The numbers for Orrville show a drop in the number of boys in grades 9, 10 and 11 of about 10%. Our current count stands at 211, down from 234 in 2007. So before we even talk about the effect this will have on our various sports teams, the overt theme is that we are losing students, not a good thing when you start talking about state funding dollars.
Basically, every student in our district counts for a certain dollar amount from the state, and less students mean less dollars, and less dollars mean (potentially) less opportunities for our young people.
OK....onto the impact this will have on our sports teams.
Football
Basically no change, we were Division 4 two years ago, we will remain Division 4. The cutoff point 2 years ago between Div. 4 and Div. 5 was 187 boys. Our count would have had to come in below 200 for me to seriously consider a drop down to D5.
One interesting item of note....powerhouse Steubenville looks like they may jump back to Division 3...as they checked in with a count of 270, the cutoff point between Div. 4 and Div. 3 in 2007 was 257 boys.
Cardinal Mooney checks in with 252 boys, likely staying put in D4 (of course) for another 2 years. They sure do know how to fly right up to the sun with these counts.
Basketball
I'm calling it...we're moving to Division 3 in basketball. In 2007, we were 7 boys higher than the cutoff point. With a loss of 23 boys from the 2007 count, we should drop down to D3. Unless there's a big change in the total number of basketball playing schools in the entire state...there should be around 200 teams per division. Our enrollment makes us right around the 425th biggest school in the state, just outside of the top half, and at least from a logic standpoint, a likely D3 team.
This would be kind of bittersweet....if this comes to fruition, no more Fieldhouse games unless we make regionals. This may also explain why Timken is dropping off our schedule, no more need to get time on that floor.
What will be interesting about this...the game at the WQKT/Smitty Classic between Smithville could be a district championship preview....not to mention games against the other WCAL teams. It will certainly renew some old rivalries in the district. I'd like to say that the last time Orrville faced a WCAL team in the tournaments was 1995.
Volleyball
Not much happenning here, we're D3 now, we'll stay D3.
Girls Basketball
Same here....D3 now, and that's where we'll stay.
Wrestling
Same story as in boys basketball...we were close to being D3 in 2007, and with the drop in numbers, a division drop is very likely.
This is of course, all speculative, until the OHSAA sets the cutoff points it's all a guessing game. Here is how the cutoff points were set last time. If we're just going off of past data and past cutoff points, I think a lot of this is a very safe bet.
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