Getting some props

OK, I’m not shy, I’m willing to take some of the credit.

I think the OHSAA felt a little fire under their feet so they released a statement saying they are going to review the change in the way football teams are going to be assigned to divisions beginning next year.

There have been a number of stories written on the changes, mostly in favor of them by the metro daily newspapers in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Canton. One newspaper, your own Findlay Courier, has been the only newspaper in the state to write about the negative impact the changes would have on Division VI schools.

We’ve written two columns and three stories about the changes and how they will impact our area’s small schools. Those stories have gotten area coaches, administrators and fans fired up enough to voice their displeasure on the changes with the OHSAA down in Columbus. And now they plan on reviewing he changes for football only.

Sure makes me feel a little better about things and hopefully area schools will keep the pressure up on the OHSAA to make sure the football tournaments are fair to everyone, not just those in Division I.

Here is the press release issued by the OHSAA.

OHSAA BOARD OF CONTROL TO REVIEW
CHANGE IN FOOTBALL DIVISIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Control will review its decision to change how schools are assigned to the six divisions of the 2007 OHSAA football tournaments, Jerry Snodgrass, president of the Board of Control and athletic administrator at Findlay High School, has announced.

In June, the Board approved a plan that will move away from the concept of placing an equal number of schools within each division of OHSAA tournaments that have multiple divisions. Instead, a formula was created that will place schools with more similar enrollments within the same division. The result of that plan — to be implemented in 2007-08 — will be a smaller number of schools assigned to the big-school division, Division I.

“When we approved the original proposal, we felt that an attempt was made to create fairer tournaments,” Snodgrass said. “Since that time we have received some feedback from the membership, and, because football is unique in that only 192 schools qualify for the tournaments, the Board believes it is in the best interest of our member schools to review the modification that was made in football.”

The plan in football that was approved in June called for: 1.) the top 10 percent of schools participating in the tournaments to be assigned to Division I; 2.) the bottom two percent of the remaining schools to be taken out of the count; and 3.) the remaining number of schools to be divided equally between the bottom five divisions, with the two percent previously taken out to be added back to Division VI. Had the change taken place in 2006, the result would have been that roughly 73 of the 716 football-playing schools would have been assigned to Division I, 139 schools would have been assigned to Division VI and 126 schools would have been assigned to Divisions II through V. The proposal adopted by the Board was made by an OHSAA subcommittee that was comprised of OHSAA staff and district athletic board members along with superintendents, principals and athletic administrators from across the state.

As part of the review, Snodgrass said the OHSAA plans to study data that will show how the proposed change would have impacted the 2005 football tournaments. Once this season ends, he said data will also be gathered to see what impact the proposal would have had on the 2006 tournaments.

“Once we review data from both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, we will decide the next course of action,” Snodgrass said.

Snodgrass said there are no plans to alter the Board’s decision to implement the new formula in the other OHSAA multi-division tournaments beginning in the fall of 2007. There also are no plans to change the policy adopted in June by the Board that says that schools will have the option of moving up to Division I on a sport-by-sport basis with the understanding that this division jump will last for a minimum of two years. That policy also has a 2007-08 start date.


NEWSWORTHY: Lots of great stories today.

Wednesday’s Findlay Courier sports roundup (Includes results from the Old Fort Invitational and a story on Albert Laux becoming the winningest soccer coach in Ohio history).
Soccer gaining a foothold in Galion
Browns McCutcheon out for the season
Twins close to within a half game of Tigers
Lakewood combats staph infections
Drunken Chinese migrant worker bitten by Panda…bites him back
Continental stays perfect against Delphos Jefferson
Lima News Prep Sports Roundup
Mansfield News Journal Prep Sports Roundup
Marion Harding looks for better execution against Westland
Marion looks to end losing streak
Perkins fires 4th coach post strike
Shindeldecker out for rest of the year
Roughriders blank O-G 1-0
Tiffin area volleyball roundup
Gibsonburg wins SLL golf title