Jacob Ranker of Marysville goes up for a basket in this file photo. MHS teams will be moving in the fall of 2020 to a new division during the Ohio Capital Conference’s realignment.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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The proposed landscape of the Ohio Capital Conference could change when the school calendar reaches the fall of 2020. That will be pending approval by the OCC board.
Beginning with that academic year, conference affiliates will be realigned into new divisions.
Marysville High School will join with Dublin Jerome, Hilliard Darby, Olentangy, Olentangy Berlin and Thomas Worthington.
The remainder of the divisions will be drawn as follows:
-Gahanna, Grove City, New Albany, Pickerington North, Westerville Central and Westland;
-Big Walnut, Canal Winchester, Delaware Hayes, Dublin Scioto, Franklin Heights, Westerville North, Westerville South and Worthington Kilbourne;
-Dublin Coffman, Hilliard Bradley, Hilliard Davidson, Olentangy Orange, Olentangy Liberty and Upper Arlington;
-Central Crossing, Groveport-Madison, Lancaster, Newark, Pickerington Central and Reynoldsburg.
Names for the new divisional realignment have not yet been designated, according to MHS athletic director Ryan Walker.
The realignment came about after officials from Delaware Hayes asked for a review, said Walker.
“The OCC reviews realignment every two years,” he said. “I’m not really sure why Delaware asked for this review.”
A call by the Journal-Tribune to the Delaware Hayes athletic department was not returned before presstime today.
Walker said he doesn’t think the realignment was due to the fact that Berlin, the Olentangy district’s fourth high school, will open next fall.
“Berlin was going to take Mt. Vernon’s place,” he said. “They already had a spot.”
Walker feels the switch will be good for Monarch teams.
“I think sports such as wrestling, softball and baseball that have done well in the past will continue to do so in the new alignment,” he said. “I also think our teams that have struggled a bit will see better match-ups.
“I feel this is going to be better for football and boys and girls basketball.”
While MHS teams won’t have to face traditional powers Dublin Coffman, Hilliard Davidson and Upper Arlington in divisional games, Walker feels the competition in the new lineup will be strong.
“I think from top to bottom, it’s going to be fairly even,” he said. “When you look at the division, you’re going to have trouble predicting who is going to win a championship (in any sport) and that’s a good thing.”
Walker said that with a large conference such as the 32-school OCC, “no one gets everything they want.
“However, I think this will be better than the division we are competing in and I feel our coaches are looking forward to a change of scenery.
“I think we are going to develop some compelling rivalries.”
and I feel it should bring out more community interest.”