By Ed Letsinger
MaxPreps.com
The streak is over.
One of the most impressive streaks in Cincinnati prep football history came to a halt last weekend when Middletown defeated Colerain 42-39 in a Greater Miami Conference contest.
It was the first league loss for the Cardinals since 1999 and snapped a 61-game conference winning streak. It was also Colerain’s first regular season loss since 2005, ending another 35-game winning streak.
Colerain (6-1, 3-1 GMC) had come into the game ranked No. 20 in the MaxPreps National Rankings, No. 1 in the Associated Press Ohio poll and No. 1 in the local coaches’ poll. Middletown (5-2, 4-0 GMC) took sole possession of first place in the league with three games left to play.
OHSAA to Add Division?
The Ohio High School Athletic Association recently announced that an OHSAA subcommittee has recommended to their Board of Directors that Division I football be divided in half. The proposal means that a seventh division would be added, with the top four teams in each division qualifying for the playoffs instead of the current eight.
The biggest issue at hand is the large enrollment discrepancy that occurs in Division I, where the smallest school currently stands at 528 boys versus the largest which is 1,246. The proposed change would mean that the two divisions would be comprised of schools with similar enrollments.
Under the proposal, divisions II through VI would continue to have the same approximate number of schools and would continue to have eight qualifying teams from each region.
Mike Richards, president of the OHSAA Board of Directors and superintendent of the Allen East Local Schools in Harrod, issued the following statement in regards to the proposal:
“The recommendation was presented to the Board of Directors and our plans are to study the proposal further,” Richards said. “We also have not set a timetable for acting on the recommendation. I can safely say that, should the proposal be accepted or a modification of the proposal be approved, we do not anticipate implementation of a change occurring in the next few years.”
Harbin Rankings Shakeup
If the football playoffs started this week there would be a decidedly different flavor among the qualifying Cincinnati Division I, Region 4 schools.
To no big surprise, Colerain is currently the top seed followed by No. 2 Elder. Then it gets really strange. Unsung Harrison (5-2) is ranked fourth followed by unbeaten Woodward (7-0), who is trying to earn a first-ever playoff berth.
Missing from the mix are preseason favorites St. Xavier (No. 14), Moeller (10), Princeton (11) and Sycamore (12). Greater Miami Conference leader Middletown (13) and a strong Hamilton team (ninth) are also on the outside looking in. All six teams are currently ranked in the top 10 of the local coaches’ poll.
With three weeks to go in the regular season there is still time for teams to make a move but time is running short.
Ursuline Solidifies Top Spot
Ursuline Academy left no doubts about who is the top-ranked volleyball team in Cincinnati and all of Ohio Division I.
The Lions (21-0) defeated No. 2-ranked Mount Notre Dame 25-16, 25-19, 17-25, 18-25-18-16 on Tuesday in a hard-fought, five-game Girls Greater Cincinnati League Scarlet Division match to finish the regular season (10-0 GGCL) unbeaten in league play. There have been several outstanding performers throughout the season including league-leaders Jade Henderson (202 kills) and Dani Reinert (635 assists).
Ursuline has one game left in the regular season against Lakota West before beginning sectional tournament play on Oct. 15 against the winner of Mount Healthy-Northwest.
Ed Letsinger covers prep sports in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. He can be reached at eletsinger@insightbb.com.
