Change coming: Here's how each local football team fared with new sectional lineups

With the IHSAA re-aligning the state's classes for the upcoming season, there's a lot of questions regarding how local teams will fare against a new set of opponents.

Here's a breakdown of Martinsville, Mooresville, Monrovia, Decatur Central and Indian Creek's new sectional lineup.

Martinsville

While Mid-State and county rival Mooresville was placed in a new sectional, Martinsville will still bear the burden of extensive travel. Fortunately for the Artesians, some things have improved. There are less distant opponents, but the average travel time still marks an hour and 13 minutes.

More: First look, takeaways from football scrimmage between Martinsville, Indian Creek

More: Top 11 early breakout candidates for a much-anticipated football season

Leaving the sectional is the Pioneers, South Dearborn and Madison Consolidated. Joining is Edgewood, who's playing its first year in Class 4A, Bedford North Lawrence, moving down from Class 5A and Shelbyville.

Those three alone should help, and do improve travel, but having the likes of East Central, Jennings County and Silver Creek still makes things tough.

From a competitive standpoint, dropping the Pioneers benefits the Artesians, but East Central, who defeated them in the sectional championship game, still poses a consistent threat.

Overall, gaining closer opponents is a positive, and something the Artesians should look forward to. But still potentially drawing an opponent from near the Ohio and Kentucky borders still isn't something preferable.

Mooresville

At first glance, it appears the Pioneers have been placed in an easier sectional, and for five opponents, that's a fair assumption.

However, there's two, Roncalli and Brebeuf Jesuit, that make the sectional an extremely competitive one.

The Royals are a consistent power in Class 4A, going 12-1 last season, coming up just short in the tournament to Mt. Vernon. But there's no telling how Roncalli will function without star quarterback Aidan Leffler, who departed to graduation. Regardless, the Royals are likely to make for the hardest challenge.

More: Back in action: 5 takeaways from scrimmage between Mooresville, Indian Creek

Brebeuf is making the move to Class 4A after making the Class 3A state finals last season. Playing up a class, and losing a talent like Joe Strickland, will pose a challenge for the Braves, but make no mistake, they're no joke.

On the plus side, the Pioneers now get the benefit of short distance travel. But with the talent Mooresville possesses, and the loss of talent within their sectional, this could

be a golden opportunity to make a deep run as they did in 2020.

Monrovia

Moving up to Class 3A won't be an easy task for the Bulldogs, especially considering the sectional they were put into. Much like themselves, it's filled with legacy programs.

Danville has been one of the best Class 3A football schools in the state, and the same can be said for its rival Tri-West. Western Boone, a formerly known Class 2A power, is still making its adjustment to the 3A level, but still has typically been better than the average football team.

Then there's conference opponent Speedway, also up to 3A, who eliminated them in sectionals last season.

More: To beat the heat: Tips for keeping athletes safe during summer workouts

More: Back-to-back: Monrovia's Titus Boswell advances as area teams compete at sectionals

To make it in their new sectional, the Bulldogs will need to continue the momentum they built last season, marching to a 7-4 record while showing signs of their 2015 title selves. Tough defense and a run-heavy, option offense. It proved to be successful last season, and much of the roster is coming back.

Topping the likes of Danville or Tri-West, who've had a grapple on the sectional for years, will not be easy. But the Bulldogs have a chance to upend that. It's just a matter of keeping the train rolling.

Decatur Central

If there's a school who got the benefit of the doubt in reclassification, it was Decatur Central. Cathedral is finally gone from the Class 5A ranks, leaving the championship game up for grabs.

The Hawks have notably been a team that've run into the wall that is Cathedral. But it wasn't all that long ago the program found itself in the state finals.

More: Takeaways from Decatur Central football's first slice of action in four-way home scrimmage

Now the team will be playing Lafayette schools Mccutcheon and Harrison, along with conference opponent Plainfield. While Decatur Central has some things to sort out itself, losing some of its many key players in Javon Tracy, Kaleb Hicks and a plethora of defensive players, the sectional gives them a green light to make their way back to the state finals.

It won't be easy. Harrison finished last season with an 8-2 record and Plainfield always makes for a challenge, but none of them are Cathedral, who's been the one thing that's stopped the Hawks from potentially making the finals the last few years.

Indian Creek

Much like Martinsville, Indian Creek is going into its new sectional having to make some travel. The Braves were formerly in Monrovia's current sectional bracket, which still presented distance, but not as much as they're going to be traveling now. The average time between each potential opponent is one hour and 13 minutes.

From a competitive standpoint, the Braves are in interesting territory. Lawrenceburg should be the favorite in their bracket, and South Dearborn, down from Class 4A, could see a productive year at 3A.

Outside of that, the sectional is up for grabs. Indian Creek has a chance to assert itself with a whole new group of opponents, especially one's that are unfamiliar with the Braves.

There's a lot for Indian Creek to work on from now until the tournament starts, but signs are certainly pointing up.

Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Here's how each local football team fared with new sectional lineups