High school football: OHSAA releases new playoff region, divisional assignments

Jun. 13—The OHSAA announced new divisional assignments for fall sports on Monday, including defending state football champions Versailles and Marion Local.

No area football teams left or joined Division I, but Springboro and Middletown moved from Region 2 to Region 4.

That means they will be grouped with only teams from Southwest Ohio rather than the mix of teams from the southwest, northwest and central regions that are part of Region 2.

Locally, Beavercreek, Centerville, Fairmont, Miamisburg, Northmont, 2021 state runner-up Springfield and Wayne are all still part of Region 2 along with most notably Dublin Coffman, Findlay and Perrysburg, among others.

In Region 4, the Panthers and Middies join Fairfield, Hamilton, Lakota East, Lakota West and Lebanon, who all have to tangle with Cincinnati powers Colerain, Elder, Moeller and St. Xavier, among others.

The OHSAA uses data provided by the Ohio Department of Education to determine each school's base enrollment numbers for girls and boys sports.

In football, soccer and volleyball, those numbers are adjusted based on a competitive balance formula that takes into account students on a respective team from other districts or who have changed schools since seventh grade.

Divisional breakdowns for the sports that utilize competitive balance data are supposed to be reconfigured every year, while the others are reconfigured every two years.

Last year, the OHSAA stuck with 2020-21 divisions and regions because of the impact of COVID-19 on school enrollment.

Here are the changes in the other divisions:

Division II: Ross moved up from Division III because of an increase in enrollment.

Division III: West Carrollton moved down from Division II after competitive balance adjustments were applied to all schools.

Tecumseh moved down from D2 because of enrollment while the competitive balance adjustment prevented Chaminade Julienne from dropping to Division IV.

The Eagles remain in Region 12, which also includes the Pirates and Arrows along with 2021 state runner-up Badin, Bellbrook, Butler, Carroll, Elida, Franklin, Goshen, Greenville, Hillsboro, Cincinnati Hughes, Meadowdale, Monroe, Mount Healthy, New Richmond, Oakwood, Lima Shawnee, Thurgood Marshall, Tippecanoe, Trotwood-Madison, Western Brown, Wilmington and Cincinnati Woodward.

Oakwood and Meadowdale moved up a division because of enrollment while Badin moved up because of competitive balance.

Division IV: Springfield Shawnee, Bethel and Benjamin Logan moved up from Division V because of enrollment while that is the reason Dunbar and Ponitz moved down from Division III.

Fenwick moved down from Division III, but the Falcons would have been in Division V if not for competitive balance.

The same is true of Alter, though the Knights' enrollment was only bumped by 30 to 219 while Badin's went from 179 to 265.

Division V: Waynesville, Milton-Union and Northwestern moved down from Division IV because of enrollment while Coldwater (2021 state runner-up in Division VI), Miami East, Greeneview and Northeastern moved up.

Greenon would have moved to Division IV based on raw enrollment figures, but the Knights remained in Division V after competitive balance was applied.

Valley View was set to remain in Division IV, but the Spartans moved down based on the revised competitive balance figures.

Division VI: Marion Local and Versailles in now both in this division after winning it all last season in Division VII and V, respectively.

Tri-Village and Twin Valley South join the Flyers in moving up because of enrollment.

Dixie avoided moving up to Division V because of competitive balance while West Liberty-Salem and Versailles moved down because of enrollment.

Division VII: Mechanicsburg and Minster moved down from Division VI because on enrollment.