Ohio is different than other states when it comes to 7th & 8th Grade football whereas the OHSAA oversees 7th & 8th grade and other states just have club programs until High School.
At the end of the day, this is a decision that should be left up to the player
OHSAA only allows you to play in a maximum of 8 games as a 7th/8th grader. There are no playoffs, post season play or any "light at the end of the tunnel." You'll work all season long with a teacher that is getting paid 3-4k extra a year to coach your team that more than likely doesn't love the game that much and against competition that isn't all that great. If you just want to play 8 games at 12 years old and don't really have any future goals for the game of football, middle school is just fine.
If you want to have a season filled with hard work development, playing high level competition, and actually have some post season tournaments to look forward to, then Ohio Valley Elite is the way to go.
One other big goal we have is to get our talent noticed by upper level high schools in the area. We've had tremendous success In the past sending over half our team to private and high level public schools and we look forward to continuing that trend. Our gameplan is to reach out to high level programs in the area to watch our kids and potentially offer them better opportunities for their High School Careers.
These 7th & 8th grade years are potentially the most important 2 years of your child's football career, don't waste them!!!