OHSAA announces winter sports tournament divisions

COLUMBUS — Three area basketball teams will change divisions next winter. The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced the new divisional breakdowns for the upcoming winter sports tournaments on June 30. Wrestling divisional breakdowns will be announced in the fall. In May, schools were given the opportunity to move up to Division I. The lone opt-in to Div. I in boys basketball was a notable one. Following an unprecedented run that has included four straight OHSAA state championships — with the last two in Division V — Cleveland Heights Lutheran East will make the big jump to Div. I. Lutheran East had been slated to remain in Div. V with 141 boys and a competitive balance multiplier that boosts it to 190. The biggest Div. V schools for next season have adjusted enrollment figures of 191. In girls basketball, Rocky River Magnificat and Cincinnati Notre Dame opted to move up from Div. II to Div. I. The 2026-27 school year will be the first of a new two-year enrollment cycle using data provided by the Ohio Department of Education. Girls and boys basketball also goes through the OHSAA competitive balance process. In girls basketball, Edison and New London are moving down a division. The Chargers moved from Div. V to Div. VI and will be the largest school in the state in that division with an enrollment number of 129. Edison has a competitive balance number of zero. The Wildcats are down from Div. VI to Div. VII after their enrollment number came in at 82, which is six below the largest Div. VII school. Elsewhere in girls basketball, Norwalk (277) remained in Div. III, while Willard (146) is in Div. V and Western Reserve (98) is in Div. VI. With New London down, five area teams will be in Div. VII, including Plymouth (71), South Central (71), St. Paul (68), and Monroeville (61) In boys basketball, Norwalk (264) remained in Div. III, but not by much. The Truckers will be the second-smallest school in the division, and were just two boys away from being Div. IV. Both Willard (158) and Edison (165) stayed in Div. V, while Western Reserve (119) is back down to Div. VI after a brief stint in Div. V. Similar to Norwalk, with an enrollment count of 94, New London stayed in Div. VI by two boys. Conversely, Monroeville (87) was six boys from Div. VI, but instead will remain in Div. VII. Joining the Eagles in the smallest division include Firelands Conference foes South Central (76), St. Paul (75), and Plymouth (74). There are no divisional changes in bowling or swimming. In bowling, Norwalk is Div. I in boys and girls, while Edison and Willard are Div. II. The trio of Norwalk, Willard, and St. Paul each remain Div. II in swimming.