Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: Tim Stried

OHSAA Announces Adjustments to High School 2021 Football Schedules

by Cassie Mattia

Loveland, Ohio – Although COVID-19 is still causing Ohio’s High Schools to be cautious, OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) announced in their routine Thursday morning meeting on the 14th that they voted in favor of making adjustments to the 2021 Ohio High School football regular-season schedules.

In May of 2020, OHSAA released that the Ohio High School Football Playoffs would be expanded to 12 schools per region rather than 8. This expansion alone would increase the number of football playoff qualifiers from 224 to 336. To read more about how the new playoff format will work click the following link: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports/News/ohsaa-to-expand-football-playoffs-in-2021.

With the approval of the playoff expansion, the 2021 regular Ohio High School football season will begin a week earlier. Now schools will be allowed to execute two of the mandatory five “acclimatization” days in July. Practices are officially able to begin on August 1st.

Before the first day of the regular season for Ohio High School Football, which is on August 20th, teams will be able to participate in two scrimmages or jamboree games that can take place between August 6th-14th. The conclusion of the regular-season schedule will be on October 23rd followed by six weeks of playoffs.

To view more highlights from the OHSAA Board of Directors meeting that took place on January 14th click the following link: https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/ohsaa-board-of-directors-meeting-highlights-44.

Want to stay up to date on the latest Loveland and Ohio sports news? Stay tuned for more of the Sports 411 With Me, Cassie Mattia!

Jan 18, 2021
OHSAA Plans to Expand the 2021 Football Playoffs

by Cassie Mattia

Columbus, Ohio – OHSAA released some excellent news for Ohio High School Football teams on Wednesday when they announced their Board of Directors approved expanding the playoff qualifiers from 8 teams to 12 teams per region.

OHSAA’s Board voted 9-0 to expand the OHSAA Football playoffs to 12 teams per region starting in the 2021 season. The expansion was proposed by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association. OHSAA’s Director of Communications, Tim Stried, sent out a press release explaining how the new football playoff expansion will work.

“During the first round of the playoffs, the top four seeds will have a bye, while the No. 12 seed will play at the No. 5 seed, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8. In the second round, the No. 1 seed will play the winner of the 8 vs. 9 game; the No. 2 seed will play the winner of 6 vs. 11; the No. 3 seed will play the winner of 7 vs. 10 and the No. 4 seed will play the winner of 5 vs. 12.

The expansion will increase the number of football playoff qualifiers from 224 to 336. Last year there were 709 schools in Ohio that played 11-man football. Football is the only OHSAA team sport in which not every school qualifies for the postseason.

‘We still have details to work out regarding the format and specific season dates, but this vote by the Board gives us the green light to finalize those details for 2021,’ said Beau Rugg, Senior Director of Officiating and Sport Management for the OHSAA and the Association’s football administrator. ‘We are thankful for the Board’s support on this proposal, which will bring all the great things of playoff football to 112 additional schools and communities.’

Rugg also noted that the football finals in 2021 are expected to end during the same weekend as previously scheduled (Dec. 2-5). Schools will still be permitted to play 10 regular-season contests.

The higher seeded teams will have the opportunity to host their playoff games during the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

Loveland Tigers vs. Lebanon in September of 2016

The OHSAA football playoffs began in 1972 when only 12 schools qualified for the playoffs (four schools in each of three classes). Expansion first came in 1980 when the OHSAA changed to five divisions with eight teams each (40 total qualifiers). A sixth division was added in 1994 (96 total qualifiers) and the number of qualifiers was increased to eight schools per region in 1999 (192 total qualifiers). A seventh division was added in 2013 to bring the number of qualifiers to 224.”

Stay tuned for the latest Ohio and Loveland sports news!

May 23, 2020
OHSAA Announces Potential Ohio High School Spring Sports Plans!

Cassie Mattia

by Cassie Mattia

Columbus, Ohio – Athletes all over the state of Ohio are at a standstill as they wait to hear if their 2020 sport seasons will continue. Well the wait, for now, has ended as OHSAA announced last Wednesday that if school facilities reopen in early May Spring sports schedules and tournaments are in place and ready to go!

OHSAA’s Director of Communications, Tim Stried, and Executive Director, Jerry Snodgrass constructed and sent out a press release last Thursday addressing the state of Ohio’s concerns about high school athletes continuing their Spring sports schedules. Below are the plans OHSAA has put in place for Ohio High School Spring athletes.

“School facilities are closed through May 1 due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. If the closure is extended beyond May 1, the OHSAA will provide updated information. If school facilities do not reopen this school year, there will not be a spring sports season.

State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.

‘If the Governor and Ohio Department of Health deems it safe to reopen school facilities in early May, then we will have a shortened spring sports season that extends into June,’ said OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass. ‘I commend our sports administration staff for putting the schedules together working on state tournament sites.’

Wednesday’s memo to school administrators also included details regarding Pupil Activity/Coaching Permits, annual awards certificates, District Athletic Board elections and academic eligibility for fall sports and college-bound seniors. The memo is posted at https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/school-administrators-update-april-8

‘We continue to applaud each of you for helping provide guidance and leadership to your coaches and your efforts to keep students engaged,’ Snodgrass wrote to school administrators in the memo. ‘This crisis has heightened the awareness that students want to be back in the classroom. Teachers want students back in the classroom. In our solid belief that school-based athletic programs are an extension of the classroom, we hold that same belief for our student-athletes and coaches. Getting kids back with coaches is much more than winning and we feel it a vital part of returning life to normalcy.’

SPRING SPORTS OVERVIEW

– If school facilities are closed for the remainder of the school year, spring sports will be canceled.

– The dates below for each sport are tentative and are based on the Governor’s optimistic direction that schools will reopen May 4. We will adjust accordingly.

– The mandatory no-contact period remains in place through May 1. No practices or group workouts may occur through this date, but the OHSAA encourages coaches to maintain electronic correspondence with their student-athletes.

– With a current return on May 4, the schedules below have been adopted for spring sports. Specific information relative to sectional and district tournaments, playing dates, seeding procedures, game sites, will all be provided in communications from the respective six District Athletic Boards.

– State tournament venues listed below are subject to change.

– If for any reason specific sites are shut down due to Governor’s orders, ALL sites will be shut down and tournaments will not be held.

BASEBALL

State tournament dates determined by the availability of Akron Canal Park.

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 11

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 17

Sectional Tournaments – May 23-30

District Tournaments – June 1-6

Regional Tournaments – June 11-12

State Tournament at Akron Canal Park (subject to change) – June 19-21

Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – June 27

SOFTBALL

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 24

Sectional Tournaments – May 30-June 6

District Tournaments – June 8-13

Regional Tournaments – June 15-20

State Tournament at Akron Firestone Stadium (subject to change) – June 25-27

Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – July 4

LACROSSE

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 25

Regional Qualifying – May 26-30

Regional Tournaments – June 1-7

State Semifinals – June 8-10

State Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University (subject to change) – June 13

Season Concludes (regular-season games can be played up until this date) – June 13

BOYS TENNIS

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 18

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 24

Sectional Tournaments – May 30-June 6

District Tournaments – June 8-13

State Tournament at Hilliard Davidson High School (subject to change) – June 18-20

Season Concludes (regular-season contests can be played up until this date) – June 27

TRACK AND FIELD

Athletic facilities at The Ohio State University will not be available in June, so the state tournament will be split into three different sites, per division. The details are below.

Acclimation Period – May 4-8

Season Begins – May 9

Tournament Entry/Withdrawal – May 25

Tournament Draw/Coaches Meeting – May 31

District Tournaments – June 9-13

Regional Tournaments – June 17-20

State Tournament – June 26-27

State Tournament Sites (subject to change): Division I at Hilliard Darby; Division II At Pickerington North; Division III at Westerville North

Season Concludes (regular-season meets can be held up until this date) – June 27″

For the latest news in the world of OHSAA, you can visit www.ohsaa.org. If you have any urgent questions about the tentative Spring sport plans contact Tim Stried at tstried@ohsaa.org.

Apr 13, 2020
OHSAA Announces Cancellation of all Winter Tournaments

by Cassie Mattia

Columbus, Ohio – Since the COVID-19 outbreak athletes all over Ohio have been awaiting the decision on whether or not their sport will continue with competitions. On Thursday, OHSAA’s Director of Communications Tim Stried, Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass, and the rest of the OHSAA staff worked together to release a statement confirming that all OHSAA winter tournaments would be moved from postponed to canceled. Stried specified that the wrestling, basketball and ice hockey winter tournaments would not be completed. As unfortunate as this is for many Ohio High School athletes it is a matter of health and safety at the end of the day. Below is a statement from Tim Stried regarding the cancellation of the winter tournaments.

“The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced Thursday that the winter sports tournaments of wrestling, basketball and ice hockey, which were postponed indefinitely on March 12, are now canceled due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. It is anticipated that schools will not be able to reopen for many weeks, which prevents interscholastic athletics from taking place.

The start of the OHSAA’s spring sports of softball, lacrosse, baseball, track and field, and boys tennis is still postponed, which coincides with schools not being open.

Earlier Thursday, OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass and his staff communicated with the schools that were still competing in those winter tournaments to announce the decision.

‘We are just devastated that the tournaments cannot be completed,’ said Snodgrass. ‘But our priority is the safety of our student-athletes, coaches, communities, and officials. Governor Mike DeWine is asking all Ohioans to do everything they can to stop the spread of this virus. That request, along with our schools not being able to reopen for weeks, means that school sports cannot happen at this time. Even if our schools reopen this spring, it will be difficult to find facilities willing to host the tournaments. Most campuses are shut down until mid to late summer. We are already planning for ways that these student-athletes will be honored at next year’s state tournament,’ said Snodgrass.

The 16 schools that qualified for the girls’ basketball state tournament and the four teams that qualified for the ice hockey state tournament will all receive state tournament programs. The 672 student-athletes who qualified for the wrestling state tournament will all receive a program, certificate and weigh-in card.

These four winter state tournaments and a few events during World War 2 (1941-45) are the only sports cancellations in the history of the OHSAA, which was founded in 1907.

No state champions will be listed for these four sports in 2020. The OHSAA does not use state polls from the media or coaches associations to determine state champions.

A reminder that OHSAA coaches can communicate electronically with their student-athletes, but no practices, scrimmages or contests of any kind are permitted until further notice.

On March 13, Snodgrass sent this memo to member schools: https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/ohsaa-winter-and-spring-sports-update

More information regarding spring sports will be provided when available.”

If you would like more information on the latest announcements and Ohio High School sports updates you can visit www.ohsaa.org. If you would like to check out OHSAA’s social media pages you can visit twitter.com/OHSAASports or facebook.com/OHSAASports.