Change is coming.
The IHSAA released new fall and winter sectional assignments Tuesday afternoon that solidify the state tournament structure for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years — and local schools will see plenty of seismic changes.
The most shocking shifts come in basketball and volleyball, where the county’s four Class 4A schools have been split up. Center Grove and Greenwood will now be aligned with Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Martinsville and Mooresville; Franklin and Whiteland are paired with Columbus East, Columbus North, East Central and Shelbyville.
In Class 3A, Indian Creek’s teams will share sectional courts with Brown County, Edgewood, Northview, Owen Valley, South Vermillion and West Vigo. Edinburgh and Greenwood Christian remain separated in Class A — the Lancers will be bracketed with Jac-Cen-Del, Morristown, Oldenburg Academy, South Decatur, Southwestern and Waldron, while GCA remains in a more familiar grouping with Central Christian, Eminence, Indianapolis Lutheran, Providence Cristo Rey, Tindley and Victory College Prep.
In football, Franklin and Whiteland will remain in the same Class 5A sectional as one another, but they will now be paired with Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South. Center Grove’s 6A sectional, which included just Columbus North and Franklin Central this past season, welcomes Jeffersonville back into the mix.
Greenwood’s Class 4A draw features a wide geographic spread: Bedford North Lawrence, East Central, Edgewood, Jennings County, Martinsville, Shelbyville and Silver Creek. Indian Creek will be in a new Class 3A sectional with Batesville, Centerville, Frankin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Rushville and South Dearborn.
After being eliminated by the Class A state champion each of the last two years, Edinburgh has been moved into a slightly more forgiving sectional with Cambridge City Lincoln, Knightstown, Milan, North Decatur, Oldenburg Academy, South Decatur and Tri.
In soccer, Center Grove has been pulled away from the rest of the county and grouped with the two Bloomington schools, the two Terre Haute schools and Martinsville. Franklin, Whiteland and Greenwood remain with the Columbus schools and add Franklin Central and Roncalli to the mix.
Greenwood Christian’s boys soccer team will be in a Class A sectional with Bloomfield, Dugger Union, Eminence, Lighthouse Christian and White River Valley; the girls will be up against Heritage Christian, Indianapolis Lutheran, Park Tudor, Scecina and Tindley.
