Unlike established Division I athletic programs such as Marysville, small schools like Triad may benefit from an expansion in divisions, according to AD Nick Withrow.
“I think this has the potential to be extremely beneficial for your smaller schools,” he said. “I think opening up more divisions provides opportunities for schools to compete with schools of their size.”
In the past, Triad had to compete in the postseason with some larger institutions within its division.
Triad, which has 121 boys and 88 girls in its attendance, has competed in Divisions III and IV, depending on the sport (outside of football).
“You are going up against schools that are 100 or 200 kids more your size because they are at the top of your division and you are at the bottom of the division,” Withrow said.
Reading the press release from the Ohio High School Athletic Association, Withrow agrees with executive director Doug Ute regarding what the expansion will offer to smaller districts.
“I think now what this does is it equals the playing field drastically for smaller schools and provides them the opportunity to succeed in tournaments they never had before,” Withrow said.
Withrow expects Triad teams to move to lower divisions in baseball, softball, boys and girls basketball and girls volleyball.
He predicts most of Triad’s teams will move to either Division V or VI.
“I would expect us to be right around that area depending on the year and our numbers,” Withrow said. “I think that puts us in a much more competitive balance for our student-athletes to compete with schools the same size as us for the first time in forever.”
Basketball is the biggest point of concern for Withrow, due to the huge discrepancy between upper and lower school sizes.
“Even in Division III, there is a huge difference,” Withrow said.
There are still questions the athletic director has regarding how the OHSAA will organize the postseason tournaments moving forward.
“I think this is going to be very interesting to see how this is all going to play out and look like,” he said. “I think it could be a lot of fun for the state in creating more competitive balance.
“The more opportunities you have for kids to win championships, the better off it is for everyone,” he said.