By Dean Eversole
MaxPreps.com
Fall Sports Underway
Despite battling temperatures pushing triple digits, the sounds of fall sports are rumbling through the state. Football, cross country, and volleyball all opened official practices and teams around the state prepare for what they hope will be a long, successful journey.
Volleyball, the only indoor fall sport has been gaining in popularity and consequently the level of competition is on the rise, making it a very unpredictable sport from year to year.
Leading the charge in the category of unpredictability is the extremely difficult Division I, and this season is no different.
It is wide open again, but Cincinnati Seton will be looking to defend its crown from a number of contenders, including last year's runner-up Toledo St. Ursula.
There never seems to be a clear choice in Division I Ohio volleyball, as the state is dotted with numerous powers, including Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, Wadsworth, and Cincinnati Ursuline, all capable of unseating Seton this season.
In the Division II ranks, Roger Bacon will be seeking a three-peat. They are an early favorite to do just that, with Cleveland Walsh Jesuit, Big Walnut, and Kettering Alter offering the biggest challenge to the quest.
Division III might be the most open of the three divisions. Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph enters the season as the defending state champion, but a host of schools will be chasing them this upcoming fall.
Leading the pack is Anna, who lost to VASJ in the state semifinal, but the Rockets will face a stiff challenge in just getting out the regional play, where Versailles will be waiting. Castalia Margaretta should also be pushing for the gold trophy in October.
When you talk Division IV volleyball, you must start with St. Henry and Sidney Lehman Catholic. These two schools have won the last two championships and should never be overlooked. However, other names being bantered about this season are New Knoxville and Norwalk St. Paul. As with the other three divisions there are numerous contenders and only time will tell who takes the title.
No matter the division or the size of the school, each OHSAA member will be looking to conclude their season at one place, the Wright State Nutter Center in Dayton. It will once again be the home of the state championship matches.
Coaching Legend Returns
Ohio volleyball coaching legend De De Stoner is returning to courtside. After building St. Henry into one of the greatest dynasties in Ohio - winning five state titles - she is temporarily taking over the Celina program. Stoner is guiding the program in the absence of Nikkie Etlzer, whose son is battling health problems and is taking a leave of absence to aid in his recovery.
OHSAA Moves to Equalize the Playing Field
In a move that is being designated as "done in the name of fairness," the OHSAA will adjust its divisional line up. With the current system, the emphasis is put on breaking down divisions based on having an equal number of schools participating in each division. Starting in 2007, that will be altered.
Division I will be downsized and will be comprised of only 10 percent of the state's OHSAA member schools. Those schools teetering near the lower end of Division I will be given the option of staying or moving down to Division II on a sport-by-sport basis.
"The modification in the way schools will be assigned to divisions is an attempt to create a fairer manner to conduct our tournaments," noted OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross in a press release.
The change will have a trickle-down effect, bumping some schools down a division and changing the landscape of the entire divisional make up. Only time will tell who moves and who doesn't, but there is no doubt that all OHSAA tournaments will have a different look come next fall.