Richmond Heights brings back varsity football; OHSAA announces divisional alignments
May 3—The Richmond Heights football team is back.
After a three-year absence from fielding a varsity football team, including two years (2020-21) in which the school had no football team at all, Richmond Heights will again field a varsity team this coming fall.
"It's very exciting," Athletic Director Quentin Rogers told The New-Herald. "It's more opportunities for our young men to go out and play and hopefully do well and keep their goals alive of playing college football if they choose to do that. Getting foorball back is good for the school and community."
The program was put on hold in 2020 because of low numbers of players, Rogers said, adding "going into a game with 13 or 14 players just wasn't safe."
But when the school fielded a junior varsity team last season, the roster ballooned to 40 players, according to coach Cordale Scott. Playing a JV schedule last year with all but one player being an underclassman gleaned a 7-1 record and a lot of confidence heading into the 2023 season.
"It's very exciting to bring some hope and inspiration to the community," Scott said of football returning to the school. "We've got some good kids in the community, a community that is very committed to creating a winning culture.
"Last year, the only game we really struggled with was Glenville. We lost to them 18-0. But these kids hadn't played football in 4-5 years. They can really play."
The Spartans' schedule this year includes games against Doylestown Chippewa, Linsly (W.Va.), Canton Central Catholic, University, Cleveland Central Catholic, Lutheran East, Lima Central Catholic and McComb. Two open dates remain on the schedule.
"We stopped football because of low numbers," Rogers said. "It was best to let it sit for a while, marinate and get a new crop of kids come through that was more football inclined. It worked out for us."
Richmond Heights' appearance in the Division VII ranks was one of three changes involving area schools when the Ohio High School Athletic Association released its updated divisional alignments on May 3 for the 2023 season. The only other area changes are:
—Benedictine is moving from Division III up to Division II, and
—Wickliffe is moving from Division DV to Division VI.
Divisional alignments are based on a school's enrollment, provided by the Ohio Department of Education, along with competitive balance figures that use a multipler based on where student-athletes live and how they arrived at that school (such as open enrollment).
Here is a division-by-division look at the area schools including their enrollment, their competitive balance number and their adjusted enrollment after CB is factored in.
Division I
Mentor (884-3-887), and Euclid (653-0-653).
Mentor is the 15th-largest Division I football team in the state.
Division II
Riverside (577-5-582), North (512-1-513), Mayfield (463-0-463), South (451-0-451), Benedictine (217-224-441) and Brush (406-0-406).
Division III
Chardon (370-6-376), University (311-46-357), Harvey (342-9-351), Gilmour (190-126-316), Geneva (301-1-302), Kenston (298-0-298), VASJ (196-97-293), West Geauga (273-15-288), NDCL (243-38-281) and Hawken (226-53-279).
Division IV
Lake Catholic (179-42-221)
Division V
Chagrin Falls (191-3-194), Perry (179-2-181), Berkhire (159-16-175), Beachwood (162-0-162).
Division VI
Wickliffe (153-1-154), Kirtland (137-2-139), Cardinal (116-5-212).
Of note here, Marion Local — who beat Kirtland in last year's state championship game, 14-6 — has moved down to Division VII. The Flyers and Hornets are 2-2 against each other in state championship games, but won't get a chance to break that tie this year.
Division VII
Richmond Heights (98-0-98) and Fairport (79-7-86).
