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OHSAA Division
I Football Tournament Format Moves to Four Regions
Regional alignment will now mirror Divisions II-VII; number of playoff
qualifiers (32) will remain the same
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The tournament format for the OHSAA Division I
football playoffs will move from two regions to four regions beginning
this fall following a 9-0 vote this morning by the OHSAA Board of
Directors during its April meeting. With four regions (map is linked
below), Division I moves back into the same format as Divisions II
through VII, with a greater emphasis on the regional championship games
and decreased travel.
The proposal, which came jointly from the OHSAA staff and the Ohio High
School Football Coaches Association, does not change the number of
Division I qualifiers (32, same as other divisions), but will have its
tournament field comprised of eight qualifiers coming from each of four
regions, rather than 16 teams from two regions, as has been done
beginning in 2013 when the OHSAA expanded the football playoffs to
seven Divisions and reduced the number of schools in Division I to only
the largest 72 schools in Ohio.
“Changing Division I to four regions is a great decision for many
reasons,” Beau Rugg, OHSAA Assistant Commissioner and the state’s
football administrator, said. “First and foremost, it cuts down
significantly on travel, especially in the first round. It also allows
Division I to go back to having a true regional championship game in
the third round, followed by the state semifinals.”
For the last three years, the regional finals in Division I were the
fourth round, which also served as the state semifinals.
Each of the four regions in Division I will contain 18 schools and will
qualify eight to the playoffs. The Division I regional map for 2016 is
posted
at:http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/ft/boys/2016/2016DivisionIRegions.pdf
Of note, only 22 of Ohio’s 88 counties currently have a Division I
football school, thus Division I will have three split counties
(Cuyahoga, Franklin and Montgomery) in order to equally place 18 teams
into each region. In Divisions II through VII, the OHSAA draws regional
boundaries so that all teams within a county that are in the same
division are kept in the same region.
“Back in 2013, we had initially talked about having four regions for
Division I, but at that time we thought that since there was a smaller
number of teams in Division I, that might lend itself better to having
just two regions,” Rugg said. “But with only two regions the last three
years, the increased travel and lack of emphasis on the regional
championship game wasn’t always well received.”
The new format in Division I will be included in the 2016 football
tournament regulations that will be voted on by the Board of Directors
at its next meeting June 2. Any other proposed changes to the
tournament regulations will also be acted upon by the Board in June.
2016 OHSAA Football Division I Schools by Region
Region 1
Brunswick, Dublin Jerome, Elyria, Findlay, Lewis Center Olentangy,
Powell Olentangy Liberty, Lewis Center Olentangy Orange, Lorain,
Marysville, Medina, Newark, North Royalton, Parma, Strongsville, Toledo
Start, Toledo Whitmer, Westerville Central, Westerville South
Region 2
Austintown-Fitch, Berea-Midpark, Canton GlenOak, Canton McKinley,
Cleveland Heights, Cleveland John Marshall, Cleveland Rhodes, Cleveland
St. Ignatius, Cuyahoga Falls, Euclid, Lakewood, Lakewood St. Edward,
Massillon Jackson, Mentor, North Canton Hoover, Shaker Heights, Solon,
Stow-Munroe Falls
Region 3
Beavercreek, Columbus Westland, Dublin Coffman, Gahanna Lincoln, Grove
City, Grove City Central Crossing, Hilliard Bradley, Hilliard Darby,
Hilliard Davidson, Huber Heights Wayne, Kettering Fairmont, Lancaster,
Pickerington Central, Pickerington North, Reynoldsburg, Springfield,
Thomas Worthington, Upper Arlington
Region 4
Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, Cincinnati Colerain, Cincinnati Elder,
Cincinnati Oak Hills, Cincinnati St. Xavier, Cincinnati Sycamore,
Cincinnati Western Hills, Centerville, Clayton Northmont, Fairfield,
Hamilton, Lebanon, Liberty Township Lakota East, Mason, Middletown,
Milford, Springboro, West Chester Lakota West
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