SIX TEAM SWAP IN DIVISION II
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Wednesday night, August 19, 2015
BRECKSVILLE – It is amazing what can change in the course of a month.
On July 16 I posted a story that listed the 27 teams in Division II, Region 3. On August 13 the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) rendered that article obsolete.
In a numbers game that the states inter-scholastic athletic body perfected there has been a change in the 27 teams that will compete in D-2, R-3 this season and next.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association board of directors approved new divisional assignments based on updated school enrollment figures that do not include charter school, community school and STEM school students in the public schools where they reside. Divisional assignments were originally approved in June. Last Thursday it revised an earlier decision to include those students in public school enrollment counts, resulting in recalculation of divisional dividing lines based on the updated enrollment figures.
The above text was taken from the lead paragraph of the OHSAA’s press release of August 13, 2015. I noted the key points in bold type.
Okay, and so …
What does this all mean for Brecksville-Broadview Heights? Not a whole heck of a lot. Except for the fact that Division II, Region 3 appears, at least on paper, to have become a little more challenging than it already was.
The bottom line is that none of this will matter if the Bees do not make the playoffs at the conclusion of the upcoming 2015 season. If they do, the road is a little more rugged. But then playing in week 11 and possibly beyond is earned beginning in week one. And in tournament play it usually doesn’t get any easier the deeper you go. That’s the way it should be. Come November nothing is given.
The recalculated numbers list BBHHS with a male enrollment of 515 in grades 9-11. The previous count was 520. The Bees will remain in Division II, and likely Region 3, through the 2016-2017 school year.
The geographic boundary of Region 3 changed slightly as well. Mahoning County is no longer part of the mix. Hence Boardman is not included in this reconfiguration. The eastern half of Cuyahoga County, along with Ashtabula, Lake, Summit, Portage, Geauga and Trumbull counties remain. Even without Mahoning County the region has a more eastern feel to it.
Key Comings and Goings
Here is the big change. The Cleveland schools; John F. Kennedy, John Adams, John Hay, East Tech and Glenville, as well as Boardman, are the six teams that are no longer a part of the D-2, R-3 grouping.
Entering Division II, Region 3 are; Aurora, Chardon, Kenston, Ashtabula Lakeside, Madison and Warren Harding. Yes, you read it right, Madison. The team that knocked the Bees from the playoffs the last two years.
Key departures are Boardman and Glenville. Formidable additions include; Aurora, Chardon, Madison and Harding.
The other “original” 21 teams remain.
Kudos to the state for what looks like painstaking work to crunch the numbers and then realign the majority of regions in all divisions throughout the Buckeye State.
As usual the top eight teams in each region will dance into week 11. The 8th seed plays at the top seed, #7 visits #2, etc. If Brecksville is able to generate enough computer points by the weekend after its regular season finale at Hudson on October 30 they will have punched their own ticket. If not, diving into the updated school enrollment counts and its fallout, at the very least, was an interesting exercise.
Here is the revised list of all 27 teams in Division II, Region 3:
BBHHS, Aurora, Barberton, Bedford, Brush, Chardon, Copley, Akron Ellet, Akron Firestone, Akron Garfield, Garfield Heights, Green, Hudson, Kenston, Ashtabula Lakeside, Madison, Maple Heights, Mayfield, Nordonia, Akron North, Eastlake North, Painesville Riverside, Kent Roosevelt, Willoughby South, Twinsburg, Walsh Jesuit and Warren Harding.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
Follow on Twitter: @beevillesports
Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on the worldwide web at: beesvolleyball.com.
– 30 –