OHSAA approves new divisions for fall sports

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor 

COLUMBUS –– New divisional breakdowns for 2017 fall sports season were approved Thursday by the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors.

Division assignments are based on school enrollment numbers, and for the first time include Competitive Balance roster data that OHSAA member schools approved in 2014. Fall sports that use Competitive Balance data are football, boys and girls soccer, and volleyball.

“As we’ve said all along, our goal is to keep public and non-public schools together in the same postseason divisions, but Competitive Balance will help place those schools in the correct division based on the makeup of their rosters,” Dr. Dan Ross, OHSAA commissioner said.

In Van Wert County, no schools changed divisions in football, volleyball and soccer. The Van Wert Cougars will remain in Division IV in football, and the Crestview Knights will stay in Division VII.

Van Wert will remain in Division II in volleyball, and boys and girls soccer.  Lincolnview will again compete in Division III in boys soccer, and Crestview will stay in Division III in girls soccer.

However, some area schools will change football divisions, based on enrollment figures or Competitive Balance factors.

Two Western Buckeye League schools are moving down a division, due to enrollment. St. Marys Memorial is dropping from Division III to Division IV, while Ottawa-Glandorf is moving from Division IV to Division V.

One Northwest Athletic Conference school is moving up a division. Based on new enrollment numbers, the Ada Bulldogs will compete in Division IV this fall.

Two Midwest Athletic Conference schools are on the move in football. Based on enrollment, Fort Recovery is switching from Division VII to Division VI, while Coldwater is dropping from Division V to Division VI, based divisional shuffling, due to Competitive Balance.

Tim Stried, director of communications with the Ohio High School Athletic Association said in some cases, changes (such as Coldwater) were needed to balance the number of schools in each division.

“We put the top 72 schools in Division I, then put the rest equally in Divisions II through VII,” Stried explained.

Green Meadows Conference member Wayne Trace is another school affected by divisional equality. The Raiders will drop from Division VI to Division VII this fall.

Winter sports divisional breakdowns will be voted on in June, and spring sports will be approved in August.