruits from their 2023 senior class, including top-100 running back Jordan Marshall (Michigan) and corner Karson Hobbs (Notre Dame).

Hoban finished 13-2 with a season-ending 7-2 loss to Massillon Washington in the state championship. The Knights’ other lone loss came to No. 1 St. Edward. Hoban will kick off 2024 against Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding and Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep. Ohio State three-star linebacker commit Eli Lee returns along the defense, and junior cornerback Elbert Hill is the top player in Ohio for the class of 2026. That impressive junior class also includes four-star offensive tackle Sam Greer and four-star receiver Payton Cook.

Toledo Central Catholic capped a perfect 16-0 season with a Division III state title win over Columbus Bishop Watterson. The Fighting Irish lose Kentucky enrollee Marc Nave along the offensive line but retain Miami (Ohio) offensive tackle commit Jonathan Stangl. Junior cornerback Victor Singleton is the No. 117 prospect nationwide in the 2026 cycle. Central Catholic will kick off against Findlay and Georgia QB commit Ryan Montgomery on Aug. 23.

Lakota West went 11-3 in 2023, making it to the Division I playoffs before being ousted by Cincinnati Moeller. This year’s senior class is led by four-star Miami (Fla.) commit Luka Gilbert and Purdue linebacker commit Grant Beerman. Junior athlete Cam Thomas also ranks as a four-star prospect in the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking. The Firebirds will open against Cincinnati St. Xavier.

Speaking of the Bombers, St. Xavier will look to improve on a 7-5 2023 season which ended with a playoff loss to archrival Moeller. Along the line of scrimmage, St. X’s senior class includes Notre Dame defensive line pledge Gordy Sulfsted and Kentucky offensive line commit Tucker Kattus. Junior linebacker Kobe Clapper is a four-star recruit and still uncommitted.

Springfield has made it to three consecutive Division I state title games. The Wildcats have also lost three consecutive state title games — all to Lakewood St. Edward. Springfield will look to get over that final hump this season. The ‘Cats will open against top-25 Ohio program Cincinnati Winton Woods. They do lose a major part of the defense from a year ago — Ohio State cornerback commit Aaron Scott Jr., the No. 35 overall prospect in the 2024 class.

Avon went 14-1 in 2023, its lone loss coming in the Division II state semifinals to Archbishop Hoban. This year, the Eagles will kick off on the road against Cleveland St. Ignatius. Senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Kelly is committed to Cincinnati, and junior athlete Jakob Weatherspoon is a top-200 prospect in 2026.

10. Elder (Cincinnati)

The third GCL South school in the Ohio top 10, Elder went 7-5 in 2023 before getting knocked from the Division I playoffs by Lakota West. Senior linebacker Maddox Arnold (Toledo commit) and tight end classmate Brayden Boeing (Miami Ohio commit) will held lead this talented Panthers squad. Elder will open on the road against Cincinnati Withrow

11. Princeton (Cincinnati)
12. Marion Local (Maria Stein)
13. Gahanna Lincoln
14. Chardon
15. Upper Arlington

16. Pickerington North
17. Pickerington Central
18. Anderson (Cincinnati)
19. Centerville
20. St. Ignatius (Cleveland)

21. La Salle (Cincinnati)
22. Winton Woods (Cincinnati)
23. Walsh Jesuit (Stow)
24. Dublin Coffman
25. Hilliard Bradley

BATAVIA, Ohio — A man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the shooting deaths of his three young sons at their Ohio home last year.

A Clermont County judge sentenced Chad Doerman, 33, on Friday to three consecutive life terms after he pleaded guilty to aggravated murder charges. He was also sentenced to another 16 years on two felonious assault charges for injuring his former wife and his stepdaughter.

Prosecutor Mark Tekulve had originally vowed to seek the death penalty in the June 15, 2023, murders of Clayton Doerman, 7, Hunter Doerman, 4, and Chase Doerman, 3, in Monroe Township, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Columbus.

But on Friday he cited the trauma that the surviving family members “experienced that day and continue to experience on a daily basis.”

“My job, as I saw it this week, was to relieve them of that additional agony,” he told reporters Friday.

Prosecutors earlier said that Doerman, who was taken into custody after he was found sitting on a stoop at the home, admitted to having planned the killings and chased down one of the boys in a field after the child tried to flee. Defense attorneys had argued that he was struggling with severe mental illness.

Laura Doerman, the children’s mother and the ex-wife of the defendant, wept as a prosecutor read a statement in court from her saying her life had been “ripped away from me and destroyed.”

“I would do anything to push them on the swing, cover them up one more time and hear their little ways of saying, ‘I love you,’” she said. “… I have anger, frustration and so much sadness. Grief will never go away because it is all the love that is left with no place to go.”

In another statement issued through prosecutors after the sentencing, she said that she was in “full agreement” with the resolution of the case.

“No punishment will ever bring my boys back,” she wrote. “Having a guarantee that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars is what is best for my family.”

The prosecutor said he plans to reveal more details about the case at a news conference Monday. Laura Doerman thanked prosecutors and first responders and asked for privacy, saying she and the family “grieve every day” for the boys. She also asked, however, that people remember the children as they were before the events of that day.

“Remember them as the three little boys who loved fishing, go-carting, and swimming,” she said. “Remember them as the little boys who were always at the baseball fields or running around outside. Remember them as the boys who love to have fun and were inseparable from one another.”