Two Clinton County high school teams moved down a division because of the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Competitive Balance factor in determining division placement.
However, none of the county’s four varsity football teams changed divisions for the upcoming 2017 season.
The Blanchester and Wilmington high school boys soccer teams both moved down a division — Wilmington to Div. II and Blanchester to Div. III.
The Wilmington High School girls soccer team moved down because of the Competitive Balance factor. But the Lady Hurricane remain in Div. II because the district’s overall enrollment numbers moved the team up a division.
With the Competitive Balance factor, divisional alignment will be calculated each year, instead of every two years as it has been in the past.
Division assignments are based on school enrollment numbers provided by the Ohio Department of Education, and then modified in football, volleyball and soccer based on Competitive Balance factors that OHSAA member schools approved by referendum vote in 2014.
According to Competitive Balance regulations, the previous season’s roster data (grades 9-12) is used for affecting the following season’s additional roster count in the selected sports. The additional roster count is added to the school’s base enrollment number to determine the final adjusted enrollment count before divisional placements are made.
The new divisional breakdown for fall sports — football, volleyball, boys soccer, girls soccer — were approved by the OHSAA Board of Directors Thursday.
Divisional assignments for softball baseball, boys basketball and girls basketball also will be calculated using the Competitive Balance factor.
Based strictly on enrollment figures, Wilmington volleyball will move from Div. II to Div. I this fall while the Blanchester volleyball team will go from Div. II to Div. III.
In high school football, Wilmington will remain in Div. III, Clinton-Massie in Div. IV, and Blanchester and East Clinton in Div. V.
Of note, Western Brown goes from Div. III in football to Div. II. Western Brown is a member of the Southern Buckeye Athletic & Academic Conference. Clinton-Massie, Wilmington and East Clinton will be members of the SBAAC beginning in the fall.
Clinton-Massie’s heated playoff rival Archbishop Kettering Alter is going from Div. IV in football to Div. III as will Columbus Bishop Hartley, Dayton Dunbar and Dayton Chaminade-Julienne.
Eaton, based on enrollment numbers, is going from Div. III to Div. IV in football while Cincinnati Roger Bacon goes from Div. V to Div. IV.
Waynesville moves from Div. IV in football to Div. V.
Perennial state power Coldwater goes from Div. V to Div. VI in football because of Competitive Balance.
