COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors approved the 2024 football divisional breakdowns and regional assignments Thursday during its April board meeting.
The largest 70 schools are placed in Division I, and all remaining schools are divided as equally as possible into Divisions II through VII, with approximately 106 schools per division.
OHSAA member schools may opt to move up to Division I if Referendum Issue 1B passes this spring. Voting for member schools begins May 1 with results of the referendum voting announced May 16.
Earlier this spring, the OHSAA received updated base enrollment data from the Ohio Department of Education to use for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.
In football, competitive balance data from the previous season is used each season to create a new adjusted enrollment count.
Multiple Cincinnati-area high school football programs are assigned new divisions this upcoming season.
Winton Woods and Little Miami — members of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference — move from Division II to Division I. Both schools will compete in Region 4 this season.
Little Miami moves up to Division I due to enrollment or what is commonly termed the Education Management Information System (EMIS) number. Winton Woods moves to Division I due to competitive balance.
Winton Woods (8-4 in 2023) has consistently embraced playing a difficult non-conference schedule especially before the ECC went to a nine-game conference football schedule in 2022.
Winton Woods will be a Division I football program this upcoming season for the first time since 2004, according to assistant athletic director Jeff Merrill. Winton Woods was a Division II program from 2005 to 2023.
The Warriors open this season at Springfield, the Division I state runner-up the past three seasons.
"Excited for the opportunity to play in one of the toughest regions in the state," Winton Woods coach Chad Murphy said.
Winton Woods, the 2021 Division II state champion, was a regional quarterfinalist in 2023 and a regional semifinalist in 2022.
"We've been here before," Winton Woods athletic director David Lumpkin said. "It's a challenge for your kids."
Also, Lebanon and Middletown move to Region 2 in Division I instead of Region 4.
Aiken, Mount Healthy and Monroe move from Division III to Division II due to enrollment.
"The goals don't change," Mount Healthy coach Jordan Stevens said. "We want to produce the best possible team and off the field as possible. Whether in life or in football my guys embrace change and adjust and adapt to all adversity. We embrace being underdogs. We were underdogs in D-3 and we'll be underdogs in D-2. We'll prepare and play our opponent each week and do our best to make ourselves and the community proud."
Badin (13-1 in 2023), a Division III regional runner-up last season, moves up to Division II due to competitive balance.
"It was a little bit of a shock to be honest," Badin coach Nick Yordy said. "Our enrollment has gone up but I didn't think it was going to lift us up to D-2. It is what it is and it is something we can't really control. We will embrace the move and challenge in front of us. We can control how hard we work and prepare for games and that is what we will do."
Talawanda moves down from Division II to Division III due to competitive balance. Ross moves from Division II to Division III due to enrollment.
McNicholas and Batavaia move up to Division III from Division IV due to enrollment.
New Richmond moves down from Division III to Division IV due to enrollment. Bethel-Tate and Gamble Montessori move up to Division IV from Division V due to enrollment.
Purcell Marian, Blanchester and East Clinton move down from Division V to Division VI due to enrollment.
Williamsburg moves up to Division V due to competitive balance.
St. Bernard-Elmwood Place moves up from Division VII to Division VI due to enrollment. Summit Country Day moves down Division V to Division VI due to enrollment.
Miami Valley Christian Academy moves up from Division VII to Division VI due to competitive balance.
The board of directors also approved the football regulations. The official start date for practice is Thursday, Aug. 1.
High schools can schedule scrimmages with other schools after one full day of contact practice has been completed.
Beginning May 15, schools are permitted to have 13 days of practice without pads or hitting. An additional five days are permitted beginning July 15 for schools to complete the mandatory five-day acclimatization period if they so choose.
The OHSAA does not set a limit on physical fitness training and conditioning workouts in the summer.
