by Per Tim Stried of the OHSAA
The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors has approved 14 requests from 11 schools to move up to Division I in specific fall and winter sports for the 2024-25 school year. The requests were made possible by the passage of Referendum Item 1B that OHSAA member schools passed earlier this spring, which permits schools to request to move up to Division I on a sport-by-sport basis for one school year.
The movement results in a total of 24 adjustments in divisional placements across seven fall and winter sports, which includes several Division I schools moving down to Division II in specific sports.
No requests were denied. Schools have until June 25 to request to move up to Division I in wrestling, as those preliminary divisional breakdowns were just approved on June 9 by the OHSAA Board of Directors and are posted at: https://www.ohsaa.org/sports/wrestling
Preliminary spring sport divisional assignments will be presented to the Board of Directors in August and schools will have until September 13 to request to move up to Division I in 2025 spring sports.
The referendum issue results were announced on May 16 and schools had until June 3 to request to move up to Division I. The OHSAA Board of Directors reviewed and approved the list during meetings this past weekend in Akron at the baseball state tournament that wrapped up the 2024-25 school year.
FALL SPORTS
Girls Tennis
Chagrin Falls Kenston moves to D1
Chardon Notre Dame Cathedral Latin moves to D1
Ashtabula St. John School moves to D1
No changes to representation in D1 or D2
Football
Westerville Central moves to D1
No schools move down to D2 as number of teams in D1 still rounds to 10%
Boys Soccer
Cincinnati Elder moves to D1
Columbus St. Charles moves to D1
Cincinnati Sycamore moves to D2
Cleveland Heights moves to D2
No changes to representation in D1 or D2
Girls Soccer
Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit moves to D1
Westerville South moves to D2
No changes to representation in D1 or D2
Girls Volleyball
Cleveland St. Joseph Academy moves to D1
Rocky River Magnificat moves to D1
Parma Normandy moves to D2
Pataskala Watkins Memorial moves to D2
Regional Tournament Representation:
No Change to D1
D2: Southwest – 3; Central – 3; Northeast – 8; Northwest – 2
WINTER SPORTS (except Wrestling)
Boys Basketball
Cincinnati Elder moves to D1
Thomas Worthington moves to D2
Regional Tournament Representation:
No Change to D1
D2: Central – 5; Northwest – 2; Northeast – 7; Southwest – 2
Girls Basketball:
Cincinnati Seton moves to D1
Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame moves to D1
Rocky River Magnificat moves to D1
Cleveland St. Joseph Academy moves to D1
Euclid moves to D2
Grove City Central Crossing moves to D2
Westerville North moves to D2
Cleveland John Marshall moves to D2
Regional Tournament Representation:
D1: Central – 5; Northeast – 4; Northwest – 1; Southwest – 6
D2: Central – 4; Northeast – 7; Northwest – 2; Southwest – 3
